Ancient Greek Philosophy - The Greek Philosophical thought began in the 6th century BCE and continued to the 6th century CE.
The Ancient Greek Philosophers applied reason, logic, and evidence to explain the world. They started moving away from the traditional mythological and superstitious approach to life.
Iamblichus, a Neoplatonist, emphasized theurgy—rituals to unite with the divine—over pure reason. His work, On the Mysteries, explores divine hierarchy, the soul’s ascent, and the power of spiritual practice.
Euclid of Alexandria, the "father of geometry," systematized mathematical thought in Elements, defining axioms, proofs, and geometric principles. His work influenced logic, science, and philosophy, shaping mathematical reasoning for centuries.
Seneca, a Stoic philosopher of Ancient Rome, emphasized resilience, virtue, and rational control over emotions. His works, like Letters to Lucilius and On the Shortness of Life, promote wisdom and self-discipline.
Porphyry, a Neoplatonist philosopher, emphasized logic, metaphysics, and the soul’s ascent to the divine. His work, Isagoge, influenced medieval philosophy, while Against the Christians critiqued religious dogma and superstition.
Agrippa the Skeptic, building on Pyrrhonism, formulated the Five Modes of Skepticism, arguing that certainty is unattainable. His ideas, preserved through Sextus Empiricus, challenge justification, perception, and rational conclusions.
Epictetus, a Stoic philosopher, taught that happiness comes from controlling one’s perceptions and desires. His works, Discourses and Enchiridion, emphasize self-discipline, resilience, and accepting fate with rational detachment.
Marcus Aurelius, a Stoic emperor, emphasized discipline, resilience, and accepting fate. His work, Meditations, reflects on virtue, impermanence, and maintaining inner peace through reason and duty in life’s hardships.
Plotinus, a Neoplatonist philosopher, taught that reality emanates from "The One," a transcendent source. His work, The Enneads, explores the soul’s ascent to unity with the divine through contemplation.
Cicero, a Roman statesman and philosopher, integrated Stoic, Skeptic, and Aristotelian thought. His works, like On Duties and Tusculan Disputations, emphasize virtue, rhetoric, and the harmony between reason and politics.
Zeno of Citium, founder of Stoicism, taught virtue, reason, and living in harmony with nature. His lost works, like Republic, emphasized self-discipline, resilience, and rational acceptance of fate’s challenges.
Pyrrho of Elis, the founder of Pyrrhonism, advocated radical skepticism, arguing that true knowledge is unattainable. His philosophy, known through later works like Sextus Empiricus’ Outlines of Pyrrhonism, promotes suspension of judgment for tranquility.
