Greek Philosophers, Scientists and

Mathematicians

Socrates- Interested in the thinking process.

- Asked questions step-by-step to arrive to a final conclusion, or truth.

- This process of questioning is called the “Socratic Method.”

- Socrates was brought to trial and executed.

- He left no writings after his death.

Plato

- Recorded the speeches made by Socrates

- Aristocrat

- Plato established a school called the Academy to train government leaders.

- Plato wrote his ideas about an “ideal state” in a book called The Republic.

- The Republic is the first book written on political science, or the study of government.

Aristotle

- Aristotle was one of Plato’s brightest pupils.

- He believed in using your senses to discover the physical world.

-Aristotle was the first to classify, or group together, similar plants and animals.

- Aristotle added to the ideas of other scientists – he added the 3rd step to the Scientific Method.

…a hypothesis must be tested to be proven.

Aristotle also made contributions in logic.

He developed the syllogism – a method of reasoning that uses three related statements.

Sixth Grade students learn about Ancient Greece.

Laura is learning about Ancient Greece.

Therefore, Laura is a sixth-grade student.

Thales•Thales of Miletus was the first known Greek philosopher, scientist and mathematician. Some consider him to be the teacher of of Pythagoras;

He is unanimously regarded as having been unusually clever--by general agreement the first of the Seven Wise Men, a pupil of the Egyptians and the Chaldeans.

He is unanimously credited with the introduction of mathematical and astronomical sciences into Greece.

•It is reported that he predicted an eclipse of the Sun on May 28, 585 BC, startling all of Ionia.

He is credited with five theorems of elementary geometry.

How high are the Egyptian pyramids?

Clear proof of angles.

PythagorasLoved numbers.

Believed in numbers in music.

Developed the Pythagorean Theorem.

EuclidEuclid wrote The Elements, a book on geometry and mathematics.

The Elements is the 2nd most widely translated book, and is considered the best book on geometry since it was written, and for well into the future.

Hippocrates- Called “The Father of Scientific Medicine”.

- Hippocrates believed diseases were came from natural causes, rather than evil spirits.

- Hippocrates wrote a list of rules about how doctors should use their skills to help their patients.

-These rules are called “The Hippocratic Oath”.

Additional Greek Scientists:Archimedes

Aristarchus

Anaximander

Eratosthenes

Hipparchus

Ptolemy