Differences Of Socrates And Descartes

As we know, Socrates and Descartes are two of the most influential philosophy figures to date. However these two men lived in two very different time periods and places. Socrates, Greek in nationality, belonged to the ancient period, whereas Descartes, French in nationality, belonged to the modern period. One may conclude that because of such diversification this might have been why their views on philosophy were so different. While i do shed some light on the background of these individuals let us not mistake the essence of this essay for one of biographical intentions. Rather this piece is meant to examine the role and task of philosophy and its importance in today 's day and age of information and technology. We shall first start with …show more content…
Through their writings it is evident that Socrates was a social being and spent most of his time outdoors communicating with his fellow citizens, however it is also very clear that he prefered interacting with the youth. He saw the youth as possessing minds that could be sculpted and molded which would lead to great things, but it 's also important to mention he didn 't force his wisdom or teachings on anyone, it was only meant for those purely interested. Unfortunately ‘corrupting the youth’ would eventually be one of the charges brought against him by the Greek Courts. Through Socrates’s eyes the role of philosophy was to come to a fundamental understanding of all things true, through inquiry and discussion based on asking and answering questions in order to stimulate critical thinking and illuminate ideas. This would go on to be known as the “Socratic Method”. Socrates cared about why things worked the way they did or to put it in layman 's terms he was not concerned with the end result but rather with how to obtain the …show more content…
Fortunately for us though Descartes kept records and writings. His most famous work was easily the ‘Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting One’s Reason and of Seeking Truth in the Sciences’. In it he aims to explain his method by means of an autobiography, he basically breaks down and deconstructs everything which he knows to be true, similar to that of tearing down a house and building up a new one in its place. But before he starts tearing down he formulates four laws that will direct his inquiry. The first being, never accept anything as true unless it is evident to the fullest extent, this will avoid hasty judgment. Secondly he states, a problem should be divided into as many greater smaller parts as possible so that a simpler analysis can be conjured. Next he believes thoughts should be conducted in a manner in which they ascend from the most simplest of ideas to the most complex ones. Lastly, the fourth law states that there needs to be thoroughness to make sure nothing has been left out. In addition to the four rules, Descartes also develops a four maxim moral code to guide his behavior while he tiptoes through this period of skeptical doubt. The first states, to remain faithful and loyal to the laws and customs of his country and his religion. The next maxim states to remain firm and resolute in his actions. The Third Maxim says that he should try to