values propagated by some person or persons and fostered by institutional means in order to direct all aspects of private and public life2 that are significant to politics. With this definition in mind‚ this essay will put forward an argument in favour of the notion that Plato was a totalitarian‚ evident in his conception of the kallipolis which drives forward a totalitarian and utopian dream for a ‘natural class rule of the wise few over the ignorant many’3. On the contrary‚ a literary reading of Plato’s
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OCT 4‚ 2010 • 1. In the Apology‚ Socrates recounts how he disobeyed the unjust order of the Thirty Tyrants to arrest a fellow citizen; he also claims that he will never stop philosophizing‚ regardless of what the legally constituted political authority commands. Yet‚ in the Crito‚ Socrates provides numerous arguments for obeying the decision of the legally constituted political authority‚ even though the decision (to put Socrates to death) was unjust. Critically assess whether Socrates’s view
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SOCRATES Socrates 469 BC–399 BC‚ was a classical Greek Athenian philosopher. Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy‚ he is an enigmatic figure known chiefly through the accounts of later classical writers‚ especially the writings of his students Plato and Xenophon‚ and the plays of his contemporary Aristophanes. Many would claim that Plato’s dialogues are the most comprehensive accounts of Socrates to survive from antiquity. Through his portrayal in Plato’s dialogues‚ Socrates has
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Socrates & the Afterlife The realization of death did not leave Socrates in any state of sorrow but rather gave him hope and happiness that he would soon be moving further onto what he believed was the path of the soul. Socrates had no fear of death because he believed specifically in the afterlife and that the soul left the body and moved on to the next phase in life. Socrates states that there are many pathways a soul can follow after death; all depending on how a person acted during
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politically; however‚ the idea had originated from philosopher Socrates during Ancient Greek time. A compromise between an individual or individuals government and themselves on the duties and responsibilities that they were born with. Socrates argument is that people should follow the Social Contract Theory since it was the origin point of how people were born‚ how one got educated‚ and how one were to act through adulthood. In the book‚ Crito‚ Socrates states that by the time they reach adulthood they could
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The Stoics and Socrates The question of the reality of the soul and its distinction from the body is among the most important problems of philosophy‚ for with it is bound up the doctrine of a future life. The soul may be defined as the ultimate internal principle by which we think‚ feel‚ and will‚ and by which our bodies are animated. The term "mind" usually denotes this principle as the subject of our conscious states‚ while "soul" denotes the source of our vegetative activities as well. If
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things which he was accused of‚ but because 501 citizens of Athens acting as jury for his trial had been convinced he deserved death. This philosopher‚ Socrates‚ considered to be the wisest man of his time‚ was humble and knew that his purpose as a philosopher was to express‚ share‚ and not compromise the truth. Recorded in the ancient works of Plato‚ he expressed through Socrates’s example that the wisdom that man can achieve is incomparable to that of god and “the unexamined life is not worth living
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Plato The story of two sisters‚ Melissa and Melinda‚ is one of deep philosophical analysis. The harsh scenario is of the two sisters’ brother‚ Matthew‚ who is involved in a horrific accident that essentially leaves him brain dead and only alive through a complex network of life support systems. According to Matthew’s last will and testament‚ he states specifically that if something of this sort ever happens to him‚ both sisters must mutually agree upon the ultimate decision of whether or not to
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Socrates was born circa 470 B.C in Athens. He was a Greek philosopher and laid the groundwork for Western philosophy. He was the inspiration for Plato who later on became the inspiration for Aristotle. He believed that we should ask questions and look for the truth. Socrates was best known for his book Plato Republic‚ and in one of his books he gave the example of the teacher as the midwife. This metaphor was a great way to show what Socrates believed was the best way to help his students. Socrates
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PHAEDO: IMMORTALITY OF SOUL In the dialogue Phaedo Plato discusses the immortality of the soul. He presents four different arguments to prove the fact that although the body of the human perishes after death; the soul still exists and remains eternal. Firstly‚ he explains the Argument from Opposites that is about the forms and their existence in opposite forms. His second argument is Theory of Recollection which assumes that each and every information that one has in his/her mind is related to
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