Philosophers like Socrates had a huge impact on philosophers during that time as well as the philosophers today. During the Periclean Age, he was in Athens teaching philosophy of life to the people on the streets who cared enough to listen. The philosophy of Socrates mainly was the responsibility of people's moral attitudes. The teachings of Socrates were found to be understanding of life, recognizing the truth and speaking of the components that were used to a successful life. The teachings of his philosophy weren't appreciated much by the public in which he was sent to the trial with charges against him for his teachings towards the youth. It is very shocking to learn that the charges against him were the interference with the youth and unbelieving
In the last days of Socrates’ life while he awaits his death sentence, he examines and evaluates the facets of life and the morals that come as a part of human nature. He analyzes the concept of being, and what it means to be either living or deceased and through this analysis, Socrates particularly goes in depth with his examination of the human soul. In Phaedo, Plato meets with a follower who had been with Socrates on his last day, on which he talked much about the innermost qualities of being; life and death and how the soul constitutes those two entities. According to Socrates, there are four arguments that prove the existence of the soul: the Argument from Opposites, the Theory of Recollection, the Affinity Argument, and the Theory of Forms.
The thought that has tortured creators forever is that “nothing is original.” Ideas build upon ideas and nothing is ever original. In 470-399 BC, Socrates had a lot to say about many ideas. Although, one of the most controversial ones was his view on life and death. It is still a controversial matter today. Socrates’ views have shaped Western culture in the direction of shaming suicide, accepting that the body and soul are two different things, and the body and soul separate at death. Due to the views of Socrates, it is hard for many Westerners to accept the idea of assisted suicide, brain death, and comatose states. Socrates’ views have fostered medical ethics, religious views, disciplinary action, and entertainment in Western society today.
In the Meno by Plato, Socrates and Meno attempt to define virtue as an entity and establish whether or not this is a quality that can be taught. According to Socrates, in order for us to possess a quality such as being virtuous, we have to have knowledge of the matter. Meno’s paradox plays a central role in the dialogue as it questions how we can be certain we have arrived at the correct answer. Through the Socratic method of elenchus (to be explained), leading characters into a state of aporia (to be explained) and a geometric lesson, Socrates shows us how we can perform scientific research and reach an answer previously unknown to us. In order to begin scientific research, we have to admit we do not know the answer we are seeking, we have to be perplexed and achieve a thirst for knowledge and critical thinking has to be present. Socrates illustrates this through the geometric lesson with the slave boy in Meno. This paper will discuss if the geometric lesson by Socrates is an effective way of answering Meno’s paradox in terms of doing scientific research and
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Socrates, a Philosopher
Socrates lived at a period when the ancient city-states of Greece were in war leading to the ultimate defeated of his polis, Athens by Sparta during the Peloponnesian War. Socrates was fond of discourse and arguments on free thought and rhetoric. One of his most famous works, the “Apology” and inspiring Greek writer Xenophon to recreate his conversations in literary works after his death to include “Memorabilia” and “Economicus”.
According to Socrates, Guardians are to be the leaders, lawmakers and the rulers. They are to be the courageous, temperate, holy and free individuals who rule over the producers and auxiliaries. However, Socrates’ proposes that they are sheltered from the injustice, unpleasant or just deemed “bad” actions of the world. He feels that the youth who will grow up to be guardians are overly impressible and censorship will help them only absorb the good and righteous stories. However, censorship of actions from our leaders doesn’t make them good leaders at all. A leader needs to see both sides of the story, to have emotion and composure all in one. If we shield our future leaders from pain, sorrow, anger, lust or pleasure in their youth, how will
"As for me, all I know is that I know nothing" is a famous quote from Socrates, that describes him very well as the intelligent, humble person that he was. Socrates was born on 469 B.C. in Athens, Greece. He was well known throughout the world for his dialogues and the work of his followers and students such as Xenophon and Plato. He built the foundation for the Socratic Method as well as Socratic Irony. Although everything known about him is second-hand, and we do not have any of his philosophical writings, he is still known as one of the most important philosophers who changed the world. Socrates is often seen as the person who created the foundation for philosophy in the West. The influence of Socrates views can be seen during the time of Renaissance, where his works were often reflected in paintings and other works of art, he is often represented as a great Saint, because of all of his exemplary accomplishments.
The Life of Socrates
I. Socrates The most interesting and influential thinker in the fifth century was Socrates, whose dedication to careful reasoning transformed the entire enterprise. Since he sought genuine knowledge rather than mere victory over an opponent, He familiarized himself with the rhetoric and dialectics of the Sophists, the speculations of the Lonian philosophers, and the general culture of Periclean Athens. Socrates employed the same logical tricks developed by the Sophists to a new purpose, the pursuit of truth. Thus, his willingness to call everything into question and his determination to accept nothing less than an adequate account of the nature of things make him the first clear exponent of critical philosophy.
Defense of Socrates
There are times in every mans life where our actions and beliefs collide—these collisions are known as contradictions. There are endless instances in which we are so determined to make a point that we resort to using absurd overstatements, demeaning language, and false accusations in our arguments. This tendency to contradict ourselves often questions our character and morals. Similarly, in The Trial of Socrates (Plato’s Apology), Meletus’ fallacies in reason and his eventual mistake of contradicting himself will clear the accusations placed on Socrates. In this paper, I will argue that Socrates is not guilty of corrupting the youth with the idea of not believing in the Gods but of teaching the youth to think for themselves by looking to new divinities.
Socrates (470-399 BC) was a credited philosopher born in the city of Athens to father Sophroniscus and mother Phaenarete. Despite his world-renowned contributions, he did not leave any written accounts of his life. His story was taught through the writings of his students Plato and Xenophon, along with Aristotle and Aristophanes in various forms of dramatic texts and histories. Among others, Plato wrote many dialogues that quoted Socrates’ exact words. Much of what we know comes from this greatly influenced student. However, Plato being a literary artist, leads many to think that he brightened up Socrates’ teachings as a result of his positive bias. For this reason, much of his history remains uncertain.