Connor High Classical Political Thought 12/15/10 Examining Plato and Aristotle’s Political Regimes Structures Plato and Aristotle both understood the importance of wisdom and virtue in founding a good regime. In their writings‚ they suggest the effect they felt a ruler had on a regime and vice versa. Where Plato saw a linear slope of five increasingly misguided and degenerating regimes‚ Aristotle saw six regimes: three true and three corrupt. Each regime has a ruling political good. This
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afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light”‚ Plato said. Studying knowledge is something philosophers have been doing for as long as philosophy has been around. People always see just a part of things around the world. They need an open mind to understand more deep and wise into the world. It’s one of those perennial topics that philosophy has been refining since before the time of Plato. The discipline is known as epistemology which comes from two Greek words episteme
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Aristotle/Plato Essay What is the purpose of an examined life? The examined life is a life that is thought through logically and has a clear and distinct view on the world and everything that makes up the world. An examined life also has a logical purpose and goal to strive for and achieve. Not only is this life preferable but also it is necessary‚ which is shown through Plato’s writings in the Five Dialogues‚ that “the unexamined life is not worth living for men” (41‚ Five Dialogues). Without
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Three Athenian philosophers flourished in Ancient Greece from 470 BC until 322 BC. They were Socrates‚ Plato‚ and Aristotle. These philosophers were famous for their "schools of thought." They questioned basic and widely accepted ideas. The works of these three men were the foundation for great western philosophy and still play a vital role in our evolution today. The lives they led influence the modern world greatly. The first of these three men is Socrates who lived from 470 BC until 399 BC.
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Comparing the political theories of any two great philosophers is a complex task. Plato and Aristotle are two such philosophers who had ideas of how to improve existing societies during their individual lifetimes. While both Plato and Aristotle were great thinkers‚ perhaps it is necessary first to examine the ideas of each before showing how one has laid the groundwork and developed certain themes for the other. Plato is regarded by many experts as the first writer of political philosophy. He fashioned
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Plato and Aristotle Dialogue As I was at Plato’s Academy‚ I overhear an argument between Plato and Aristotle. The two were in an intensive argument over the theory of forms and the theory of knowledge. As I listened‚ I noticed that the two had extremely different viewpoints on the issues‚ but both men had compelling arguments. The first heated discussion was on the theory of knowledge. Plato’s views on knowledge were interesting to me. Plato believed that knowledge about reality comes from within
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Plato and Aristotle attempt to arrive at a set of moral principles dealing with‚ what is considered good and bad and with moral duty and obligation. Plato believed that concepts had an ideal and universal form which lead to his idealistic philosophy. Aristotle believed that universal forms were not linked to an object or concept but needed to be analyzed on its own. Although Aristotle was a student of Plato‚ he did not necessarily agree with Plato’s theory on morality. Aristotle was more focused
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Estelle Rousseau Ancient Greek Philosophy Professor Lemos 23 November 2012 Plato and Aristotle’s Contrasting Views on the Nature of the Soul Both Plato and Aristotle offered theories on the nature of the soul throughout their prolific careers. Though they both agree on the existence of a soul in living things‚ they diverge in perspective on its ultimate goals‚ how it exists in relation to the body‚ what actions benefit and harm it‚ and whether or not our souls survive our bodies in death. In
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second book of The Politics‚ Aristotle digresses from Plato’s recommendations and provides a counter framework for what he believes is an ideal state. The best ideal state according to Aristotle is one that is not ruled by philosopher kings. This main feature of rulership is what distances Aristotle from Plato. Is it natural for there to be a group of philosophers ruling? Is it natural that these philosophers must be removed from private life? These are the questions Aristotle deals with in the second
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predecessors Plato and Aristotle. Whereas his predecessors held virtue in an ideal environment (idealism)‚ Machiavelli defined virtue in a real environment where one is judged by his actions and not by the way his actions ought to be (realism). [pic][pic] According to Plato and Aristotle good life only exists in total virtue where a person will be most happy. Plato places emphasis on the extinction of personal desires through love so that one can achieve happiness (Barker‚ 1959). Aristotle on the other
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