things." He believed in a constant flux, andthat nothing is absolutely right or wrong, but subject tochange. His view is much like that held by Parmenides. Thephilosophers then asked a question such as; what wouldhappen if things that were wrong were seen by society asacceptable? What, for example, if society condonedmurder? Socrates was one who argued this point of view.He stressed truth as absolute, not changeable depending ofthe thinking of society as a given time. He believed in setstandards of ethics. He said that right and wrong can befigured out on an absolute level. If one understands thetruths, he can live a good life, without evil. Plato agreed withSocrates. He, too, said that morals, ethics, as well as matter,were absolute. He stated two levels of existence; thephysical world of "shadows" and the real world of "ideas".Plato wanted a philosopher-king who would stress harmonyand efficiency, as Plato did. Another philosopher, Aristotle,believed in a world of moderation and balance. Hedisagreed with Plato's two levels of existence. Instead,Aristotle said that all functions of the soul die with the bodyand that there is no afterlife. Aristotle also said that truthfollowed logically from other truths. One must reason, stepby step, before reaching conclusions. Greek thinkersassumed that the universe was put together in an orderlyway. They insisted that people could understand their laws,merely, through the process of reason. There were manyconflicting ideas among the elite of ancient Greece, of whatthe "Greek outlook" is. Our western society has learned a lotfrom the Greeks. We inherited their art and love ofsymmetry, their literature and understanding of man, theirphilosophies which stimulate our thinking, causing us to askquestions about our existence. As modern andknowledgeable as we are today, we would not be nearly assophisticated if not for our ancestors the great thinkers ofGreece in ancient times....
