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Quiz about Greek Words and Greek Philosophy
Quiz about Greek Words and Greek Philosophy

Greek Words and Greek Philosophy Quiz


We know how deep the relationship between languange and thinking is. This is a quiz about the language and the philosophy of the "most cultural" ancient western civilization.

A multiple-choice quiz by matigraffi. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Author
matigraffi
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
261,068
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
15
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
8 / 15
Plays
1667
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
Last 3 plays: Guest 93 (12/15), Guest 137 (5/15), Guest 1 (10/15).
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Question 1 of 15
1. We'll start with what might be the most important Greek word in terms of philosophy: Lógos. This word appears in general Greek culture, but also in specific philosohical authors and systems, from Heraclitus to Plato. What does it mean? Hint


Question 2 of 15
2. The word is Gnósis, and it was something that every good philosopher, even today, had. What is the translation of this term? Hint


Question 3 of 15
3. This word might have gained its highest importance in Aristotelian philosophy: eudaimonía. Can you tell me what it means? Hint


Question 4 of 15
4. The word is alétheia, and it is what every philosopher wants to find: the truth. But do you know how the Greek philosophers interpreted the word truth? Hint


Question 5 of 15
5. The word is Díke, and it has been of great interest to Socrates and Plato. Do you know the meaning of it? Hint


Question 6 of 15
6. This is another word dear to Plato, and all the meaning he gave to it, reaches us today: Epistéme. Which of these best describes it? Hint


Question 7 of 15
7. Another word deeply developed by Aristotle, in close relation to eudaimonía, which we saw in an earlier question: Areté. Can you translate it? Hint


Question 8 of 15
8. Every cosmologic philosopher wanted to know what it was. Water, said Thales, ápeiron said his disciple. Do you know what the arché is? Hint


Question 9 of 15
9. Let's stick to the first philosophers; this might be an easy one since it remains in actual words: phýsis. Do you know what it means? Hint


Question 10 of 15
10. The word eîdos means, in strict terms, vision. But this was much more complex for Plato; how did he understand this word? Hint


Question 11 of 15
11. Teleology is the conception that everything has a télos, but do you know what télos means? Hint


Question 12 of 15
12. Éthos is the word from which ethics come from. But what was the meaning of it for a Greek man? Hint


Question 13 of 15
13. Ousía is a fundamental word in every philosophy; do you know what it means? Hint


Question 14 of 15
14. Sophós is an adjective; who was a sophós in ancient Greece? Hint


Question 15 of 15
15. And finally, do you know what philosophy means? Hint



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Most Recent Scores
Feb 23 2024 : Guest 93: 12/15
Feb 21 2024 : Guest 137: 5/15
Feb 21 2024 : Guest 1: 10/15
Feb 20 2024 : Guest 75: 14/15

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. We'll start with what might be the most important Greek word in terms of philosophy: Lógos. This word appears in general Greek culture, but also in specific philosohical authors and systems, from Heraclitus to Plato. What does it mean?

Answer: Word, rational thinking, speech, discourse, treaty

The word Lógos comes from the verb légo, which meant to count in its strict sense, to count, enumerate. Therefrom it became to count in the sense of telling a story or to speak. Finally the word Lógos separated from the word Légo, meaning word, rational thinking, study of, treaty, speech, etc.
2. The word is Gnósis, and it was something that every good philosopher, even today, had. What is the translation of this term?

Answer: Knowledge

The translation of the word Gnósis is quite literal: it means knowledge in the sense of "accumulation". This is why nowadays the discipline in philosophy that deals with the study of knowledge itself is called Gnoseology.
3. This word might have gained its highest importance in Aristotelian philosophy: eudaimonía. Can you tell me what it means?

Answer: State of welfare and happiness

It is, according to Aristotle, the end to which every human aims by nature, due to the fact that it's an end wanted by itself and not by anything else. He argued that it could be achieved by a combination of virtuous behavior and physical well-being. Stoics would have urged the achievement of eudaimonía by the exercise of responsibility and virtue; Hedonists saw the path to eudaimonía as being the pursuit of pleasure.
4. The word is alétheia, and it is what every philosopher wants to find: the truth. But do you know how the Greek philosophers interpreted the word truth?

Answer: To reveal, to remove the veil, to enlighten

The "a" is a privative alpha, and "letheia" would mean veil, cover, something that obstructs or does not allow to reach what's beneath it. So to remove that veil would be to find the truth. Heidegger has written a lot about this. The word may have originated from words meaning "that which cannot escape notice."
5. The word is Díke, and it has been of great interest to Socrates and Plato. Do you know the meaning of it?

Answer: Justice, just, fair

The justice was good, it was a virtue, it was related to the law, but Díke means specifically Justice, and not the others. It is also the word used for the goddess Díke.
6. This is another word dear to Plato, and all the meaning he gave to it, reaches us today: Epistéme. Which of these best describes it?

Answer: High knowledge, scientific knowledge

Epistéme VS Dóxa. High knowledge against vulgar knowledge, science opposed to opinion, the knowledge of the forms against the knowledge of the sensible dimension. It is from this word that the modern discipline epistemology comes, which is the study of scientific knowledge, the discipline that "determines" what is science and what isn't, how science should be applied, etc.
7. Another word deeply developed by Aristotle, in close relation to eudaimonía, which we saw in an earlier question: Areté. Can you translate it?

Answer: Virtue, nature, excellence

Every man's areté is virtue, because it is his nature, and he has to achieve excellence in it, only then he will really possess eudaimonía (happiness), by practicing virtue with excellence, by fullfilling his areté.
8. Every cosmologic philosopher wanted to know what it was. Water, said Thales, ápeiron said his disciple. Do you know what the arché is?

Answer: Ultimate cause of everything, constitutional principle, what things are made of

In the beginning there was no real difference between philosophy and physics, for instance. Philosophers were eager to find out what was that, that formed everything, the substance or material that everything was made of, the arché.
9. Let's stick to the first philosophers; this might be an easy one since it remains in actual words: phýsis. Do you know what it means?

Answer: Nature

Phýsis is nature, that's why physics today is the study of nature. But what does nature mean? The anwer to that question is what brings the differences, and with it, philosophy.
10. The word eîdos means, in strict terms, vision. But this was much more complex for Plato; how did he understand this word?

Answer: Idea, form with independent existance

This is the Greek word for what we know as theory of the forms, or theory of the ideas. For Plato these were independent beings, which existed beyond man and nature, and were in a different level of reality, the true level, not in the sensible world. He who reached them had acquired epistéme.
11. Teleology is the conception that everything has a télos, but do you know what télos means?

Answer: End, purpose

This was Aristotle's conception. By now you should be able to know that he believed that the telos of every men was happiness, acquired by virtue, which is only achieved by being good.
12. Éthos is the word from which ethics come from. But what was the meaning of it for a Greek man?

Answer: Habit, custom

This is one of the reasons why Aristotle considered that being a virtuous man was a habit, not the performance of only one good action, but the habit of always choosing rightly.
13. Ousía is a fundamental word in every philosophy; do you know what it means?

Answer: Essence, reality, entity

Philosophical questions regarding ousía include: Is it the soul? Is it what it makes us different from each other? Is there an essence at all?
14. Sophós is an adjective; who was a sophós in ancient Greece?

Answer: A wise man

Sophós is the one who has sophía, wisdom.
15. And finally, do you know what philosophy means?

Answer: The love of wisdom

I already told you what sophía means. Philos means friends, or love towards something.
Source: Author matigraffi

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor stuthehistoryguy before going online.
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