PERFORMANCE TASK # 1

NOTABLE ANCIENT
GREEK PHILOSOPHERS
BY JOHN D. SAMORAGA
 Pythagoras
Pythagoras, (born c. 570 BCE, Samos, Ionia [Greece]—died c. 500–
490 BCE, Metapontum, Lucanium [Italy]), Greek philosopher,
mathematician, and founder of the Pythagorean brotherhood that,
although religious in nature, formulated principles that influenced the
thought of Plato and Aristotle and contributed to the development of
mathematics and Western rational philosophy.

CONTRIBUTIONS:
He discovered that in music, by beating strings tones are produced
which are in a certain ratio and can be represented in whole
numbers. This observation was extended to other musical
instruments and hence, he was the one to open the gate of the
musical world to us.
The Angle Sum Property Of Triangle was discovered by
Pythagoras only when he proved that the sum of all angles of a
triangle is equal to 180.
He even contributed to the discovery of Tetractys which was a
mathematical magic pyramid.
HERACLITUS
Heraclitus, also spelled Heracleitus, (born c. 540 BCE, Ephesus,
Anatolia [now Selçuk, Turkey]—died c. 480), Greek philosopher
remembered for his cosmology, in which fire forms the basic material
principle of an orderly universe. Little is known about his life, and the
one book he apparently wrote is lost. His views survive in the short
fragments quoted and attributed to him by later authors.

CONTRIBUTIONS:
Heraclitus addressed the fire as a central element that was never extinguished,
whose natural movements allowed a non-static existence, and which was in step
with the rest of the natural mobility of the Universe. Fire would not only be
present on earth, but would also be part of the human soul.
During his life, Heraclitus developed in his thought the search for causality; What
is the cause of any physical or natural phenomenon or action? The philosopher
stated that everything that happens has a cause, and that nothing can be the
cause of itself.
DEMOCRITUS
Democritus, (born c. 460 BCE—died c. 370), ancient Greek philosopher, a
central figure in the development of philosophical atomism and of the atomic
theory of the universe. Knowledge of Democritus’s life is largely limited to
untrustworthy tradition. It seems that he was a wealthy citizen of Abdera, in
Thrace; that he traveled widely in the East; and that he lived to an advanced
age. According to Diogenes Laërtius (flourished 3rd century CE), his works
numbered 73; only a few hundred fragments have survived, mostly from his
treatises on ethics.
CONTRIBUTIONS:
The school of atomism, One of the most relevant contributions of Democritus was the
creation of the philosophical school of atomism. This line of thought arose in response
to the Parmenides , Who affirmed that matter is immutable and eternal and that the
changes that our senses observe are errors of perception.
Mathematics and Geometry, Democritus was one of the pioneers in mathematics and
geometry. In fact, he wrote treatises on numbers, figures, tangents, irrational
numbers, among others. However, in our days there are no copies of these treatises
and they are only known from secondary sources.

DIOGENES OF SINOPE
Diogenes, (born, Sinope, Paphlygonia—died c. 320 BCE, probably
at Corinth, Greece), archetype of the Cynics, a Greek
philosophical sect that stressed stoic self-sufficiency and the
rejection of luxury. He is credited by some with originating the
Cynic way of life, but he himself acknowledges an indebtedness
to Antisthenes, by whose numerous writings he was probably
influenced. It was by personal example rather than any coherent
system of thought that Diogenes conveyed the Cynic philosophy.
His followers positioned themselves as watchdogs of morality.

CONTRIBUTIONS:
Diogenes is considered one of the founders of the school of Cynicism.
The doctrine of Cynicism holds that the purpose of life is to live a life
of Virtue in agreement with Nature (which calls for only the bare
necessities required for existence). This involves rejecting all
conventional desires for health, wealth, power and fame, and living a
life free from all possessions and property.
EPICURUS
Epicurus, (born 341 BC, Samos, Greece—died 270, Athens),
Greek philosopher, author of an ethical philosophy of simple
pleasure, friendship, and retirement. He founded schools of
philosophy that survived directly from the 4th century BC until
the 4th century AD.
CONTRIBUTIONS:
Epicurus developed modestly materialistic metaphysics, empirical epistemology,
and hedonistic ethics.
Epicurus taught that the basic constituents of the world are atoms,
inextricable pieces of matter, which fly through empty space, and he tried to
explain all natural phenomena in atomic terms.
.Epicurus believes that the basic constituents of the world are atoms (which
are inextricable, microscopic pieces of matter) that move in space (which is
simply empty space). Ordinary objects are conglomerations of atoms. Further,
the properties of macroscopic bodies and all the events we see occurring can
be explained in terms of collisions, bounces, and entanglement of atoms.
 SOCRATES
Socrates, (born c. 470 BCE, Athens [Greece]—died 399 BCE,
Athens), ancient Greek philosopher whose way of life,
character, and thought exerted a profound influence on
Western philosophy. Socrates was a widely recognized and
controversial figure in his native Athens, so much so that he
was frequently mocked in the plays of comic dramatists.

CONTRIBUTIONS:
He is credited with inventing the technique for arguing a point
known as the Socratic technique. This is described in Plato's
"Socratic dialogues," which are the source of much of modern
philosophical theory.
A number of the beliefs attributed to Socrates are deliberately
confusing because they present ideas which, at first, appear
contradictory. The most famous paradox is: "I know that I know
nothing", but if that's true, how could he even know that he knows
nothing?
PLATO
Plato, (born 428/427 BCE, Athens, Greece—died 348/347,
Athens), ancient Greek philosopher, student of Socrates (c.
470–399 BCE), teacher of Aristotle (384–322 BCE), and
founder of the Academy, best known as the author of
philosophical works of unparalleled influence.

CONTRIBUTIONS:
The Akademia or the Academy was established outside the city limits of
old Athens and offered a wide range of subjects taught by experts in
their field. The Academy was thought to be the principal college in
Europe and attracted scholars such as Eudoxus of Cnidus and
Theaetetus, both mathematicians, and Aristotle, the philosopher.
Plato has been described as the “producer of mathematicians,” and his
Academy boasted some the most conspicuous mathematicians of the
ancient world such as Eudoxus, Theaetetus, and Archytas.
 ARISTOTLE
Aristotle, Greek Aristoteles, (born 384 BCE, Stagira,
Chalcidice, Greece—died 322, Chalcis, Euboea), ancient Greek
philosopher and scientist, one of the greatest intellectual
figures of Western history. He was the author of a
philosophical and scientific system that became the
framework and vehicle for both Christian Scholasticism and
medieval Islamic

philosophy. Even after the intellectual
revolutions of the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the
Enlightenment, Aristotelian concepts remained embedded in
Western thinking.
CONTRIBUTIONS:
Invented the Logic of the Categorical Syllogism, a certain form of
reasoning where a conclusion is made based on two premises. These
premises always have a common or middle term to associate them, but this
binding term is absent in the conclusion.
Aristotle is also known as the Father of Zoology. As evident from his
classification of living beings, all his classification procedures and several
other treatises primarily involved different species of the animal kingdom
only.
WRITTEN TASK #1
ACTIVITY
JOHN D. SAMORAGA
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