As the story goes, Thales of Miletus, an astronomer among many other things, was walking along, gazing at the stars, not watching where he was going, when he fell into a well.1 A story like that is stereotypical of a philosopher who has his mind so set on lofty ideas, he loses touch with earthly things. […]
Category Archives: Philosophy
24. The Ionian Philosophical Revival – from Death to Life
The Greek Dark Ages commenced with the fall of Troy in the 12th century.1 It continued for several centuries until a ray of light finally dawned in the region of Ionia in western Asia Minor in the eighth and seven centuries BC.2 This flourishing of art and culture is known as the Ionian Enlightenment or the […]
23. Hesiod and the Creation of the World
“Chaos was first of all, but next appeared Broad-Bosomed Earth.” -Hesiod from Theogony Hesiod’s Theogony was monumental in advancing Greek thinking because its subject matter was no less than the origin of the universe.1 It is the most complete surviving Greek account of the creation of the universe. Hesiod described not only how the universe came into being, but […]
22. Homer – from the Glory of the Battlefield to the Virtue of the Homestead
“My mother Thetis tells me that there are two ways in which I may meet my end. If I stay and fight, I shall not return alive, but my name will live forever; whereas if I go home my name will die, but it will be long ere death shall take me.”1 -The Iliad, Achilles talking to […]
21. Divine Revelation and the Ultimate Purpose of History
Revelation occurs at the interface between God’s transcendence and His immanence.
9. Socrates and Jesus Compared
As we examine the life and impact of Socrates, we can see that there are many similarities between Jesus and Socrates. However, it’s important to note that the two men were not on an equal plane. According to Christian […]
8. Socrates and the Unexamined Life
“The unexamined life is not worth living.”1 -Plato’s Apology, 38a This now famous line, which Socrates spoke at his trial, has rippled throughout Western Civilization. If I could sum up Socrates’ legacy in one maxim, it would be […]
7. Socrates a Philosopher of Virtue and Truth
What is the legacy of Socrates? For not leaving any writings behind, he had a tremendous impact on those who followed him1.
6. Socrates, Martyr for the Truth
The Presocratic Philosophers and Socrates Socrates died for his beliefs and this set him apart from all other Presocratic philosophers that preceded him. He changed the course of Greek philosophy1.
5. Socrates an Ambassador of Truth to Athens
Previously, I discussed how Socrates was convicted of “corrupting the youth” and “impiety.”1 He was accused of impiety because he tried to expand the meaning of piety beyond mere ceremony into intellectual understanding and the development of virtue. What good is honoring the gods if you are ignorant of what you are doing and […]