GREEK PHILOSOPHY AND VEDIC RELIGION BY DR. RAMESH DHAWAN [HARDCOVER]

Greek Philosophy, body of philosophical concepts developed by the Greeks, particularly during the flowering of Greek civilization between 600 and 200BC. Greek philosophy formed the basis of all later philosophical speculation in the Western world. The intuitive hypotheses of the ancient Greeks foreshadowed many theories of modern science, and many of the moral ideas of pagan Greek philosophers have been incorporated into Christian moral doctrine. The political ideas set forth by Greek thinkers influenced political leaders as different as the framers of the U.S. Constitution and the founders of various 20th-century totalitarian states.

One approach to this answering the question "What is Greek philosophy" is to explore the etymology of the Greek word "philosophy". The term "philosophy" is a compound word, composed of two parts philos (love) and sophia (wisdom), so that literally it means love of wisdom. To be a philosopher is to love wisdom.

Does an analysis of the etymology of the term "philosophy" help in understanding its meaning of the term for ancient Greeks? When one knows that it means "love of wisdom" does this explain what the ancient Greeks intended by the term "philosophy"? Unfortunately, this is not the case. The fist part of the term philosophy (love) is easy to understand, denoting a "fondness for" or "attraction to." It denotes a value placed on something, so that the one who loves wisdom considers it worthy of pursuit. The problem that arises, however, is defining the term "wisdom," as ancient Greeks would have understood it. The term is not so easily explained. Nevertheless, this much seems clear: since it was something to be loved and valued, it seems that the ancient Greeks believed that wisdom did not come naturally to the human beings. Normally, the things that are commonplace and ubiquitous are taken for granted. Indeed, as will become evident, ancient Greeks assumed that wisdom was inaccessible to all but the determined and intellectually-capable.