CLASSICAL PHILOSOPHY

The Classical Period in philosophy was dominated by the teachings of Plato (427–347 BC) and Aristotle (384–322 BC) but gradually fell into a decline following the conquest of the independent Greek city-states by Alexander the Great and, later, by the Roman Republic. While Plato and Aristotle constructed grand systems of metaphysics, epistemology, political philosophy, and ethics, all of which were to have a profound influence on the development of Western thought, the subsequent Hellenistic Schools—Skepticism, Epicureanism, and Stoicism—largely reflected the political uncertainty of the time. They either rejected the possibility or desirability of objective knowledge and advocated a retreat from the public
sphere to cultivate instead an inward-looking sense of personal virtue and equanimity. Both elements—the theoretical speculation of Plato and Aristotle, as well as the ascetic individualism of the Hellenistic Schools—were nevertheless to shape future developments and influence the Christian tradition in Europe.