Intellectual Revolution
 

I. New Idea of History
    A. Thucydides and the lessons of history
            1. Athens as a tragic hero

    B. Comparison with Hebrew history
            1. Hebrews: God is author of history/   Thuc.: humans (polis) are the authors
            2. Hebrews: Prophets and revelation/  Thuc.: analytical research
            3. Hebrews: History is progress/   Thuc.: history is static or cyclical

    C. The idea of history in Western Civilization:  both Greek and Hebrew

II. Philosophy --analysis of truth
    A. Socrates:  What is the good?
            1. Socratic method -- a connected series of questions and answers
            2. Virtue is wisdom

    B. Plato:  Analysis of of the ideal
            1. epistemology: knowledge found in comtemplation of ideal forms
                   a. influence of Pythagoras and mathematics
            2. politics-->ideal republic
            3. ethical principle--> abandon the superficial to attain knowledge of the good

    C. Aristotle: analysis of nature
            1. epistemology: knowledge gained by investigation and categorization of things
                    a. substance and forms bound together
            2. politics-->three possible types of government
            3. ethical principle--> the golden mean.  Balance according to the situation

    D. Importance of Plato and Aristotle in Western Civilization
            1. Natural and moral order of things comprehensible to reason (analysis)
            2 Theology-- God comprehensible to reason (?)
            3. Science
                     a. Aristotle's emphasis on observation
                     b. Plato's emphasis on mathematical reasoning