3. Socrates: (470-399 BCE) Socrates was an Athenian Philosopher. His thoughtful and reflective mind was driven by the understanding human beings and human affairs.…
Socrates, Plato and Aristotle are the most renowned of the Greek philosophers. Socrates is often called “The Father of Ethics,” but his most important contribution may have been as “The Father of Critical Thinking.” He believed in an immortal psyche, maintaining that it was the responsibility of each individual to develop the psyche to its highest potential though rigorous debate and contemplation of moral…
Socrates was the original philosopher. Socrates dies from headlock, he had the choice to live a lonely life with food and water or to take the poison and he picked the headlock, because He believed the search for truth would lead to proper conduct. “The unexamined life is not worth living”, that was the quote that Socrates believed by saying that the purpose of life was personal and spiritual growth. Considered the nature of beauty, knowledge and what is right. His method was to ask questions, to try to expose the flaws in his fellow Athenians' preconceived notions. Socrates went on to teach Plato, the next great Athenian philosopher.…
Socrates: sought truths about broad concepts such as a truth, justice, and virtue, thought people could learn best by asking questions and believed that philosophers could study human behaviors to learn how to improve society as a whole.…
One of the most influential minds in western philosophy is of Plato. Plato lived from 422-347 B.C, was born into an aristocratic family in the city of Athens. He was a student of Socrates and a teacher of Aristotle. Plato followed the basic ideas of Socrates, in which no laws are to be broken despite their relevance. He makes clear why laws should be followed and why disobedience to the law is rarely justified. Plato is considered a very essential figure in the contribution of philosophy and an essential figure to western tradition. He was the prime founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning within the Western World. Plato has a range of teachings that have been used to instruct a wide spread of subjects. Some…
Socrates, on the other hand, did not concern himself with metaphysics and arché; he studied ethics. Instead of studying the physical world, Socrates strived to find life’s deeper meaning. Socrates’ ideology was different than the rest of the Athenian population. Therefore, the state saw him as a threat. The Sophists, who were the first paid teachers, did not like Socrates or his inadvertent teachings; they taught relativism, or how to win an argument. Socrates was a war hero in at least three Athenian wars. Socrates believed in that which is which eternal and unchanging, such as truths, like love, beauty, justice, and virtue, and absolutism. Socrates that there was one hierarchy of values for all human beings, and…
History has shown us how great men and women have changed the world around them. Some of those individuals have accomplished this through political or military force; others have less aggressively stood up for what they believe in, and changed their circumstances that way. Still, others are remembered for their intellectual prowess, and their influence on how we think about life. When you hear about philosophers, it tends to be Plato, Socrates, or Aristotle. These men are great, and it is appropriate that we discuss them so often; however, there are other thinkers who have had a significant impact on philosophy. One of those individuals is Marcus Aurelius who is even more remarkable because he combined philosopher, military commander, and ruler.…
Socrates was famous for questioning about life. He once said an “unexamined life is not worth living” as seen in document 1. This quote brings about many questions and possibilities about what life is and how it is cherished. Plato is the student of Socrates. He emphasized the importance of reason. The republic was written by Plato that describes the ideal state. As seen in document 2 Aristotle is known for believing that if people study life they will understand it more. Philosophers today still study, and get ideas from many of Ancient philosopher's…
Socrates is a man of the mind and the fact he didn’t cry while being on trial is an interesting one, I think Socrates is great but only portrays the story of the mind and for that he’s magnificent. Socrates seems to dislike the flute and says “when well-educated gentlemen drink together, you will not see girls playing the flute or the lyre or dancing” this shows his impact in life is one of reason and the mind not the heart. Socrates is someone that makes me think skeptically to a point about things I believe in and why I believe in them. Socrates also makes me think about the way the things I say are defined and how I define them. Socrates also makes me ponder what it means to be a good citizen and how to be one.…
“The most intriguing people you will encounter in this life are the people who had insights about you, that you didn't know about yourself” (Alder). This quote can be used to show why the great Greek philosopher, Socrates is deemed as being so intriguing. During his time, Socrates was seen as a great threat because he tended to break free from the normal way of thinking and inevitably, people became afraid of him. Socrates was eventually put to death on account of “corrupting the youth” and being an “atheist,” which were false claims against him to cover up the fact that his accusers simply didn’t like him or his ways. When reading Plato’s Republic, Socrates is shown as being very intriguing because of: his humble ways, his Socratic method,…
In the Gorgias1, Socrates says, “I think that I am the only or almost the only Athenian living who practices the true art of politics; I am the only politician of my time”, while in the Apology2, he claims that “he who will really fight for the right, if he would live even for a little while, must have a private station and not a public one.” As we know, Socrates did manage to live for over 70 years, and did indeed confine himself to a private stance; but how can one be a politician without being a public figure? Or was Socrates not a true champion of justice, as he maintained to be?…
Socrates was one of the most influential philosophers of all time. This amazing man was known only in the words of his students Plato and Xenophon. He fought in the Athenian army, he was a stone statuary, he was in the Athens assembly, and most of all he was a teacher of philosophy. Socrates was brave and fearless in the face of war and death; he was willing to fight for things he believed in. His words are still referenced today.…
An important contributor to philosophy was Socrates (470 – 399 BC). “The unexamined life is not worth living.” This is a quote from Socrates. He believed that a person must ask questions and seek to understand the concept and ways of life (Doc. 1). He used a form of teaching that used a question and answer formation to force pupils to see things in their own eyes and understand it in their own mind with their own words that make sense to them. This was called the Socratic method, which is still used today. He was accused of corrupting the youth of Athens and a little while after was sentenced to death. During a big part of his life, Socrates examined his own ideas and tried to discover the truth behind many subjects, by reason and logic. His contributions were an extremely important part of the Western Civilization and his legacies were that we should think for ourselves and stand up for what we believe in. Another big contributor to Greek philosophy was Aristotle (384 – 322 BC). Many consider Aristotle to be a scientist rather than a philosopher because of his contributions to physics and biology. Aristotle was also a student of Plato but did not agree with a lot of his ideas. Aristotle…
that he knows what he does not. On the supposedly wise man he found after the…
Question 2) In Book I of Republic, Thrasymachos’s states that unjust people are stronger and more powerful than just people. Thrasymachos believes that being just is not virtuous nor wise but that men act just only because they afraid of having injustices happening to them so they obey. Those who have power and control are those people who act unjust-they make laws and rules that benefit themselves, not the rest of the people. Socrates proves Thrasymachos otherwise by arguing that being just is virtuous, wise and profitable and being unjust does not make people stronger nor more powerful. Those in power or rulers make laws that are just for themselves but Thrasymachos agrees that sometimes rulers make mistakes and make laws that are unjust to them, therefore, making them just or advantageous for the people they rule. Therefore, unjust people would not be more powerful in this case. Additionally, Socrates goes on to reason with Thrasymachos that the individual in power commands advantages for his or her subject rather than their own personal advantage. Socrates makes a comparison to a doctor and a patient as well as a pilot and a sailor, where the doctor and pilot are commanding advantages for their subjects, the patient and sailor respectively. Thrasymachos argues that a just man will pay taxes on his estate and an unjust man will pay less taxes on the same size property, etc. Therefore, being unjust serves a greater purpose than being just. Socrates goes on to argue that no one chooses willingly to rule but they do so in exchange for wages because the ruler does not expect to make other gains in simply doing what is advantageous for the people being ruled. Work performed by people in power and in control is considered an art form that without being rewarded with wages solely serves that subject, or weaker person, receiving the benefit of the art. For example, a doctor practices the art of making others healthy. There are no advantages the doctor gains in…