Alexander And Logical Thinking

Alexander And Logical Thinking

Which brings us to Alexander* (356-323 BCE), one of that rough Macedonian* lot to the north of Greece. His father, Phillip II*, was a crafty, battle-hardened warrior with an eye to taking things over. He (Phillip) had noticed that the Greeks just couldn't get along with each other and the Persians kept trying to take more territory every time an opportunity arose. So Phillip decides he'll get the Greeks together under his leadership and go knock the socks off the Persians.

In order to do this, Phillip* has to have a really good army of his own and a very persuasive way with the Greeks, who are none too keen on foreign wars. The army end of it Phillip* can handle. He has picked up the best of the Greek idea of close-ranked spearmen, added longer spears, lots of swordsmen in armor, filled in behind with archers to shoot over their heads, and added two wings of calvary to sweep in from each side. It works like a charm and he starts south through some of the Greek city states.

Persuading the Greeks is another matter. Phillip* is not too good on this persuasion business. However, he's planned for this. Phillip* has trained his son to fight and ride and, when he (Alexander, the son) is thirteen, Phillip figures that the boy needs to become versed in the ways of the Greeks, too. So Phillip goes looking for a really good tutor for his boy. He comes back with Aristotle*, the wisest man in Greece.

Now this is a stroke of genius because Aristotle* had just come up with this new way of thinking things through, called logic. It's simple, really, but nobody had ever worked it out clearly before. It really goes back to Thales * and that geometry business the Ionians had picked up and tinkered with. You take two things that you do know and that leads you to an Now this is a stroke of genius because Aristotle* had just come up with this new way of thinking things through, called logic. It's simple, really, but nobody had ever worked it out clearly before. It really goes back to Thales * and that geometry business the Ionians had picked up and tinkered with. You take two things that you do know and that leads you to an

Alexander also learns a great deal about the natural world, and that Greek speciality, geography. He will send back specimens of plants and rocks to Aristotle* from all of his later travels. Alexander also learns to love the works of Homer*. All in all, Alexander* becomes a renaissance Greek hero (despite being Macedonian). After three years with Aristotle*, Alexander (age 16) goes off to war beside his father to learn his trade of being a king.

Two years later Phillip* and Alexander* have defeated the various Greek states including Athens* and the time has come for the persuading business. After all that terrific Greek education, Phillip* lets Alexander* do the persuading, and he does. A peace settlement is simple, recognize Phillip* as the general of all Greece in a war against Persia. Everybody (except Sparta*) thinks this is a great idea. There is one Athenian* faction, led by Demosthenes, who thinks this will be the end of democracy, but nobody takes them seriously.

Phillip* puts together a Greek federation, with himself at the head, of course. All the states get to keep their own governments, under Phillip*, of course. Everybody is happy and the army marches off to free the Greek colonies from Persian* oppression. After some interesting palace intrigue, Phillip* dies at the hands of one of Alexander's bodyguards and Alexander* is now king of this Greek-Macedonian coallition, at the age of twenty.

The death of Phillip* throws the federation of Greeks into dissension and the whole thing almost comes apart. The invasion of Persia* is postponed while the (now) General Alexander* lays down the law in Greece. Since he has the world's best professional army to tackle the job with, it doesn't take long to bring all the states to heel. Then he has to make a flying trip north to take care of a bunch of barbarians on the Danube* who are making inroads on Macedonia*. After he settles that matter he has to rush over and take care of the Illyrians* in Albania. While he is off doing this, the Greeks revolt again and he comes back to teach them a lesson they won't forget. The Thebans* led this revolt so he massacres them. This so appalls the rest of the Greeks that his troubles are over. He now is a seasoned commander-in- chief and acknowledged leader of Greece and all lands up to the Danube. He is ready for his excellent Asian adventure.