Ancient Greek philosophy: the birth of the modern world

When I was barely out of college, I traveled to Greece with friends.  That trip will always stay with me because it was the first time I met long-term travelers and solo travelers and the idea of taking a career break formed.  The trip also made me realize that while history was my least favorite subject in school, it is much more fascinating to experience it through travel.  In this guest post, brush up on the basics of Greek philosophy and maybe get inspired to plan your trip to Greece.

 

Ancient Greek philosophy: the birth of the modern world

Sun, sand and ancient philosophy – it’s not your average luxury holiday formula. But then Greece is far from your average destination. While you might not want to spend your entire trip in museums or getting to grips with the classics, I think it’s always worth learning about (or having a little refresher of) the basics of Greek philosophy.

I’ve got a few reasons for this. First of all, I think ancient Greek philosophy is one of the most defining pieces of the country’s heritage – not to mention that of the western world as a whole. Secondly, I think it makes you see the whole place in a new light – and could spark interest in visiting attractions that you might not have previously considered. Thirdly, a lot of the ideas you come across (particularly if you decide to read about the work of some of the best-known philosophers) can make you look at the world differently – and isn’t that kind of change and escape something that most of us seek when we’re travelling?

So, today I’m going to be introducing you to the basics of Greek philosophy, looking at how it impacted the western world and how it’s still – remarkably – doing so today. On the practical side of things, Sovereign Travel has some useful tips on the main attractions of the country, while both it and companies like Elegant Resorts are good places to find luxury accommodation.

Mysticism

Before the arrival of the philosophy of the ancient Greeks, the western world had a very different way of looking at things. Mysticism was the order of the day – people used stories of gods and myths to understand and interpret the world around them, rather than using reason as we would expect today.

You see, it was ancient Greek philosophy that ushered in this age of reason – so we can see from the outset just how defining a role the discipline played. In fact, I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say it forms the basis of modern western thought.

The beginnings of philosophy

Ancient Greek philosophers like Socrates, Plato and Aristotle are generally considered to be the figures who really shaped modern thinking – but they didn’t invent philosophy. Long before they arrived on the scene people had begun asking questions about the universe, but not in the same way as these three figures (who, by the way, each had different ideas and approaches – but I’ll talk more about those in a moment).

While this is admittedly quite a broad statement (after all, scholars have spent years studying this subject and we definitely don’t have time to go over all of that here!), pre-Socratic philosophers were concerned with identifying the single underlying principle of the universe. The 6th century BC is generally agreed to be the time when Western philosophical thought began.

The result of this was the start of investigations into things like our capacity for reason and what we can learn from our senses – the result of which was the ancient Greek philosophy that we’re familiar with today.

Socrates

Let’s begin with Socrates, who is largely credited with making philosophy a more immediate concern – by using it as way of defining ethics and encouraging people to harness it as a means of questioning their morality.

His ideas

Socrates’s methods were primarily focused on the asking of questions. Central to his philosophy were human thoughts and opinions. While this was nothing new, the way he approached them was – he cross-examined people with question after question in order to find out more about virtues and beliefs. Often, no firm conclusions about these virtues and beliefs was found – but it did have the effect of highlighting that the things we think we know aren’t necessarily known at all.

How we can see these today

As you may have guessed, one of the key ways we can see Socrates’s influence today is in the field of teaching. The Socratic method is used to help students arrive at a conclusion for themselves by asking them a series of questions, rather than simply telling them what you’re trying to convey. The idea is that this will foster greater understanding, help the principle in question to stick in their memory and also encourage logical thought.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise, then, that he also had a massive influence on the development of logic, as well as the approach to the discipline of philosophy as a whole.

Plato

His ideas

Plato was a follower of Socrates, and his philosophical ideas reflect this. However, he went beyond Socrates’s ideas and created his own system, which combined his mentor’s thoughts with the principles of some of the philosophers who came before him.

Plato was particularly concerned with identifying forms – which he saw as eternal and unchangeable things. These forms, he believed, could be identified using reason. He believed the chief form was Good, and that all else came after this.

How we can see these today

Plato was the founder of the western world’s first institute of higher learning (the Academy in Athens), so it’s clear how he has had an impact on our lives today. But his philosophy itself, rather than the physical things he created, has had just as big an impact. In fact, his discourses are still used to teach a wide range of subjects, including (obviously!) philosophy, ethics and maths.

Aristotle

His ideas

Last up is Aristotle, who was one of Plato’s students. As well as being a philosopher, Aristotle worked on a massive array of different disciplines and subjects, including physics, poetry, ethics and biology. He believed that philosophy was science, and that philosophical ideas and deductions should begin with experience-gained facts.

As you’d expect given that he was his student, Aristotle shared Plato’s idea that concepts contain the true being of things. That said, he differed from his teacher in that he believed matter and form to be inseparable – and he thought the unification of these two things was a fundamental principle of being.

How we can see these today

Aristotle’s work had a massive impact and there are so many ways we can see this today. Modern ethics, for instance, still draws on Aristotle, while his work in physics was prevalent until the time of Newton. The most significant thing, though, is that it was Aristotle who was first to combine logic, science, metaphysics, politics, aesthetics and morality into a single system of western philosophy.

Continuing impact

Just to round off, I’d like to add that it’s not only the most famous ancient Greek philosophers that continue to influence our world today. Albert Ellis, the psychologist responsible for developing Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT – used to treat conditions such as anxiety and depression) took his inspiration from ancient Greek philosophers like Epictetus. It’s amazing to think how ideas so old can still resonate and create new – and helpful – things today.