Everything that we know about Socrates has come through the writings of his greatest pupil, Plato. Socrates was a man that revolutionized philosophy and how to approach his surroundings. One of Socrates greatest findings as a philosopher was that he admitted that he knew nothing, which to others, specifically the Delphic Oracle led them to believe that there were none wiser than Socrates. Socrates techniques as a philosopher came about with his abilities to question others. His line of questioning, to see why everything had a purpose drew a crowd of younger people, which leads us to The Republic, where Socrates encounters some questions for him.
Socrates is known as a great Greek philosopher. The Sophists happen to be Socrates contemporary philosophers. Socrates as a philosopher is always seen distinguishing himself from the Sophists. As a general definition, a philosopher is a lover of wisdom and a sophist is the person who is wise himself. Philosophy is the pursuit of true knowledge and sophistry is the art of rhetorically manipulating the known facts.
Apollodorus and Aristodemus both express their commitment to Socrates by telling stories about him. While their stories do preserve knowledge about Socrates, they are unpersuasive spokespersons for the philosophical life. They remain mired in their personal love for Socrates. In the third section, I interpret Plato’s rhetorical use of anonymity as a strategy designed to mitigate against the dangers of discipleship. In this paper, I examine the text of the Symposium to illustrate two non-philosophical responses to Socrates’ pedagogical provocation.
In both Plato’s Apology and Crito, Plato presents Socrates arguments clearly and precisely. Socrates is wise man with a different perspective on life, which presents us with a mass of contradictions. Socrates is an expressive man, yet he never recorded any works. He is ignorant, but wrongfully convicted who is willing to fight his unjust execution. Behind these dilemmas is an opposition not often explored.
Well-known for his significant impact on the philosophical world, Socrates was one of the first people to truly question individuals and take the average level of thinking to a much more elevated level. The Last Days of Socrates, specifically Euthyphro, Apology, and Crito, written by Plato demonstrates Socrates’ great use of the Socratic method as well as rhetoric, the art of persuasion. Many people looked down upon Socrates because they viewed his calling, as told by the Oracle of Delphi, to be impious. Although Socrates was put to death for living a life such as his, he was very extremely successful during his time alive. Socrates was successful in both the realm of philosophical truth and in the outside world because humans used rhetorical ways of thinking to find purpose and make decisions without the influence of other members in society.
The main character in Plato’s works was Socrates. Socrates was a philosopher whose life mission was his concern with virtue and excellence of the mind, or arête in Greek terms. In Plato’s Apology, which means explanation in Greek, you can see Socrates’ purpose and determination. One of Socrates’ most famous lines is the following: “are you not shamed that you care for having as much money as possible, and reputation, and honor, but that you neither Mendia, Page. 2 care for nor give thought to prudence, and truth, and how your soul will be the best possible?” (Kolak and Thomson, 95).
When I think of a philosopher I think of some that gets people to ask questions and think. This is exactly what Socrates does for the people of Athens. He is accused of doing wrong when he is just trying to help advance society. Another thing that makes him a great philosopher is the fact that he sticks to his moral throughout. He has the ability to escape prison but he knows that would go against all of his teachings.
In the tents, he always won the philosophical arguments between his friends, for he had pondered the subjects himself many times. If it had not been for Pythion, an experienced guide of Greece, they would probab... ... middle of paper ... ...its represent Socrates as the great ironist of philosophy. He knows but ironically denies that he knows. He teaches but ironically denies that he teaches. He claims that knowledge is identical to virtue, ironically disclaiming the one yet implying that he possesses the other.
Socrates will be praised for his wisdom and contributions to western thinking for a very long time. Some of his ideas prevail today among philosophers, and his thinking has shaped modern science. Perhaps we should throw out the book, considering his botched defense. Socrates claims to know nothing and we should take his word for it. Socrates did a poor job in defending his own life in court, so why should we use his tools and devices to this day in our persuasive arguments?
Although, both Plato and Aristotle criticized their teacher’s works, they were also influenced by them. Both Plato and Aristotle developed their own modes of knowledge acquisition; Plato’s Platonic Idealism and Aristotle’s Analytic Empiricism. In this paper, my objective is to identify the differences in the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle, which lead to the development of two contradictory modes of knowledge acquisition and their influence on succeeding thinkers. Plato (428-328 BC) was a successful philosopher, influenced by people like Heraclitus, Parmenides, and the Pythagoreans: But, the most influential person in Plato’s life was Socrates (Nicholas). Socrates used oral arguing to cross-examine people, asking them to define an idea or concept and through argument, improve their answer to give a better definition and thus gain wisdom; this was called the Socratic Method.