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Essay on history of philosophy
The role the trial of Socrates had on Greece
About Socrates
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Philosophy originated from the Greek word “Philosophia” which signify the love for wisdom. It was coin by the Greek philosopher Pythagoras around 500 B.C. It deals with a systematic and critical study of fundamental questions that arise both in everyday’s life and through the practice of other disciplines.
In ancient Greek, the word “philo” mean love while “Sophos” means wisdom. People who are devoted to wisdom are therefore called philosophers.
With philosophy, we study the fundamental questions that arise both in everyday life and through the practice of other disciplines. (Gray, 2013)
Two well-known philosophers in Greek society were Socrates and Voltaire. This two men contributed greatly to the philosophical knowledge we study today. They
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He reject this type of happiness and continue searching for knowledge although he claim with all the knowledge he has he does not understand anything.
Looking at the two philosophers their take on philosophy was different in terms of the way they presented ideas about the truth. Socrates believe that knowing the truth will make one stop doing bad things. (Plato n.d)
While on the other hand Voltaire believed that being ignorant of the truth will prevent one from wandering. This can be evident with the old lady who is contented with her situation of poverty because of her ignorance of the truth and knowledge. Had she understood that there was another good life apart of what she believe was a good life she could have hated the situation and start questioning.
In Conclusion my view on philosophy was different from the above two philosophers in that i believed what the system wanted us to be the norms which is contrary to the Socrates and Voltaire views.
After reading through the text provided I come to realize that it is not all that the society want us to believe that is right which is true. Therefore we need to question things and analyze them before coming into
Philosophers are known for their unique and divergent views on people and the world as a whole. As a result of their unique ways of thinking, they often held contrasting views and beliefs that have been debated over the centuries. One of the earliest well known philosophers was Socrates. He was so firm in his beliefs that he was executed and became a martyr instead of denying them. However, even with the sacrifice of his own life, no one could say that Socrates lived a perfect life, although his teachings were extremely influential. Other prominent philosophers had different points of view and insisted Socrates went about his life incorrectly. An influential philosopher of the twentieth century, Jean-Paul Sartre, would have a lot to say about Socrates and how he lived his life. It is evident that Socrates’ actions and beliefs did not align with Sartre’s chosen way of life. This difference is emphasized by how Socrates believed he had a purpose in life, how he believed in the gods, and how he refused to leave prison when presented the opportunity.
Because of the way these thinkers and their ideas evolved, building from one another, similarities between them are inevitable. Socrates’ ideas would not be what
Socrates, from Athens, was one such rare philosopher who molded our understanding of philosophy, in spite of not putting his ideologies in writing himself. The good Indian Brahmin is another philosopher from another time and place, who had influenced Voltaire’s thinking. In this academic paper, Socrates’ philosophical stance, as depicted in Plato’s writings (Apology and Allegory of the Cave/The Republic), is compared and contrasted with that of the Good Brahmin's, as seen in Voltaire’s writing. The paper ends with my own views on philosophy and how it is comparable to that of Socrates and the Brahmin.
...n as a higher authority to His people. Whereas, Socrates was a humble man that was common and seeking for the truth. Jesus, in His mind knew the truth and knew His purpose. Both man believed that they were sent by the God/god’s for a purpose to set an example. I think that they both go hand and hand, regardless of their religious beliefs. They both made a great impact in today’s world, and our law system; democracy. We have a jury of twelve citizens, a judge and a defense and prosecutor lawyers/attorneys. Unlike, Jesus abusive treatment we now have rights that protect us from harm, and we have a right for a trial. I do admire these men, there existence is questionable because neither one of them have any writings that they wrote. Rather we have the writings of their assume followers. Nevertheless, they were and continue to be very important people in today’s world.
Voltaire was the French philosopher and one of the prominent Enlightenment thinkers. His intelligence, wit, and style in expressing the reality of his age through his writing made him one of the greatest writers on his age despite the controversies he attracted. He produced works in almost all the literary forms such as plays, novels, essays, and poetry. His school of thought greatly influenced British Empiricism and attacked the philosophers of Continental Rationalism. Voltaire’s prominent work Candide aimed at mocking Leibniz’s optimism. In addition, Voltaire attempted to refute Descartes’ metaphysics which is based on Locke’s Empiricism . On analyzing Voltaire’s Candide in detail, the readers can understand that he is undoubtedly an Enlightenment
In Voltaire’s Candide, we are taken by the hand through an adventure which spanned two continents, several countries, and to a multitude of adverse characters. The protagonist, Candide, became the recipient of the horrors which would be faced by any person in the 18th century. But Candide was always accompanied with fellows sufferers, two of which our focus will lay, Pangloss and Martin. In equal respects, both are embodiments of different philosophies of the time: Pangloss the proponent of Optimism and Martin the proponent of Pessimism. Each of the two travelers is never together with Candide, until the end, but both entice him to picture the world in one of their two philosophies. Throughout the story there is an apparent ebb and flow from Candide on how to think of the world. By the end of his journey, Candide will be presented with evidence to lead to his agreement of either Optimism or Pessimism. But I submit, Candide does not become a firm believer in either philosophies but rather retains a philosophy in between Optimism and Pessimism, somewhat of a stoic mentality. Thus Voltaire’s opinion on philosophy will be predicated upon his character, Candide.
The views of philosophers such as Voltaire are considered to be the source of many essential changes in countries such as America and France. His views on religion, government, and freedom are what people remember most because they have not died out in today’s society.
Thirdly, Plato and Aristotle hold contrasting views on the mechanism of finding the truth. Plato relied on the ability to reason in his attempt to explain the world. He produced his ideal world based on reason since such a world lies beyond the realm of the five senses. Plato ignored his senses because he believed his senses only revealed the imperfect forms of the ordinary world.
The Greek word 'philosophy' means literally the (filial) love of wisdom. But 'wisdom' is not a commonly used word in our society so we need to make some effort to locate its meaning. What is indicated by the tradition in which philosophy seeks wisdom rather than merely knowledge or justified belief?
Many philosophers are well known for their stances or beliefs. One of the most well-known philosophers are Plato and Aristotle. Plato once being a pupil himself of Socrates found himself being a teacher to Aristotle. This is why both Plato and Aristotle cover most of the same issue topics and have direct contrasts on topics as well as similarities. Most of Plato and Aristotle comparisons can be found in their forms of “Problems of the universals” and Realism verse Idealism.
Socrates was among the first philosophers who wasn't a sophist, meaning that he never felt that he was
Philosophy can be defined as the pursuit of wisdom or the love of knowledge. Socrates, as one of the most well-known of the early philosophers, epitomizes the idea of a pursuer of wisdom as he travels about Athens searching for the true meaning of the word. Throughout Plato’s early writings, he and Socrates search for meanings of previously undefined concepts, such as truth, wisdom, and beauty. As Socrates is often used as a mouthpiece for Plato’s ideas about the world, one cannot be sure that they had the same agenda, but it seems as though they would both agree that dialogue was the best way to go about obtaining the definitions they sought. If two people begin on common ground in a conversation, as Socrates often tries to do, they are far more likely to be able to civilly come to a conclusion about a particular topic, or at least further their original concept.
Philosophy as an activity is not simply a way of living like many people have come to believe. It’s a journey, a journey where the philosopher finds them selves constantly thinking. Constantly thinking and questioning authority until you get what you are looking for in a statement. Philosophy in so many ways is similar to trying to look at the inside and outside of a door at once. At first you may think it can’t be done, but then you ask question, which reveal answers and outlets that lead to more question and you realize that there are so many more ways to look at the door, so many more ways to look at the world. So many more ways to look at philosophy. Philosophy as an activity is looking at a door.
It is noticeable that many subjects that once belonged to philosophy have broken off and become independent disciplines. These subjects include physics, psychology, and chemistry. This, however, has not left philosophy devoid of content. There are numerous other things that have always belonged to philosophy since the beginning of time and are still part of philosophy up to date. These issues are; the possibility of knowledge, the nature of the universe, the standard of justice, the correct use of reason, and the qualities of beauty. These issues have the foundational structures of the five branches of philosophy that are epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, logic, and aesthetics.
Overall, the transition or the development between the three stages of philosophy differs by reason and faith. Ancient philosophy focused on faith and reason versus Medieval and Modern philosophy has a separation between reason and faith. The main theme of the development of “Western Philosophy” is faith and reason. In the conclusion of this paper, I already discussed the development of Western philosophy, and the historical standpoint of the how philosophy became what it is