Greek Words Flashcards
(14 cards)
Arete
Most generally anything “functioning excellence”; most specifically as phronesis operating to develop the virtues, viz., human functional excellence.
Eudaimonia
“Having a good spirit,” usually translated as “happiness,” but more accurately “contentment” or “well being.”
Aporia
Being at a loss, or, being unable to answer.
Logos
The Greek term for “reason” for “giving an account” (Plato). The verb lego both to speak and to put together. Thus Plato’s emphasis is on the living dialogue as the only context for the unveiling of logos. Socrates claims that the logos speaks through him in the Platonic dialogues.
Episteme
Knowledge
For Plato knowledge that has been derived by justifying an opinion with an argument (logos). Hence the Platonic formula doxa + logos = episteme.
Telos
Purpose, goal, end or true final function of an object
Gnosis
Knowledge, hence agnostics, not-knowing, and our word “agnostic.”
Doxa
Opinion, the quasi-knowledge we obtain from the sensible world as opposed to the true knowledge that we get from the realm of Forms.
Daimon
“spirit,” good, evil, or indifferent. For Socrates it meant his “conscience,” the voice within that told me not to do certain actions.
Ataraxia
A state of serene calmness.
Phusiologoi
Aristotle calls Thales, Anaximander and Anaximenes the first “naturalists” or phusiologoi (a label compounded out of phusis and logos). Phusis meaning nature.
Demiourgos
The creator god of the Timaeus who takes the Forms and impresses them on a primordial stuff (hypodoche) to produce the world of appeance.
Anamnesis
The Greek word used to indicate Plato’s theory of recollection.
Noesis
Intellect to intellection. Translated into Latin as intellectio. Anaxagoras’ cosmic mind.
