Greek Philosophers
Sophists
Main Idea
Socrates
Group of people that
Believed that there
thought people should was an absolute right
use knowledge to
and wrong. Believed
improve themselves. that an absolute true
existed and that all
Believed there was no
real knowledge was
absolute right or
within each person.
wrong, there are areas
of both in between.
Plato
Aristotle
Pythagoras
Hated the idea of
democracy as a
government.
Taught the “golden
mean” - people should
not do anything in
excess (don't do too
much or too little).
Taught his students that
the universe follows the
same laws that governs
music and numbers.
Believed philosopherkings should rule
government (kings
that used wisdom and
logic to rule.
Observation and
comparison are
necessary to gain
knowledge.
Believed that all
relationships could be
expressed using numbers.
Contributions Helped develop the art Created the “Socratic Wrote The Republic to Wrote 200 books over Developed many laws and
Method” – asked
show what his idea of a
science and
theories that are still used
(What did they of public speaking and
debating.
questions to force his perfect government
philosophy.
in math today, such as the
do/develop?)
students to use
reason and see things
for themselves.
was.
The importance of
Socratic Method is a
Introduced the idea
How have they
public
speaking
can
be
big
way
that
teachers
that government
impacted
seen
in
political
still
interact
with
should
be fair and just.
today's world?
debates between
candidates.
students today.
Named 3 different
types of government:
1. Tyranny
2. Oligarchy
3. Democracy
His political ideas still
have an effect on the
politics in the US and
around the world
today.
Pythagorean Theorem
used in Geometry.
Theories and laws are still
used today.