Plato Plato and Aristotle, 4th century philosophers, hold polar views on politics and philosophy in general. This fact is very cleverly illustrated by Raphael's "School of Athens" , in which Plato is portrayed looking up to the higher forms; as Aristotle points down emphasizing his leanings toward the 'second philosophy' of the natural sciences. In a discussion of politics, the stand po

Plato - Philosopher King Much of Plato’s reasoning for philosopher-rulers centres around his belief that society should be rational and just. It would be important to note that ‘justice’ as referred to by Plato in his work and by other philosophers at the time, does not directly compare with the modern meaning. ‘Justice’ as it was then, was more what today we would call ‘righteousness’ o

Plato : The Republic A Just Life is a Life to be Lived In a word, what is justice' Can anyone define it' Should man strive to be just, and is it in his best interest if he does so' Socrates and other philosophers argue about justice in the book, Plato’s The Republic. This book is an examination of the “good life”; the harmony reached by applying pure reason and justice. The ide

Plato Apology 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 phi

Plato Ethics Introduction to Ethics Plato’s Gorgias Analysis of Socrates Argument with Polus Socrates Main Thesis: If something is wanted (P) for oneself then one must think that it (P) would be good for oneself. So, wanting something [P] (for oneself) requires one to think that [P] will be good (for oneself). Thus, it is a necessary condition for wanting something [P] for ones

Plato Quote “In the higher world form of good appears last of all, and is seen only with effort.” -Plato I think that this summarizes a part of life that at least I couldn’t summarize in only one sentence. What Plato is describing is how if you work hard, put in lots of effort, you will see results. Goodness only comes when a person wants to see it, and doesn’t take advantage of

Plato, Understanding His Forms. As a young man Plato had political ambitions, but he became disillusioned by the political leadership in Athens. He eventually became a disciple of Socrates, accepting his basic philosophy and dialectical style of debate, which was the pursuit of truth through questions, answers, and additional questions. The foundation of Plato’s philosophical perspectiv

Platos Theory Of Knowledge The theory of knowledge that Plato claims to demonstrate in the slave boy scene of The Meno is that we do not learn, but rather that learning is just a process of recollection, of remembering what we have forgotten. He says that we learned everything in an earlier life, before we became people. So, we already have all of our knowledge. He demonstrates this th

Potential Vs. The Actual Potential vs. the Actual Potentiality and actuality is where Aristotle starts to get to the bottom of his discussion about metaphysics ( it should be understood that physics is the study of motion and meta means beyond or above). This is the part where the study of change is put into action and the beginning of “first philosophy” is close to being reached. So, a

Psychology Social Behavior Have you ever walked down a road, stopped, and looked at the world around you. What types of environment that you are in, the type of people that is around you' You are able to tell a person’s self esteem by just looking at them. How they carry themselves, how they talk, and maybe how they dress! Sit back and look at yourself, how are you dressed, how do yo

Relatavism Vs Universalism Relativism vs. Universalism There are many disputes in the world that date back from creation until today between relativism and universalism. Webster's College Dictionary defines relativism as, "a theory that knowledge is relative to the limited nature of the mind and the conditions of knowing and also as a view that ethical truths depend on the individual

Reality Vs. Illusion "In a sense, no doubt, the separation of the "true" from the "false," the "real" from the "illusory," has been the task of thought at all times." (Willey 22). We are helped in this task to form a definition of reality by the philosophers Plato and Heracleitus, who each have contradicting views on the subject. Their views revolve around the realness of ideas and forms

Red Or Blue' You Decide Would I take the red pill or the blue pill' One of my pet peeves is not knowing the truth. I would definitely take the red pill. Even if it were painful or traumatizing I would still want the truth. When I first saw the Matrix in a movie theater I started questioning everything. It made me doubt a lot of things about my life. That is why I took philosophy cla

Relating To The “I And Thou” Relating to the “I and Thou” In the book entitled “I and Thou” written by Martin Buber translated by Walter Kaufmann he is explaining the importance of “I and Thou” as everyone being obsessed with what they can have or obtain instead of what they can become spiritually. Buber believes that if you see yourself in everything than you can be one with yourself.

Relationships Relationships If you had told me one year ago when my life was perfect that I would be divorced, become a single mother and have to start dating again, I would’ve re-thought the whole thing. Even if I saw it coming, I found myself unprepared for the sudden impact of my divorce. Getting a divorce can feel a lot like having a giant wrecking ball slammed into my life.

Rene Descartes: The Man Of Meditation Running head: René Descartes: The Man of Meditation A Brief History and Interview of René Descartes: The Man of Meditation Danielle Ennis René Descartes René Descartes, philosopher, mathematician, and scientist. His philosophy is called Cartesianism (from Cartesius, Latin form of his name). Often called the father of modern philosophy, he

Romanticism In Art And Fiction Emerging from the late eighteenth century was an intellectually developed period that was fueled by writers and artists with characteristic attitudes. This period is known as the period of Romanticism, which derived from “The Romaunt,” a mid-evil chivalric tale that was both improbable and fanciful. From a “deepened appreciation of nature” to a “turning upo

Alice in Wonderland Alice in Wonderland Alice in Wonderland is a famous book that asks what is real and what is not. What is reality. To look past the words used, and understand there meaning. A very psychedelic story about a child who falls asleep while reading a book and has many strange encounters with different animals and substances. When she consumes the substances such as

Schizophrenia And Bipolar Disorder Mental disorders are beginning to represent the number one health problem for the United States and probably for the entire human population. Psychotic thought and mood disorders such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder continue to plague our very existence. These two disorders alone seem to be the most complex and life disturbing illnesses of

Sartre Sartre on Freedom In this paper I will attempt to describe the existential phenomenology of Jean-Paul Sartre and portray it into real life while analyzing its applications. I will first explain what existentialism is according to Sartre. The term itself depends on concrete individual existence, subjectivity, individual freedom, and choice. People are conscious subjects that c

Sartres Hell “Existence precedes essence”. These words describe a philosophy called existentialism. This term comes from a French philosopher called Jean Paul Sartre. Existentialism has been described as a philosophical movement especially of the 20th century. A true existentialist will create their own beliefs, take responsibility for his or her own actions, and is very honest. If they

Sigmund Freud  Freudian psychology is a much debated topic that encompasses many different elements. Some believe it was Freud’s unhappy childhood that led him to his conclusions on how we view life while others believe he was simply a genius, seeing the world in ways most of us can’t. Let’s examine Freud’s life as well as his most famous theory, psychoanalysis. Freud believes our

Science Or Religion The Universe: Religion and Science' By: The beginning of the universe is a complex and confusing concept, with many views and hypotheses offered to decipher the multifaceted history of our universe. Yet the two overwhelming ideas that have been presented to explain how the universe began, or the beginning of time as we know it, are science and religion. No

Science Vs Religion Since the dawn of man, humans have striven to explain the many mysteries of the universe, and to justify our existence in it. Throughout this journey of self-understanding, numerous standpoints on human existence have evolved and merged into a complex, abstract manifestation called religion. However, as the human race has grown and advanced itself, many ideas expres

Slaying The Minotaur On Slaying the Minotaur Plato’s “Phaedo” discusses many human difficulties and attempts to discover ways to overcome such difficulties. The most important deficiency is the human condition the “Phaedo” deals with concerns death and the continuation of the spirit into an afterlife. The plot centers around Socrates and two of his fourteen students who are present

Allegory of Cave Compare the divided line and the parable of the cave The parable of the cave is a story where men are held prisoner is a cave. These men could not move because they were chained underground and all they could see are shadow of things from the fire that was burning. These men only saw shadows of things because of the fire and walkway. The light was projecting objects an

Allegory of the Cave “Allegory of the Cave” The prison dwelling and the visible realm are compared to one another in the first sentence of the text. The realm is dark, with the exception of a small, well-kept fire. This burning fire is almost a representation of the burning sun that shines in the outer world. This sun is interpreted as the “idea of the good.” The fire inside t

Allegory of the Cave What the Allegory Implies for People Living in a World of Senses The Allegory of the Cave implies that if we rely on our perceptions to know the truth about existence then we will know very little about it. The sense are unreliable and their perceptions imperfect because perceptions are only how we as individuals view things and not how they truly are. People are

Sentimentalism And Art Sentimental art refers to a large range of emotions that relate to sentimentality. Sentimentality is a concept that is associated with tender, comforting emotions and gentle feelings such as pity, affection, fondness caring and compassion. The type of art that has this characteristic provokes a response while making symbolic references to a cultural standard; this

Socrates Upon reading Plato, The Trial and Death of Socrates, Socrates strongly held views on the relationship between morality and laws become apparent to the reader. Equally, Socrates makes clear why laws should be followed and why disobedience to the law is rarely justified. Finally, he makes clear his views regarding civil disobedience. Socrates’ view on morality is