Xenophon

The treatment of women in ancient Greece varied wildly from state to state. Two particular cities stand out as stark opposites: Athens and Sparta. When considering the two, many consider Sparta to have been far more progressive in terms of women’s rights, at least for that day and age. Compare: in Sparta women were encouraged to eat well, and train their bodies, that they might be at their peak physical form, while in Athens women were fed what the men did not eat, and were rarely allowed to…

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…

Assuming, as the draw of Socrates, Xenophon, Plato himself in other works, and indeed the whole ancient tradition - it was mild and courteous people, sometimes maybe more by the foolishness, always ironic and sarcastic, but always good-natured and modestly. It is quite another we see in Plato's…

Lao tzu was a native of Ch’u which is a Honan Province. He lived in the fourth century B.C. although it is debated depending of dates of his and Confucius’ writings. He was nearly twenty years older than Confucius, who supposedly visited him once to discuss philosophy with him even though their teachings were a bit contrary. Lao tzu is known to have written the Tao Te Ching, what is seen as a sort of bible of Taoism. The book consists of slightly more than 5000 Chinese characters, and it is…

The organization of a society is often the deciding factor of its success or failure. While hierarchy allows societies to be more structured, it is not well accepted among poorer citizens. Likewise, equality is less accepted among richer citizens. Throughout history, both of these structural organizations have been demonstrated by numerous societies. Although attempts were made to establish equality within societies, hierarchy and patriarchy inevitably prevail. The 4th century saw the peak of…

My thesis is that Montaigne’s view of scepticism is not solely defined in his essay: An Apology for Raymond Sebond. I will argue that his beliefs and use of scepticism evolved over the course of writing his entire oeuvre. We can track this evolution by using a computer-assisted textual analysis of who are the philosophers he is referencing and when he is referencing them and the context of the references. We can also closely read a few additional critical essays including the closing work, Of…

In Plato’s texts education is seen as something of great importance. This is first seen in the introduction. It was thought that Plato believed “… only education in it (philosophy) could rescue humankind from civil war and political upheaval and provide a sound foundation for ethics and politics.” (1) This shows the sheer magnitude that education had to Plato. However, education was not as crucially important to the rest of the Greek society at this time. It was a luxury few could afford. Often…

Socrates is a standard Greek philosopher born in 470 BC, in Athens, Greece. He was known through the writing of his students, including Plato and Xenophon, he was also known as a classical Greek philosopher qualified as one of the founders of western philosophy. Socrates received a basic Greek education and worked as a mason for many years before he dedicated his life to philosophy.He was married Xanthippe, who gave him three children; Lamprocles, Sophroniscus and Menexenus. Anyhow, Socrates…

The culmination of Renaissance thought and culture is evident in the writings of the Italian Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527 CE). In this mini-lecture and module we will look at his life and his writings, especially in his political manual, The Prince. Machiavelli, born in Florence in 1469, was involved with Florentine politics, serving as an ambassador and secretary of the republic. He was not in favor with the Medici family, and when they returned to rule Florence in 1512, Machiavelli was…

age of 7 Spartan boys entered Agoge and lived in agelai of terms and began their training in sport. Boy are never unsupervised. The paidonomos, aided by older boys called eirens were armed with whips, constantly enforcing punishment. According to Xenophon, old men stirred up disputes and arguments to encourage fighting among the boys. From the age of 10, boys were taught patriotic and martial music and dances. Training intensified from the age of 12. Boys were fed smallest rations and were…