[PDF] The Wisdom Of The Ancient Greeks eBook

Author : Michael K. Kellogg
Publisher : Prometheus Books
Page : 424 pages
File Size : 14,84 MB
Release : 2012-07-10
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 1616145765

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The philosopher Alfred North Whitehead once said that all of Western philosophy was "but a series of footnotes to Plato." By the same token, one could argue that all of Western civilization is but an extension of the ancient Greek cultural legacy. The Greeks invented tragedy, comedy, lyric poetry, history, philosophy, and democracy. They also made remarkable advances in science, medicine, and mathematics. In the author’s view, what ties this wide-ranging intellectual ferment together is a restless search for wisdom. The author looks at ten outstanding examples of Greek wisdom, offering fresh and engaging portraits of the epic poets (Homer, Hesiod); dramatists (Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes); historians (Herodotus, Thucydides); and philosophers (Plato, Aristotle) against the background of Greek history. In each case he asks what the author has to tell us— regardless of genre—about our place in the world and how we should live our lives. By surveying some of the highest peaks of ancient civilization, the author argues that we gain perspective on the historical terrain that lies below. This book presents an eloquent and convincing case that a study of the Greek classics, as Gustave Flaubert explained, makes us "greater, wiser, purer."

Author : Mel Thompson
Publisher : ONEWorld
Page : 193 pages
File Size : 41,66 MB
Release : 2002-01-01
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781435683983

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Contained in this illustrated anthology are insights from all the key thinkers of Ancient Greek civilization, from Homer to Sophocles and Socrates.

Author : Mel Thompson
Publisher : Oneworld Publications
Page : 200 pages
File Size : 42,32 MB
Release : 2002-08-09
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781851682980

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For nearly three thousand years the wisdom of the Ancient Greeks has influenced almost every sphere of thought, from drama to science. Resonating through the ages, the writings of this majestic civilization combine the passion of human emotions with the mental rigours of philosophy. Drawn from the vast wealth of Ancient Greek literature, this little compendium offers an inspiring selection of extracts from the greatest classical thinkers. From Plato’s thoughts on justice to Homer’s vision of love and Aesop’s words of wisdom, these passages address a multitude of timeless themes, turning ancient thought into practical advice. As both a testament to the enduring preoccupations of humankind, and a philosophical handbook for modern times, this keepsake will provide much spiritual nourishment for many years to come.

Author : Steven Shankman
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
Page : 268 pages
File Size : 13,26 MB
Release : 2003-09-16
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 1725208458

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The cultures of ancient China and ancient Greece have exerted immeasurable influence on later civilizations. The texts and cultural values of classical China spread throughout East Asia and became the foundation of learning in Korea, Japan and Vietnam. Greek learning and culture receive credit for many of the intellectual paradigms of the West. Probably the one which is most distinctly Western is the tradition of logical proof and the related assumption that, as Aristotle put it in 'Metaphysics' 980, 'we all desire to know.' In contrast, the Chinese tradition, as exemplified by Laozi's 'Dao de jing,' cautions that through our desire to know we may forfeit wisdom, thus engendering a split between knowledge and wisdom. 'The Siren and the Sage' is a comparative study of what some of the most influential writers of ancient China and ancient Greece thought it meant to know and whether they distinguished knowledge from wisdom. It surveys selected works of poetry, history and philosophy from roughly the eighth through the second centuries BCE, focusing on the 'Odyssey,' the ancient Chinese 'Classic of Poetry,' Thucydides' 'History of the Peloponnesian War,' Sima Qian's 'Records of the Historian,' Plato's 'Symposium,' Laozi's 'Dao de jing' and the writings of Zhuangzi. The intention, through such juxtaposition, is to introduce foundational texts of each tradition, texts which continue to influence most of the world's peoples. It is intriguing to ask what awareness, if any, these distinctive cultures had of each other. A considerable body of scholarship comparing ancient Greece and ancient China now exists. Scholars are presenting evidence that the two cultures may actually have been aware of each other's presence, even though that awareness was presumably indirect, perhaps mediated by the nomadic peoples of Central Asia. While not directly contributing evidence, the authors argue that comparing the cultures of Greece and China will continue to be an irresistible and important scholarly debate. The book offers a provocative study which is accessible to students and general readers and at the same time contributes to the debate.

Author : G. E. R. Lloyd
Publisher : Univ of California Press
Page : 483 pages
File Size : 37,96 MB
Release : 1987
Category : History
ISBN : 0520067428

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G.E.R. Lloyd's wide-ranging and historical study of the development of Greek science is a valuable contribution to current debates in the philosophy of language, on the analysis of scientific revolutions, and the rationality of science.

Author : Edith Hall
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
Page : 295 pages
File Size : 29,51 MB
Release : 2014-06-16
Category : History
ISBN : 0393244121

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"Wonderful…a thoughtful discussion of what made [the Greeks] so important, in their own time and in ours." —Natalie Haynes, Independent The ancient Greeks invented democracy, theater, rational science, and philosophy. They built the Parthenon and the Library of Alexandria. Yet this accomplished people never formed a single unified social or political identity. In Introducing the Ancient Greeks, acclaimed classics scholar Edith Hall offers a bold synthesis of the full 2,000 years of Hellenic history to show how the ancient Greeks were the right people, at the right time, to take up the baton of human progress. Hall portrays a uniquely rebellious, inquisitive, individualistic people whose ideas and creations continue to enthrall thinkers centuries after the Greek world was conquered by Rome. These are the Greeks as you’ve never seen them before.

Author : Steven Stavropoulos
Publisher : Da Capo Lifelong Books
Page : 230 pages
File Size : 37,95 MB
Release : 2008-12-15
Category : Self-Help
ISBN : 0786743867

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Who knew the ancient Greeks had it all figured out three thousand years ago? In The Beginning of All Wisdom, author Steve Stavropoulos has sifted through nearly every recorded ancient Greek text for the very best sayings, proverbs, and maxims by ancient Greek philosophers, tragedians, scientists, politicians, generals, and poets, from Plato and Pericles to Socrates and Sophocles. Here is practical advice on everyday problems as well as answers to deep moral questions: "Getting to know yourself is extremely difficult" (Thales). "Ignorance is a tough evil to conquer" (Sophocles). "We must take care of our minds because we cannot benefit from beauty when our brains are missing." (Euripides). Organized into 100 topics that cover all human experience -- anger, fear, good and evil, truth, prayer and hope, aging and old age, friendship, gossip, pain and sorrow, self-deception, war and peace, public speaking, democracy -- The Beginning of All Wisdom inspires, advises, and satisfies the urge to learn the best the ancient Greeks have to teach -- without having to read through a whole shelf of Loeb classics.