Name: Laoise Ni Chuinneagain
Student number: 15523033
Plato’s philosophy is an attept to justify Socrates’ belief on the objectivity of moral virtues
Introduction
Socrates and Plato are considered by many two of the greatest philosophers the world has ever known. They took a different approach to the Metaphysical Philosophers of their time. The metaphysical philosophers such as Thales and Anaximenes tried to find an explanation other than mythical reasons for how the world came to be the way it is today. These philosophers looked at the universe in order to find their answers. Socrates, on the other hand turned philosophical thought towards the human person, one of his main ideas being morality and virtuous living. This is …show more content…
He didn’t document any of his philosophical work so we can only know of his philosophy through the writings of others about him such as Xenophon and Plato. He worked through dialogue and would strike a conversation with other philosophers asking them careful questions as though he did not know the answer. When these other philosophers would answer he would then show them through their own answers how much they did not know and make them doubt their own judgements. When studying Socrates many look at Plato’s writings for information because Plato has the most documentation on Socrates and he appears in nearly all of Plato’s dialogues. Plato also was a student of Socrates and learned much from him. He was not the only one who aspired to be like Socrates. As Nehmans (1999, 99) said, partial from the epicureans, every ancient philosophical school would view Socrates as the founder or certainly somebody to be inspired …show more content…
He later returned and desired to continue the teachings of Socrates and further his philosophical thought. Plato, like Socrates, believed in the importance of caring for one’s soul. Both Plato and Socrates saw the soul as superior to the external body. The body and the soul were deeply divided. Plato’s belief on the soul was that it did not die. The body was capable of death however the soul would simply pass on to a new body. We also see Plato’s theory of forms goes hand-in-hand with Socrates’ objective on moral virtues and wisdom. The allegory of the cave tells us of cavemen who were tied up and all they could look at was a tall wall. There was a tall pillar with objects on it behind them and a bright shining fire to direct the light onto this wall. The men see these objects as the shadows that appear on the wall and believe these images to be the real form of whatever may be on the pillar behind them. This is the story that Plato used to explain his theory of Forms and Ideas. It shows how we interpret things through our senses; however, they express their essential essences which are the forms. When one of the cavemen escapes and comes to realise that his previous views were incorrect, he returns to his friends and offers to untie them. They respond with an argumentative tone that they will kill him if he unties them. This story shows how people are comfortable in their beliefs and many do not want to
Student number: 15523033
Plato’s philosophy is an attept to justify Socrates’ belief on the objectivity of moral virtues
Introduction
Socrates and Plato are considered by many two of the greatest philosophers the world has ever known. They took a different approach to the Metaphysical Philosophers of their time. The metaphysical philosophers such as Thales and Anaximenes tried to find an explanation other than mythical reasons for how the world came to be the way it is today. These philosophers looked at the universe in order to find their answers. Socrates, on the other hand turned philosophical thought towards the human person, one of his main ideas being morality and virtuous living. This is …show more content…
He didn’t document any of his philosophical work so we can only know of his philosophy through the writings of others about him such as Xenophon and Plato. He worked through dialogue and would strike a conversation with other philosophers asking them careful questions as though he did not know the answer. When these other philosophers would answer he would then show them through their own answers how much they did not know and make them doubt their own judgements. When studying Socrates many look at Plato’s writings for information because Plato has the most documentation on Socrates and he appears in nearly all of Plato’s dialogues. Plato also was a student of Socrates and learned much from him. He was not the only one who aspired to be like Socrates. As Nehmans (1999, 99) said, partial from the epicureans, every ancient philosophical school would view Socrates as the founder or certainly somebody to be inspired …show more content…
He later returned and desired to continue the teachings of Socrates and further his philosophical thought. Plato, like Socrates, believed in the importance of caring for one’s soul. Both Plato and Socrates saw the soul as superior to the external body. The body and the soul were deeply divided. Plato’s belief on the soul was that it did not die. The body was capable of death however the soul would simply pass on to a new body. We also see Plato’s theory of forms goes hand-in-hand with Socrates’ objective on moral virtues and wisdom. The allegory of the cave tells us of cavemen who were tied up and all they could look at was a tall wall. There was a tall pillar with objects on it behind them and a bright shining fire to direct the light onto this wall. The men see these objects as the shadows that appear on the wall and believe these images to be the real form of whatever may be on the pillar behind them. This is the story that Plato used to explain his theory of Forms and Ideas. It shows how we interpret things through our senses; however, they express their essential essences which are the forms. When one of the cavemen escapes and comes to realise that his previous views were incorrect, he returns to his friends and offers to untie them. They respond with an argumentative tone that they will kill him if he unties them. This story shows how people are comfortable in their beliefs and many do not want to