Greek Influences
When early Greek philosophers developed theories in the premodern period, they challenged many dominant assumptions of this period. Socrates and Plato were two of the most influential early philosophers who addressed the issue of the good life. For these two philosophers, the good life was an ethical life.
Socrates was famous for his statement "Know thyself." Psychologists throughout history have echoed this. Plato had some revolutionary ideas on what it means to be human. He was responsible for bringing dualism into popular thought. This had a profound influence on religion, philosophy, and Western thought as a whole.
- What implications does the statement "Know thyself" have, along with other ideas of Socrates and Plato, for the process of human change?
- How is this related to achieving the good life?
- How will this impact the evaluation of a person's degree of living the good life?
- What was Plato's understanding of human nature?
- How did dualism influence this understanding?