ABSTRACT
The period of Greek philosophy that followed the Presocratics begins around 400 BC; the most important figures are Socrates (470-399 BC), Plato (427-347 BC), and Aristotle (384-322 BC). It is possible to discern a shift in interest in Greek philosophy away from explanations of the natural world to moral concerns, in the sense of discovering the best way for men to live. The difficulties of determining what were the objective or real features of the world, as opposed to those only apparent features which depended on a point of view (and hence were subjective), began to undermine the early explanations of natural science. If we are uncertain about what features of the world are real and what are only apparent, then it is unsurprising that such doubt will extend to the objectivity of moral standards. The threat was of moral anarchy.
