Plato is a man that has, in a way, been immortalized. Even though, he lived and died thousands of years ago, his thoughts and his ideas still live on today. In order to most accurately get a feel for who Plato was, there are many factors to be looked at. First, one should look at the times in which Plato lived. This includes, but is not limited to, the culture, the common thought, and any major historical happenings. Second, one should examine Plato’s specific surroundings and environment. However, most of the specific biographical information about Plato is based upon assumptions and educated guesses, none of which can be proven. Third, one should examine one of the most significant people in Plato’s life, his teacher Socrates.
There is much information to begotten from Socrates, though most of it is found indirectly in Plato’s writings, being that Socrates never wrote anything. Fourth, and most importantly, one should study all of Plato’s writings and all of Plato’s theories. This includes a great deal of information, as Plato wrote many things and had many theories. This is also harder than it may sound, because Plato had no specific writing that described his beliefs in definite terms, one can only try to deduce what Plato thought by reading his many dialogues.
Plato was born in Athens, Greece, in 427 B.C. and died in Athens, Greece, in 347 B.C. This time period was a couple hundred years after the beginning of the Olympic Games and the start of alphabetic writing, and a hundred or so years before the uprising of Alexander the Great, who would conquer the known world. The center of Western civilization during these times was Athens, a city-state and a democracy. This basically means Athens supported itself and the lands around it and had a somewhat organized government. The citizens of Athens governed the city, which is a big reason for its success. Also, Athenians were mostly intellectuals and preferred using their minds instead of their bodies. Whenever an argument came up, instead of physically fighting like many of their contemporaries would do, they discussed and debated the issue until a conclusion or agreement was found. In the same aspect, power was not given to the greatest fighter or the strongest warrior, but instead to those that could master words and provoke deeper thought.
The Term Paper on Thoughts Writing School Ideas
I am not, by any means, a Shakespeare, Stephen King, or John Grisham. It would take enormous amounts of time, practice, and effort to be considered a long shot at a Pulitzer Prize. Yet, I intend to progress my writing by setting more achievable goals, building on new ideas, and developing new skills. Also, I will use the advice of instructors and peers, and draw from previous writing experiences ...
Because of this, many began to learn polemics, or the art of argument. These skilled debaters, also known as rhetoricians, would argue almost any case and teach their skills to anyone, for a fee. These Sophists, as they were called, were the Western world’s first professors, more interested in practical subjects than with metaphysical thought. Sophists were the ones that indirectly began moral philosophy. They did this by challenging the views of the common people, which brought about strict examination of the moral standards that were present in that day. One of the most famous people falling into the category of a sophist is Socrates, who will be discussed later.
As one can see, the age in which Plato lived was one of intellect and retrospection. In addition to the age in which Plato lived, there were many more personal events that happened in Plato’s life. However, one must keep in mind most of these facts are assumptions or logical guesses, most of which can not be proven. These assumptions are temporarily going to be presented as fact, though they are not. Plato’s real name was Aristocles; he probably got the nickname “Plato”, which means broad shoulders, from his broad shoulders acquired through wrestling training. Plato was the youngest son of Ariston and Perictione, who both came from wealthy families that had lived in Athens for many generations. As a young man, Plato studied under Cratylus, who was a student of Heraclitus, the philosopher that believed the most basic substance is fire and that everything is constantly changing. Plato became friends with Socrates, due mostly to the fact that Socrates was a friend of Plato’s uncle. From the ages of about 19 to 24, Plato fought in the Peloponnesian War.
The Essay on Plato S Biography Athens Political Socrates
Plato's Life There is an ancient story (very likely a true one) that Plato was originally named Aristo cles, but acquired the nickname Plato ("broad" or "wide" in Greek) on account of his broad shoulders. Both of Plato's parents were from distinguished aristocratic families. Plato himself, because of family connections and expectations as well as personal interest, looked forward to a life of ...
Wanting to be involved in politics rather than military, Plato retired from the War in 404 B.C. The following year, there was a restoration of democracy to Athens, which gave Plato the hope of joining the politics in Athens. However, Athens’ politics weren’t as ethically sound as Plato had hoped and with the death of his teacher and friend Socrates in 399 B.C., Plato decided never to get involved with politics in Athens. After Socrates’ death, Plato traveled to Egypt, Sicily, and Italy. While in Italy, Plato learned of the works of Pythagoras, which allowed Plato to better appreciate mathematics. Upon returning to Athens, Plato rejoined the military, where he received honors of bravery and it was during this time that he began to write his dialogues. After his service, Plato founded the Academy in hopes of producing better statesman to govern the peoples of the world, and, probably, better mathematicians. Plato put much importance on mathematics, as is shown in what was written over the door of the academy: “Let no one unversed in geometry enter here.” After this point in his life, little is known or can be guessed about concerning Plato’s experiences.
One of the most significant influences in the life of Plato and the molding of Plato’s thoughts is Socrates. Most of what is known about Socrates is what is gotten out of Plato’s dialogues and by the writings of Socrates’ contemporaries, because Socrates wrote nothing himself. Socrates was an excellent debater, one of the best of his times. He argued a lot, and he did it well, which were the characteristics of a true Sophist. However, the main thing that separated him from the other Sophists is that he argued not simply for the sake of arguing, but to improve the world’s view on certain issues, to do something important. He argued over the more sacred things in life such as beauty, character, goodness, and knowledge. The most well known contribution of Socrates to the world is his method of breaking arguments down. This Socratic, or dialectic, method involves continually attacking an argument with questions that refute it until it is no longer able to be refuted, which brings about a stable conclusion.
The Essay on Plato and Aristotle: a Comparison
Comparing the political theories of any two great philosophers is a complex task. Plato and Aristotle are two such philosophers who had ideas of how to improve existing societies during their individual lifetimes. While both Plato and Aristotle were great thinkers, perhaps it is necessary first to examine the ideas of each before showing how one has laid the groundwork and developed certain themes ...
This method helps to get rid of misconceptions, which ultimately brings the person whose argument is being questioned to a better understanding of their own views on certain subjects. Socrates was a man of character. He was not prideful or egotistical, meaning he didn’t go around arguing for the sole purpose of making others feel inferior and stupid. He was a strong defender of justice, and was very willing to risk his own self to bring about justice, as was proven by his death. To sum Socrates’ character up, one could say that he was able to properly mold his actions to fully represent his beliefs, which must have been close to truth because of Socrates very analytical nature.
Plato’s beliefs and theories on the many different aspects of life are begotten from his writings. One of the most significant theories of Plato’s is the Theory of Forms. Considered by some to be just metaphysical speculation, the Theory of Forms tries to explain perception and experience in relation to what Plato calls Forms. Forms are things that do not physically exist in the world, but things that exist through physical things of the world. Plato believed everything physical in this world can be defined by the Forms that it represents. For example, a pancake could represent the forms of circularity or softness. Plato believed Forms are eternal, as they are not limited by the physical boundaries of the things they are represented in. He also believed the Forms are unchanging, unmoving, and indivisible. Another one of Plato’s famous concepts was his two-realms concept. Plato believed that there are two realms; one realm deals with our sensory perceptions, and the other deals with the absolute truth, eternity, and perfection.
This belief is derived from Plato’s writing entitled “The Cave,” which is found in his Republic dialogue. He relates the first realm, the one in which we live, to bounded people in a cave, and the second realm to the brilliance outside the cave, stating that if we could only unbind ourselves and build up the want to, we could travel to the second realm. Another one of Plato’s theories was the Theory of the Divided Line, which contrasted true knowledge with opinion or belief. He strongly believed that true knowledge is unaffected by opinion, that there is a truth that is absolute. This also brought Plato to believe that knowing is being and that people must become truth, instead of merely speculating about it. This truth, Plato believed, was only reached with love. Plato believed love brought everything together and that without love, one would be in a state of imperfection and ignorance.
The Essay on Objective Truth Scientific Theories Kuhn
Does science consist in the progressive development of objective truth? Contrast the views of Kuhn with one other writer on this topic. The philosopher and historian of science Thomas Kuhn introduced the term paradigm as a key part of what he called "normal science": In normal (that is non revolutionary) periods in a science, there is a consensus across the relevant scientific community about the ...
Plato is much deeper than what has been explained, but hopefully by reading this one can better understand the life of Plato and the beliefs of Plato. In order to more deeply understand, one would have to read all of Plato’s writings to help draw one’s own conclusions. I myself have not read all of Plato’s writings, but as far as I can understand, much of what Plato has accomplished is merely metaphysical speculation, and does not bring about any practical truth that affects the way in which I am to live. Perhaps Plato did not produce any truth beyond theorizing and speculation, but the fact that he passed on his knowledge and wisdom to the famous Aristotle most likely can be traced to have some affect on all of us, thousands of years after that time.
