1. Introduction to
Classical Mythology
Dr. Michael Broder
University of South Carolina
March 22, 2012

2. Philosophy is the pursuit of knowledge
about nature and humanity
• philo– = love of < Gr. philia, lo
• sophy– = wisdom < Gr. sophia, wisdom

3. Like history, philosophy was a new
alternative to mythological thinking
• Where history is a type of knowledge about
past events, philosophy is a type of
knowledge about
– The natural world (nature)
– The human world (humanity or culture)
– The rational world (mathematics, logic)
• Just as Herodotus is considered the father of
history, the father of philosophy is Socrates

4. Symposium: Identification
• Author = Plato
– Greek
– 428-347 BCE
• Title = Symposium
• Genre = Philosophical dialogue

5. Introduction to
Classical Mythology
Dr. Michael Broder
University of South Carolina
March 22, 2012