Greek Ideal
Philosophy has always been central to the Greek culture. "The Love of Wisdom", as translated from Greek, the art and the science of philosophy was born in ancient Greece and since then has found its way to Western and other civilizations. In a process of a never-ending inquiry into the subjects of science and humanities, philosophers were affecting multiple aspects of every day life. Their urge to obtain answers to questions that were central to human existence has influenced perceptions of arts, politics, ethics, as well as many other disciplines. Theories that were obtained from such wisdom-full investigative process were subjected to the critique of others and at the end idealized as widely accepted standards. Greek ideal, combination of idealized ancient Greek philosophies, has thus been formed. People united theories to apply them when deciding whether a particular society fits the Greek ideal. Some of the most prominent philosophers, who have contributed to defining the Greek ideal were Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. Central to their schools of thought was concern with an ideal State. Concerned with the same goal, all three philosophers are arriving to similar definitions of ideal.
Although Socrates, Plato's and Aristotle's political views of the State are similar, Plato's view is more rational than Socrates and Aristotle's in the sense that he created an ideal State. Socrates, Plato and Aristotle all believed that a man was not self-sufficient, they believed man would be most happy living in a State. Aristotle, who believed that the State was substantial, did not create a blueprint of the ideal State like Plato did. Thus as the tide of work flows in, leisure ebbs, eroding the good life the citizens of Athens should lead. He concluded that since leisure is necessary both for the development of excellence and the performance of political duties, "the citizens should have leisure and not have to provide for their daily wants" (Stumpf, 106). Aristotle also made the point that "the State exists for the sake of everyone's moral and intellectual fulfillment" (Stumphf, 105). He thought that within the State you were free and able to obtain your needs or 'goals' in life. This meant that the government would have power over the people but the people would be considered in the decision making. Socrates once stated "We are all more productive if we specialize in one thing rather than try to excel at many things" (Stumphf, 40). Socrates also believed in man's true happiness, which is what is in man's best interest, not just something that will make him temporarily happy, such as alcohol. Plato believed "a State comes into existence because no individual is self-sufficient" (Stumphf, 70). Even though all three philosophers were similar in their political beliefs about man not being self-sufficient and that man would be most happy in a State. He believed that the State was crucial in order for man to live a good life.
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