Western philosophy began in the 6th century BCE in ancient Greece. These first philosophers that we know of are called “Pre-Socratics”, meaning they came before Socrates. Socrates’ philosophical prowess, however, brought forth a time that freedom of self-consciousness was first challenged. In my opinion, Socrates was the first philosopher to distinguish the value of philosophy even though they were just mere thoughts of men. In Bertrand Russell’s “The Value of Philosophy”, he addresses the very nature of philosophy itself. He feels that philosophy should be studied not to answer questions definitively, but to simply ask the questions, his assertion that philosophy is different from sciences, and how his philosophical theories compare to Socrates
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Socrates does not profess his beliefs in God, but believes there is a god(s). Socrates felt god’s had contradicting opinions and spent much of their day quarreling over their differences. Each god carried their own belief and no god was correct because there could never be a unified agreement between them. Therefore, Socrates’ believed in god’s but believed more in knowledge and asking the questions: How, Why, How do you know? However, this can seem a bit contradictive due to his references of the Greek gods when asking questions of his peers in “The Trial and Death of Socrates”. For example, Socrates states, “And now, Meletus, I will ask you another question by Zeus I will:”, he even swears by Zeus after asking his question. Just as Bertrand Russell, Socrates theories were ethics driven. Russell considered himself agnostic, some labeled him atheists, but he believed in ethics. He felt that Christianity lead to wars, oppression, and fear in human beings. In one of his essays, “Free Thought and Official Propaganda”, he writes; “I am myself a dissenter from all known religions, and I hope that every kind of religious belief will die out. I do not believe that, on the balance, religious belief has been a force for good.” His views aligned heavily with science just as Plato’s views. Plato believed the universe was created by god’s made in their …show more content…
This practical man fails to realize the need to feed the mind as well. The practical man, “goes through life imprisoned in the prejudices derived from common sense.” These men are similar to Plato’s cave dwellers in that they stay hidden within the boundaries of their environment and never concern themselves with anything outside of what they already know and believe. They are afraid to venture out into the world mentally and physically. If given this opportunity to venture out it would be difficulty to convince others when they return of what they’ve experienced about the outside world. All three men theorize philosophy IS the love of wisdom and true wisdom
Socrates does not profess his beliefs in God, but believes there is a god(s). Socrates felt god’s had contradicting opinions and spent much of their day quarreling over their differences. Each god carried their own belief and no god was correct because there could never be a unified agreement between them. Therefore, Socrates’ believed in god’s but believed more in knowledge and asking the questions: How, Why, How do you know? However, this can seem a bit contradictive due to his references of the Greek gods when asking questions of his peers in “The Trial and Death of Socrates”. For example, Socrates states, “And now, Meletus, I will ask you another question by Zeus I will:”, he even swears by Zeus after asking his question. Just as Bertrand Russell, Socrates theories were ethics driven. Russell considered himself agnostic, some labeled him atheists, but he believed in ethics. He felt that Christianity lead to wars, oppression, and fear in human beings. In one of his essays, “Free Thought and Official Propaganda”, he writes; “I am myself a dissenter from all known religions, and I hope that every kind of religious belief will die out. I do not believe that, on the balance, religious belief has been a force for good.” His views aligned heavily with science just as Plato’s views. Plato believed the universe was created by god’s made in their …show more content…
This practical man fails to realize the need to feed the mind as well. The practical man, “goes through life imprisoned in the prejudices derived from common sense.” These men are similar to Plato’s cave dwellers in that they stay hidden within the boundaries of their environment and never concern themselves with anything outside of what they already know and believe. They are afraid to venture out into the world mentally and physically. If given this opportunity to venture out it would be difficulty to convince others when they return of what they’ve experienced about the outside world. All three men theorize philosophy IS the love of wisdom and true wisdom