...Socrates & Plato Socrates and Plato are to be considered the modern fathers of philosophy. Their ideas of what philosophy is allowed the movement of other philosophers for many generations until it reached what we call modern time now. Even though some philosopher from younger generations don’t believe at all what Socrates and Plato taught they will still go to the roots of philosophy from which Socrates and Plato first came up with. Such things as Epistemic Humility, The Allegory of the Cave, the realm of forms, knowledge vs. opinion, and the levels of awareness. These two main philosophers’ contributions to philosophy were a new method of approaching knowledge, a new way of thinking. Socrates’ method, called dialectic, consisted in examining statements by pursuing their implications, on the assumption that if a statement were true it could not lead to false consequences. His doctrine of the soul led him to the belief that all virtues converge into one, which is the good, or knowledge of one's true self and purposes through the course of a lifetime. Knowledge in turn depends on the nature or essence of things as they really are, for the underlying forms of things are more real than their experienced exemplifications. This conception leads to a teleological view of the world that all the forms participate in and lead to the highest form, the form of the good. Socrates also believed in Epistemic Humility which is I know that I do not know, meaning if one is to understand...
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...This way he anticipated the scientific method used by psychologists and more so the position taken by behaviorists. Define the terms psycho physics and the scientific method. • Ironically the Pythagorean school of thought distrusted the senses." Perfection cannot be achieved in the empirical world only in the world beyond the senses. Senses interfered with the gaining of knowledge". So members of the Pythagorean School of thought imposed on themselves long periods of silence, vegetarianism, fasting, exercise etc. This way the Pythagorean School became a cult and lost the spirit of free open inquiry. Today there is a vigorous debate on the impact of stimulus restriction and stimulus over load. SOCRATES His views were recorded by Plato and xenophone his student when Socrates was forced to take hemlock after antagonizing the powers that be in orthodox Greece with his critical inquiry and influence on the youth. Some of his ideas...
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...A Biblical View of Science, Technology, and Business: Do Utilitarian’s Agree with These Biblical Views? Utilitarianism was originated by Epicurus in ancient Greece and is the doctrine that an action is right as long as it promotes happiness, usefulness, and overall pleasurableness. If the action inflicts pain than it is not seen as right. Many of these ideas adapted well with the all of the modernization and changes that were occurring in the technology, science, and business world during the eighteenth century. Although the idea’s did fit well there was one issue, the new Utilitarian views were clashing with one of the most respected religions teachings; the Bible. There are many differences between the Utilitarian point of view; compared to the Bible’s point of view. Let’s begin with Technology, the Bible does not discuss this topic very much throughout its readings. Technological advances in a sense do not seem necessary, seeing that God is provides and protects those who follow him. Throughout the reading of The Gospel According to Matthew an anti-materialistic approach is used; “contempt for even the necessities of life and the assurance that ‘God will provide’” (Newton, Source Reader, p. 61). For example, the young rich man in the reading asks God what good deed he can complete in order to receive eternal life. God first suggests to the man to follow the Ten Commandments, the man states that he has been following the Ten Commandments since he was a young boy. God...
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...Lecture 2 and Mid-term expectations Class structure 10am-1pm 10-10.20 Homework 10.20-11.30 Quiz below 11.30-11.50 Break 11.50-12.45 Euthyphro 12.45-1.00 Mid-term expectations Homework for Femke – reading and understanding how you reason – describe how you approach a problem . Step-by-step process . Quiz 1. A = Valid Socrates is a philosopher All philosophers are poor So Socrates is poor 2. A – iv Whenever Anile is here, Kumar is also here Anil is not here So Kumar is not here 3. A = iv Most drug addicts are depressed people Most depressed people are lonely So most drug addicts are lonely 4. A= v Nothing that s cheap is good So nothing that is good is cheap 5. A = v If there is an earthquake , the detector will send a message No message has been sent So there was no message 6. A = iv John said that everyone loves Mary Nothing that John has said is true So nobody loves Mary Mid-term This assignment is designed to assess your critical thinking problem solving, and communication skills. Your answer will be judged for its clarity, relevance, coherence, logic, depth, consistency, and fairness. Your answers to each issue should be between 700-800 words in length. More specifically, the reader will be asking the following questions: 1. Is the question at issue well stated? Is it clear and unbiased? Does the expression of the question do justice to the complexity of the matter at issue? 2. Does...
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...Questioning vs. Acceptance, Truth vs. Balance: A Comparison of East and West Canyon Law Western cultures have historically differed greatly from their far Eastern counterparts in several ways, be it in lifestyle, government, or worldview. These noticeable differences can be attributed to the West’s and East’s own unique philosophical backgrounds. While Western philosophers such as Locke, John Stuart Mill, and Socrates put large emphasis on the ideals of questioning authority in the search for truth, Eastern dogma—as reflected by Daoism, Confucianism, and Buddhism—assert very different, conflicting values focused on acceptance and obedience of superiors. Because of this disparity of thought process, East and West subscribe to very different schools of thought with regards to individualism, rationalism, and democracy. Jon Stuart Mill, in his book On Liberty, promotes the importance of constant debate of ideas. He argues that all opinions must be heard, whether they are from the majority or a minority of beliefs. He states that, “Judgment is given to men that they may use it… To prohibit what they think pernicious is not claiming from error, but fulfilling the duty incumbent on them, although fallible, of acting on their conscientious conviction. If we were never to act on our opinions, because those opinions may be wrong, we should leave all our interests uncared for, and all our duties underperformed.” (p. 18). In this passage, Mill argues that “judgment,” in this case the...
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...of the Cave” a fictional dialogue between Socrates and Glaucon takes place. As the story unwinds, the role of personal knowledge unfolds and begins to impact the message conveyed. Plato took the liberty to separate his story into stages as the prisoner starts to come to the realization that he has been living an illusion all along. As the illusion turns into a realization, one becomes familiar with the interpretation Plato intended for one to understand the importance of education. Plato had the assertion that man was born ignorant yet had the capacity to fulfill his own personal knowledge. Socrates begins to set up a scenario where there are human beings who have been living in a cave since birth. The prisoners are “chained so that they cannot move” and only able to view a low wall that was places in front of them (Plato 66). A fire is their only source of light and with that they are able to see their shadows. In this part of the story, the prisoners are unaware that there is more to offer in the world than the fire and their shadows. They are ignorant yet unaware of this because to them it was natural to only see such few things. The cave was the only thing they were aware of and this prevented them from building personal knowledge and fully becoming enlightened. The cave symbolized a barrier that the prisoners were unable to cross. It was what they were used to and they didn’t have the knowledge to realize the right way to live vs. the wrong way. The feeling of change is...
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...I have.” ― Plato, Apology tags: apology, knowledge, plato, socrates, wisdom 23 people liked it like “Men of Athens, I honor and love you; but I shall obey God rather than you, and while I have life and strength I shall never cease from the practice and teaching of philosophy... Understand that I shall never alter my ways, not even if I have to die many tim Apology: Top Ten Quotes Top Ten Quotes | 1) "I am very conscious that I am not wise at all," (Socrates)2) "in my investigation in the service of the god I found that those who had the highest reputation were nearly the most deficient, while those who were thought to be inferior were more knowledgeable." (Socrates)3) "Either I do not corrupt the young or, if I do, it is unwillingly," (Socrates)4) "You are wrong, sir, if you think that a man who is any good at all should take into account the risk of life or death; he should look to this only in his actions, whether what he does is right or wrong, whether he is acting like a good or a bad man." (Socrates)5) "To fear death, gentlemen, is no other than to think oneself wise when one is not, to think one knows what one does not know." (Socrates)6) "I will not yield to any man contrary to what is right, for fear of death, even if I should die at once for not yielding." (Socrates)7) "It is not the purpose of a juryman's office to give justice as a favor to whoever seems good to him, but to judge according to law, and this he has sworn to do." (Socrates)8) "Since I am...
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...Journal Entry 11.Chapter 5: The teacher and his teachings, Pages: 108-109. Monday 24, 2014 A New Kind of Teacher Socrates a different kind of teacher, he was not paid to be a teacher and his teaching method was different. He believed that people could not think clearly if they are not clear on what they are analyzing or talking about. Therefore, in his teaching sessions he would ask questions and answer them the best he could. So I wondered, how different would the education system be if we had follow Socrates way of teaching? Socrates is one of the most important people in western philosophy. I found it interesting that we have no writings from his own hand, from his two students Plato and Xenophon. I agreed with Socrates claim that appearance of the body is less important than how it functions and true beauty comes from spirit and character. I questioned if spirit and character is more important than the physical appearance, why do modern society judge an individual based on their physical appearance? Journal Entry 12. Chapter 6: the Theory of forms. Pages 144. Thursday, February 20, 2014. Knowledge Vs. Opinion Plato is one of the philosophers that interest me the most because of his search for knowledge outside his “comfort zone.” Plato left the Athens and wandered for twelve years and during that time he studied mathematics and mysticism. For me, as a math minor, it was interesting to see how mathematics influenced Plato’s philosophy and I wondered, does an individual’s...
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...University of Phoenix Material Literary Masterpieces Matrix Complete the following matrix for each of the cultural periods that are shown. Provide examples from at least two (2) literary works to illustrate your entries in each category. If discussing contemporary literature, for example, a thematic focus might be relationship of mainstream with minority literatures and your examples incorporate Rushdie' and Cronin's works. Your entries in these columns must go beyond a few words or a simple bullet point. There is no required minimum word length, but you must go into sufficient detail to demonstrate your comprehension of these literary components. This assignment is designed to be completed throughout the course. It is easier to complete when approached this way; it also functions better as a foundation for your Learning Team paper—The Literary Masterpiece in Contemporary Society Paper—due in Week Five. Note. Ancient and classical literature are grouped together in the first week's readings, but they are separated here to sharpen your understanding of the distinctions between the two periods. | |Thematic Focus |Literary Qualities |Shared Characteristics |Influence of Earlier | | | | | |Periods | |Ancient Literature |The book of Genesis has |Genesis is mainly written |Both books are heavily...
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...PHIL 127: History of Ancient Philosophy Socrates and His Mission When is a Question Philosophical? Philosophical questions have answers. (A question that has no answer is not a question; it just masquerades as one.) But a question is philosophical for a particular culture at a particular time when no means of answering it are available – or, none of the prevailing methods have any authority. A problem is a philosophical problem when the way to go about answering the question is in question. An issue is a philosophical issue when the right way to settle the issue is at issue. A Philosophical Crisis If the claims in the previous paragraph are true, then 5th century Greece was in a philosophical crisis. It was a crisis in morality. In our culture we think of morality as being concerned with rules. Here are some rules – You should not kill. – You should not steal. – Don’t hit people. – Lying is wrong. – It’s wrong to promise to do something and then not do it. – You should not covet your neighbors wife, or his ox or his ass or his male or female slave, or anything that is your neighbor’s. – You should not lie with a man as with a woman. – Thou should not wear fabric woven of wool one way and linen the other. – Do (imperative) unto others as you would have them do unto you. – Help (imperative) other people who are in need when you can do so at no great risk or cost to yourself. Why do we think of morality as consisting of rules? This question is important...
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...providing our kids with the tools to help them to be successful individuals. The concept of Education goes back farther than most of us could ever imagine. School has been formatted into four stages which is Elementary, Middle School, High School, and College. In this paper, I will discuss the four people and events that had a great affect on the evolution of American education. Born in 470 BC in Athens, Greece, Socrates was a Greek philosopher who had a great influence on ancient and modern philosophy. Socrates believed that philosophy should achieve practical results for the greater well being of society. Little was known about his life in which what was, was told through the dialogue between his students Plato and Xenophon. Socrates became a very controversial figure who was frequently mocked in a comedic way. He believed in a system that would be based on a human reason. The more a person knows, the greater his or her ability to reason and make choices that will bring true happiness. He believed in us having a complete understanding of ourselves. Socrates went about asking questions to...
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...Plato’s Rule of Man vs Aristotle’s Rule of Law Commonalities between them • Democracy as a form of governance is not only synonymous with rule of law, but also the most effective in enforcing law itself. • The law is subject to all individuals, whether part of the polis or a member of government. • Law according to both is constant and absolute Plato’s Rule of Men Historical Context • Understand that Plato’s opinion on democracy was largely influenced by the manner in which Socrates, his teacher, was put on trial and sentenced to death under the Athenian democracy. He thus concluded based on this experience that democracy is the most corrupt and unjust form of government. • Plato thus set out in his work, Republic to examine the meaning of justice, assess different types of government and then outlining his idea of the ideal state. He examined oligarchy, in which the poor would eventually overthrow the rich, democracy which would be set up by the victorious poor but flawed on the fact that the unquenchable desire for limitless liberty causes disorder and pits the poor against the rich who the poor perceive as plotting against the hence they seek protection. In tyranny, no outside governing power controls the tyrant’s selfish behavior. Only law to Plato can guard against tyranny-the law serves as the external authority. His thoughts on law • Where the law is subject to some other authority and has none of its own, the collapse of the state in my view is not far off, but...
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...Astronomy Notes: People & Accomplishments: Plato (428/7 B.C.E. – 328/7 B.C.E.) – Greek Philosopher, a student of Socrates, and teacher of Aristotle. Taught of the “World of Forms;” the idea that the material world (the earth) is made of nothing but imperfect copies of what was imagined to be perfect. Also, the perfect World of Forms (heavens) was where ideas, thoughts, concepts, imagination, reason, etc. exists. The seven planets ((in order; Sun, Moon, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn) were intangible gods; therefore, they were part of the World of Forms. Plato taught that when people acted on perfect ideas (i.e., built stuff), the outcome, in the material world, must be imperfect. [Socrates taught of metaphysics, the study of what is real versus what we think is real but isn’t.] Aristotle (384 B.C.E. – 322 B.C.E.) – Greek philosopher and mathematician and a student of Plato. Credited when the early teaching of the scientific method (questioning, predicting outcomes, classifying/ organizing data, drawing conclusions founded in logic). Aristotle taught of the Universe existing in two realms. The Terrestrial Realm consisted of all material objects. All material objects, or matter, were made of combinations of the four elements (earth, air, fire, and water). Matter was classified by common physical properties (density, hot vs. cold, wet vs. dry). Comets were thought to be atmospheric phenomena, and part of the Terrestrial Realm (changes in the tail of a comet...
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...Why was Socrates regarded as a man of virtue? Why was Socrates regarded as a man of virtue? Socrates: Man of Virtue (470-399 B.C.E.) Socrates proposed the theory of value in which there are two sorts of good: virtue and happiness. Both are unconditional goods. But happiness is a "self-generated" good in that it "derives its value strictly from its inherent properties;" whereas virtue is an "other-generated" good in that it derives its value from happiness, precisely from its conduciveness to happiness. Virtue is an instinct in all humanity which can be aroused through self-examination. This universal truth is accessible to everyone who thinks and question. Socrates assumes that any person with whom he talks has the resource to answer his question correctly, that is, that no specialist knowledge is required. Socrates thought that knowledge is virtue, and virtue leads to happiness. It makes sense to think that moral people know what morality is. If you know right from wrong, then you might be able to choose to do what you know to be right. It also makes some sense to suspect that our beliefs about right and wrong influence our decisions. If we believe its right to help a drowning child, then it would be fairly shocking to decide not to do so—and it would less surprising when we decide to help the child. It is quite a shocking statement to say that virtue always leads to happiness. Criminals commit crimes that hurt others to help themselves. To think that their crimes would...
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...The Death of Socrates vs. The Death of Perpetua Civil disobedience has been a common element in human behavior. From the time of antiquity to the present, people lash out in various ways against standards that society has placed upon citizens. Two ancient examples of disobedient actions come from different ages revered for standards that hold today and provide a basis for modern law; the Greek and ancient Roman empires. From the Greeks, we have come to know the story of Socrates as memorialized by Plato, and the Roman age was the time of Perpetua, an early Christian woman. The fate of those individuals is the same – a death sentence handed down by the society they lived in. Although the conclusion of their respective lives is the same, the differences that lie in the reasoning of their death run deeper, with several key factors impacting their individual destiny. As we will see, these factors affect their relationship to the states and time periods they existed. Understanding the differences between Socrates and Perpetua rests in two major elements. The first one is the role of religion and understanding of deities. Their respective beliefs affected their relationship with the state that decided their deaths. Beginning with Socrates, we must first remember that Greek society was polytheistic. Standards such as monotheism in Catholic terms did not exist. There were Gods that ruled over emotions, the land, sea, and even realms outside of human reach, such as Zeus in heaven and...
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