Philosophy means "the love of wisdom," and refers to systematic thought. Although some people scoff at idea of philosophy, it underlies all human thinking, so you might as well try to get it right. The first true philosophical writings come from ancient Athens.
A number of interesting thinkers lived in Athens in the sixth and fifth centuries BC. These people began asking big questions that still puzzle and intrigue intelligent people today. Their thoughts may seem strange if you try to sum them up, but they were important steps in thinking about reality systematically. Some of the major ones include:
Socrates is widely considered the first truly great Greek philosopher, although he left no writings of his own. What we know of him was recorded by his student, Plato.
Plato, on the other hand, left a lot of writings. Alfred North Whitehead said "all of European philosophy is a series of footnotes to Plato." Plato's most significant ideas are the Theory of Forms and the Allegory of the Cave. Most of Plato's writings are highly refined literature featuring dialogues between Socrates and his interlocutors.
Important Works:
Aristotle was a student of Plato, and possibly the most important thinker of all time. Aristotle is not as much fun to read as Plato, because his surviving works are basically lecture notes, rather than fully completed dialogues; however, he laid the foundations for metaphysics, rhetoric, poetry, ethics, and empirical science. Although many of his scientific theories have been disproven, his thought in other areas (particularly in ethics and metaphysics) has not and remains influential. Aristotle served as a tutor to Alexander the Great, thus spreading his ideas about virtue ethics, the four causes, and hylemorphic dualism around the known world.
Important Works:
Both Plato and Aristotle wrote somewhat extensively about music. In The Republic, Book III, Plato discusses different types of harmonies and instruments and their effects on people. Although the reasoning is not entirely clear, the Ionian and Lydian modes are dismissed as "soft and convivial," resulting in "drunkenness and indolence." The Dorian and Phrygian modes, on the other hand, are mentioned as "of use for warlike men." Plato also says that a perfect society would ban all instruments other than lyres and harps, although shepherds would still be permitted the use of pipes.
This discussion may seem strange to a modern reader, but it is interesting to note that both Plato and Confucius, though writing in different societies on opposite sides of the world, agree that music is above else a tool for the development of character. Both believed music had objective effects on the soul that needed to be understood and properly managed. Plato's view can be summed up in this quote: