The Philosophical Point of View: Plato and Sartre
Final Paper
Penny Scott
College of Mount St. Joseph
The Philosophical Point of View
PHI 140
Professor Shanti Chu
June 13, 2014
Final Paper
This paper will concern the comparison of the two philosophical viewpoints we have studied, Plato and Sartre. In Plato’s Republic and Sartre’s Existentialism is a Humanism they are centuries apart in time, but both lived in very changing turbulent times. Plato lived in ancient Greece where he and other great minds were pondering the very meaning of man’s existence to live and value one another. The chosen philosophical kings city ruled by knowledge, would rule the building of a kallipolis, which Plato sees as just. Plato uses craft analogy in his explanation of his non-democratic way of choosing the philosophical kings. Plato also uses his idea of specialization and labeling to individuals, stating man has a “natural aptitude”. (Plato, 1955, p. 204). Obviously in reading Sartre his view is the opposite, he does not prescribe to any natural aptitude we are born with. Sartre is simplistic, “We create our essence though living”. (Sartre, 2007, p. 22). No ones life is predestined, because our existence precedes our essence. I rather like and agree with Sartre’s simple view on we can be whatever we choose.
I take my direction in that both Plato and Sartre have based their philosophies on the search for truth. This truth is only found by living what both see as an authentic life. Humans formulate this for themselves; a person’s happiness must come from within. Happiness does not come from external things that have no value. Sartre does acknowledge how intersubjectivity plays into our personal journey to truth. His explanation of man confronting his own self is how we figure out our own morality, but with this we are aware that we are not isolated. Sartre sees us being constantly aware of the others, being universally connected by our human condition (Sartre, 2007, p. 42). Everyone shares three
Penny Scott
College of Mount St. Joseph
The Philosophical Point of View
PHI 140
Professor Shanti Chu
June 13, 2014
Final Paper
This paper will concern the comparison of the two philosophical viewpoints we have studied, Plato and Sartre. In Plato’s Republic and Sartre’s Existentialism is a Humanism they are centuries apart in time, but both lived in very changing turbulent times. Plato lived in ancient Greece where he and other great minds were pondering the very meaning of man’s existence to live and value one another. The chosen philosophical kings city ruled by knowledge, would rule the building of a kallipolis, which Plato sees as just. Plato uses craft analogy in his explanation of his non-democratic way of choosing the philosophical kings. Plato also uses his idea of specialization and labeling to individuals, stating man has a “natural aptitude”. (Plato, 1955, p. 204). Obviously in reading Sartre his view is the opposite, he does not prescribe to any natural aptitude we are born with. Sartre is simplistic, “We create our essence though living”. (Sartre, 2007, p. 22). No ones life is predestined, because our existence precedes our essence. I rather like and agree with Sartre’s simple view on we can be whatever we choose.
I take my direction in that both Plato and Sartre have based their philosophies on the search for truth. This truth is only found by living what both see as an authentic life. Humans formulate this for themselves; a person’s happiness must come from within. Happiness does not come from external things that have no value. Sartre does acknowledge how intersubjectivity plays into our personal journey to truth. His explanation of man confronting his own self is how we figure out our own morality, but with this we are aware that we are not isolated. Sartre sees us being constantly aware of the others, being universally connected by our human condition (Sartre, 2007, p. 42). Everyone shares three
References: Plato (1955). The Republic (2nd ed.). Great Britain: Penguin Books. Sartre, J. P. (2007). Existentialism is a Humanism. United States: Yale.