...So last night I did some playing around on a philosophy assignment. I had to do a dialogue between Plato and Aristotle. I call onto all experts, and those that enjoy the subject to read it and tell me what you think. Here it is…. Epitaphs Plato v.Aristotle Plato: Aristotle, may I ask you why you disagree with my theory of forms? Can you explain, or reveal your thoughts as to why? Better yet, express a theory you could replace my theory with. Aristotle: Sure, do you mind answering some questions for me? Just to confirm my understanding of your theory. Plato: Certainly. Aristotle: Is it safe to assume that the way you define the word ‘form’ in your theory of forms is synonymous with the word ideas? Plato: Yes. Aristotle: Ideas are perfect as long as they are in your mind. Would you agree with that statement? Plato: Yes, I would agree with that statement. Aristotle: This could be taken a step forward, a step so far that even you will disagree with it. Would you like to hear my progression based on your theory? Plato: Sure. Aristotle: According to your theory of form every idea a person has is perfect, and every attempt to bring life to that idea is imperfect. Is that right? Plato: Yes it is. I’ve said this before. Aristotle: Do you realize that someone could very well take your theory and assume you are insulting the Gods, or at the very least someone could interpret it in that way. Plato: What do you mean? You believe that I imply that God’s...
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...sure how to do that ask me and I will be happy to help you.) Remember to write as if your reader had never taken a philosophy course. Choose the question about which you would like to write a paper. You can pick a question that is not on the list of suggestions I give you, but in that case, I want you to ask me about your question before you begin to write, and submit the question you attempt to address in writing so I have a clear understanding of what it is you are trying to achieve. Good papers make use of at least two philosophers we have read, and use direct “quotes” from them. Any quotations and paraphrasing must be cited properly, with quotation marks and parenthetical references. You are not required to use outside sources, but you are encouraged to do so. If you choose to, you must cite them carefully. This includes internet resources – give me the url and all the information you can, and use direct quotes. Before you use an online resource, check to make sure that it is scholarly. For example, Wikipedia is not scholarly, while the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy is scholarly. Look for quality sources. Introduce your topic/question in the introductory paragraph, and explain your methodology (i.e., say whose writings you will discuss, who you will agree and disagree with, and state briefly your own position in the introductory paragraph). You should use first person sentence structure (“I will argue that...” “I will disagree...
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...of the philosophers. Who or what is God according to traditional Classical philosophy? Refer in your answer specifically to Plato and Aristotle’s objective idea of God. Also refer to Augustine’s response to Classical philosophy. Conclude your essay with your own critical assessment. Do you agree or disagree with the philosophers? Use Chapter 4 of your prescribed textbook (‘The God of the Philosophers’) in order to answer the question. Contents 1. Brief summary of the God of the philosophers 2. The traditional God and gods 3. Plato and Aristotle’s objective ideas of God 4. Conclusion 5. References 1. Brief summary of the God of the Philosopher: In the book ‘God: A guide for the perplexed’ Keith Ward goes into fascinating debate and detail of ancient philosopher, their writings and the way the world understood them. Each philosopher mentioned in Chapter 4; Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and Augustine had their own image and debate on what the godswere and how they perceived them and how they believed they came to be and what they are capable of. Plato, when learning about the Greek gods, never understood why they were there or where they came from. He believed that good was the only essence that mattered in all the beliefs and religions and ways of life. He believed in a god that was faultlessin everything he did and that is why the universe was created. (Ward 2002: 145) Socrates on the other hand denied that there were even gods at all. For this statement...
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...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 knowledge in science and math affect their philosophy claims and theories? After he finished most of his writing he founded his academy “Academos.” I was fascinated how Plato lectured without notes for forty years. Does knowledge come from the heart and soul? In Plato’s work theory of Forms he attempted...
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...Socrates. Plato, and others argued on questions concerning knowledge. Is it possible to have knowledge at all? Does our knowledge represent reality as it really is? For every person including myself, gaining knowledge begins with birth. Though some philosophers such as Phaedo say that we had knowledge before that, but we forget it when we are born. And then we just recollect it. Phaedo also discusses perfect justice, beauty, goodness and equality and states that we have never seen these things yet we know they exist. From his point of view knowledge of perfect things must be innate. I cannot agree with this statement. For me your parents, then your teachers and people in your society give you understanding of what is right or wrong, true or false, good or bad. Later you start analyzing everything from your own perspective, deciding what to believe relying on your previous knowledge. This is why I agree to the Socrates point of view. He says that we can distinguish true from false and the standards for that are based on our soul. At the same time Plato was correct when he said that difference between knowledge and opinion must be rationally justified. For years we are chained in our caves interpreting shadows on the wall as the reality we see. Only if you step out into the wide world where the objects that cast the shadows seem so unfamiliar can you see the world from another perspective. There is no certainty though that this may change your opinion. For example I don’t think...
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...assumptions which underpin Machiavellian & Platonic philosophies. In this paper I will discuss the assumptions which underpin Machiavellian & Platonic philosophies in reference to The Republic and The Prince. My position is that both Machiavallian and Plantonic philosophies make assumptions in exemplifying their notions. Machiavelli’s is intentional while Plato’s is unintentional. Also both philosophies through their assumptions sometimes contradict each other. Well expressed In discussing his notion above it is important to understand the basic theory and ideas of Machiavelli and Plato. Both Machiavelli and Plato produce arguments for order in the state but they have different notions of how to go about order. Plato obsesses with certainty and has an ideal form of order, while order with Machiavelli is learning to live with uncertainty. Machiavelli believes we need to be able to work with insecurity and not try and produce certainty. He believes we embrace uncertainty by developing our own armour. Knowledge is the basis of leadership for Plato while Power is the basis of leadership for Machievelli. In the Republic the Allegory of the Cave represents Plato's views on philosophy. Basically, we are all in the cave and Philosophy is what brings us out of the cave. Plato believes that Philosophy is the highest form of inquiry, just because it alone involves no presuppositions. I do not believe this to be true because The Allegory presents, in brief form most of Plato's...
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...The Republic There is no doubt that The Republic by Plato has helped developed the foundation of ethics. Since the main theme of The Republic is focused on the nature of Justice, it is ideal to say that ethics, which is based on the principles of regulating the distribution of social benefits and its burdens deals directly with the issue of what is fairness or not in our society(Norman, 83). Plato makes a lot of interesting arguments in The Republic regarding the issues of ethics. Plato was more focused on debunking theories that have been promoted by Cephalus, Thrasymachus, and Glaucon. Because Plato believed that their theories are focused on a single component, and that is they considered justice as something external. In other words, they perceive justice as an achievement or a convention they have, none of them carried it into the soul or considered it in place of its habitation (Bhandari). And in making his case, Plato argued that justice does not depend upon a chance, convention or upon external force. He sees it as the right condition of the human soul by the very nature of man when seen in the fullness of his environment. For Plato, this observation is important because justice is internal since it resides within the soul. First, the part I find fascinating relates to the reconciliation of nature and convention. I do believe this argument is vulnerable because, if justice is indeed comparable to health, then moral virtuousness should be something that we need just...
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...formed of it. I would agree that there are many flaws to Plato’s Theory of The Forms. Although there have been many philosophers defending his theory, I would still argue that the weaknesses outweigh these counter arguments, and that these criticisms are definitely valid. Some may try to defend criticisms posed in Parmenides by Plato himself, that the Theory of The Forms is ambiguous and lacking in detail on issues such as how detailed the forms are. They may argue that for mundane things such as bus tickets, Plato was ambiguous on these as he was primarily interested in metaphysical thinking, rather than concentrating on the material world. They may also defend the lack of explanation on forms of the bad, in that there is no form of the bad, just that there is a lack of good. I however would argue that these are both very weak defences, as using Plato’s ideas and arguments in support of Plato’s theory is extremely unconvincing. Also as the real world is a reflection of the realm of The Forms, why is there a lack of good in this material world? I would argue that the criticism in Parmenides is a very valid one, as i struggle to find any weaknesses to this criticism. Additionally, I would argue that Aristotle’s analysis of the theory of The Forms in his works Metaphysics is very valid as well. This is a very strong argument in that it highlights the ambiguity of Plato’s theory and criticises how unreasonable the theory of The Forms is. I would definitely agree more with Aristotle’s...
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...Plato’s Laches describes different ways to approach courage through his characters Laches, Nicias, and Socrates. Plato uses a dialog between characters to define courage in regard to teaching children the art of swards fighting. In dialog Socrates, as the teacher, questions two generals Laches and Nicias in their belief in courage. Both Laches and Nicias have different views on what it means to have courage, however Socrates is able to question both definitions in order for each argument to be better satisfied. The test begins with thoughts from Laches, who describes courage as one’s ability to stand at their post and fight. Laches states, “If a man is willing to remain at his post and to defend himself against the enemy without running away, then you may rest assured that he...
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...Socrates was born in 469 B.C.E. Although he was not accepted by many people, Socrates was a very important philosopher of his time and he is still being taught and studied today. Most philosophers are important to us because of what they wrote or said, however, Socrates, unlike any other philosopher, never wrote anything of his own, he is important simply for his personality and character. Socrates is also important in philosophy because he liked to question people and try to find answers rather than give a long speech. One of Socrates’s most famous beliefs is that to fear death is to think oneself wise when one is not. This statement was found in the Apology which was written by Socrates’s good friend Plato. This statement was a part of Socrates’s main speech. He makes this statement in his main speech where he addresses the jury. In the main speech he discusses the accusations brought against him and proves them to be false. In addition to that, he also addresses some questions which the jury may have. In philosophy, it is important to presume what the others might argue and break it down. Socrates does so by saying the following, “someone might say: “are you not ashamed Socrates, to have followed the kind of occupation that has led to your being now in danger of death?” (Melchert). He makes this statement because he knows that the jurors and the citizens are puzzled by his reaction and the way he has been fearless under his circumstances. He responds to his own...
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...Aristotle's Views on Nature, Knowledge, and Being Aristotle was a realist and a scientific thinker. He dealt with attempting to explain the world around him, using evidence that could be derived from the senses. Unlike his predecessors, Aristotle organized his thought more collectively. He described the being, relating to both living things and inanimate objects, as the state of essential substance, one definite characteristic. According to Aristotle, that being is changed by any number of things, including growth, modification, destruction, quality, even negation. In addition to that beings in Aristotle's theory can be primary while still having secondary caracteristics to describe the “that”(i.e. What is that? A baby deer”. Unlike plato where a being is refered to as a “form” and “this”. Aristotle's view on knowledge, and the attainment of such wisdom, also differed from his predecessors. In addition to that his views on the soul were very different from those that came before him. Aristotle believed that the soul was a part of the body's make up that did not live on after death. However, he beleieved that the soul was the essence of the being that is created through the living experiences of that human. For example, a good person would be said to have a good soul, and after death the good soul does not move on to a paradise called heaven, but it rather dies along with the body. According to our notes and Aristotle's text on the soul (psuchē),” the soul is the form...
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...of Many Colors” The Last Days of Socrates contains a series of dialogues with Socrates in the run- up to his trial, where he is sentenced to death. Plato, the author, was inspired by Socrates. Plato was a student of his and went on to teach many famous people such as Aristotle, who wrote treatises on everything from poetry to biology, and even Alexander the Great. Plato was born into a wealthy family around the last days of the Athenian Empire (427-347 B.C.). Plato was also an advisor to the king of Syracuse. Plato had great influence throughout the history of philosophy, often being called the father of Western philosophy. He wrote over twenty philosophical dialogues and thirteen letters ( oregonstate.edu/…/Philosophers/Plato/). Most of what we know about the life of Socrates was written down by Plato. This book of Plato’s, The Last Days of Socrates, includes four works or dialogues. The first three are written very close in time to one another. The last was written years later. All have been translated into modern English from ancient Greek. All works relate to Socrates’ trial and subsequent death. The One major theme of the dialogues is justice. Justice has a direct effect upon Socrates’ behavior. He insists to Crito in the third dialog that his beliefs pertaining to what “just” means is the very reason why he has accepted the sentence he is given. This very question, “What is just?” is just the kind of thing that got him into trouble in Athens in the first...
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...opposing view on the meaning of justice, the events depicted in Jonathan Kozol’s Amazing Grace support the views of Thrasymachus and Glaucon. In Book I, Thrasymachus begins his argument by defining traditional justice. “…As I have said from the beginning, the just is the advantage of the stronger, and the unjust is what is profitable and advantageous for oneself” (Plato, 344c). Here, Thrasymachus introduces his first point, that the unjust man will always be better off than the just man. He then defends this claim with three key examples. Thrasymachus states that in contracts between a just and unjust man the unjust man will always come up with more, in tax systems the unjust man will pay less taxes and receive higher distributions, and finally the just man will “incur the ill will of his relatives and his acquaintances when he is unwilling to serve them against what is just” (Plato, 343e). Unconfined by the rules of justice, unjust men are able to act selfishly and for their own benefit rather than acting for the good of others. This point of view is exemplified in the actions and resulting fortunes of Mrs. Washington in Amazing Grace. Mrs. Washington is the epitome of just. Living in one of the most diseased and dangerous cities in the world, she still “seems resigned to things the way they are. ‘That’s how it is. What can I say?’ she often asks” (Kozol, 17). Despite the unending injustices that her and her family suffer, Mrs. Washington does not break the laws of society....
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...ready to excuse himself when he is bad, if he has been persuaded that similar things are done an were done by “close descendants of the gods…That is why we must put a stop to such stories; if we do not, they will produce in our young a very casual attitude to evil.” ( (Reeve, C.D.C.) Book III, page 72, 391.5) This application of censorship is especially critical when training the guardians of a city. The guardians are meant to protect and care for the city and its citizens and have the potential of becoming philosopher king is they train long enough and prove themselves worthy...
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...Piety The dialogue for this essay stems from two men meeting in the Kings court, as they were both awaiting trial. While waiting Socrates is astonished to learn that Euthyphro is there to bring charges against his own father for murdering one of the families’ field hands. In this essay I will give my interpretation of piety, and explain how there is no right, or wrong meaning for the term piousness. The conference between Socrates, and Euthyphro was held on the porch of King Archon, Euthyphro was surprised to see Socrates, and inquired why he was there. “Surely you cannot be concerned in a suit before the King, like myself” (Plato). Socrates explains to Euthyphro that a young bearded beaked man is prosecuting him for corrupting young Athenians. One of the accusations that Meletus is holding against Socrates is that he was a great poet, maker of Gods, which the he invented new ones, and denied the existence of the present ones. For his wrongdoing, his actions were grounds for indictment. Socrates asks again of Euthyphro why is he dwelling in the courtyard of the King. Euthyphro explains that he is there to prosecute his father for murdering one of the families’ field hands. He goes on to say that, there was a disagreement between his families’ workers. On this particular evening, the field hand was intoxicated, entered into a quarrel with the houses domestic, and attacked him. My father was fearful for the workers life and he bound his hands, and feet to a wooden plank and...
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