Moral Reasoning By Louis Groarke: Chapter Analysis

Louis Groarke in his book, Moral Reasoning: Rediscovering the Ethical Tradition, has a chapter based solely on Socrates and his student Plato called Socrates and Plato. Chapter four: Socrates and Plato are based really based on Plato’s work. Socrates, similar to Jesus, never wrote or documented anything as far as we currently know, and so we rely mostly on Plato’s text to determine who Socrates was. The titled of the chapter is Socrates and Plato, though all we really understand is who Plato was, how he recorded who Socrates was to him and what knowledge Plato interpreted from what Socrates taught him; Socrates teaching could have a completely different meaning. Plato is the closes link to understanding the philosopher side of Socrates rather …show more content…
Groarke mentions to main topics throughout Chapter Four which was Socrates teachings and Plato’s teachings. The purpose was to determine who Socrates was, What Socrates did, Who Plato was, and What Plato did. Socrates was simply a man who was searching for the truth though he was laughed upon for it. Socrates also was the son of Phaenarete who was a midwife, and so Socrates became a midwife for the birth of ideas. There is the amusing thought that such a famous philosopher and wise man married Xanthippe who was remembered for having a temperament that could rival Hera the wife of Zeus the thunder god. Socrates was not exactly a rebel, he simply sought to draw out the finest mortality. Socrates was a man who would not do anything unjust at his trail, not even if it meant that it would save his life because of his morals and how he saw morality. Morality was not something Socrates could go against, it was something he stood for. Socrates philosophy around morality through Plato was one should learn to be good. All that has been said about Socrates and who he was is through Plato, and so though it does provide an example of who Socrates was does not mean that it is truly Socrates, it is who Plato saw as Socrates. Socrates accomplished many things through the eyes of Plato, one of which was always …show more content…
To summarize the chapter will include two parts which is Socrates teachings and Plato’s teaching. Socrates is known as the Father of Philosophy and believed in the truth and philosophy. Philosophy was the admiration of knowledge and for Socrates in was a blessed journey, not a mere past time. It is said he believed in re-creation of an everlasting spirit which contained many if not all wisdom. He was aggravated with the Sophists and their way of teaching logic as a method of accomplishing self-centered ends. Socrates simply wanted the truth to all his questions, truth was something that he had faith in, cherished, and sought after. Socrates was a simple street rat with a temperamental wife and children he was a good father before he let philosophy take over his life later in the years to come, though because he sacrificed his life to understand philosophy better, he gave the world so much more than he could have gave his family and that was knowledge and answers. Plato talked about many ideas such as Metaphysics, Realism, Rationalism, Philosophy of Religion, Epistemology, Pantheism, Atheism, Dualism, Political Philosophy, and Ethics. Plato also went on to opening an academy and was succeeded by his nephew Speusippus since Aristotle’s view were to different from Plato’s. Plato was many things though he even dabbled in the thought of a creature that does not