Little Johnny runs up to his parents going a hundred miles an hour. He rambles off a variety of questions as his curiosity of the world overcomes him. He wants to know how things work and why they function that way. In a way, little Johnny could be compared to Plato. However, Plato goes beyond the superficial questions into deep, philosophical thinking. Plato craves wisdom, and his questions of humanity are never ending. Beauty, justice, true philosophy, belief, truth, form of good, and so many more are some of the virtues that he writes about. Plato spends a fair amount of his writing developing the masses opinion on the virtues, and how they contradict what his worldview is. He writes in Symposium, The Republic, Apology, and Phaedo of questions …show more content…
Plato takes the virtue of true beauty and displays what this virtue is like for a philosopher. He claims that when one knows true beauty, they will learn beautiful things and become beautiful themselves (Symposium 211b-211c). Through the evaluation of justice, it is easy to see Plato’s doubts about the gods. He displays his feeling when he writes about how the gods will not punish the just or unjust, but the just actions will lose the benefit of the unjust actions (Republic 365d-365e). It is plain to see that Plato doesn’t understand the logic behind this belief, shaping his worldview. Plato really emphasizes the greatness of philosophers in “Book VI” as he describes why they are the most ideal choice as a ruler. He writes that “when someone’s appetites are strongly inclined in one direction, we surely know that they become more weakly inclined in the others” (Republic 485d). This statement says that since philosophers are focused on wisdom, they care less about materialistic interests. Plato encourages a philosophic leader and rejects the idea of democracy. Plato and many other philosophers view democratic freedom as a chaotic mess. He describes a man that lives with this mentality and says that “there is neither order nor necessity in his life, yet he calls it pleasant, pleasant, free, and blessedly happy, and follows it throughout his entire life” (Republic 561d). Plato finds that philosophers are superior because of their knowledge of the form of good. He writes in Republic “the masses believe pleasure to be the good, while the more refined believe it to be knowledge” (505b). This is another example where Plato displays the importance of knowledge to the philosophers. However, knowledge frightens the masses. Plato tells the story about prisoners to explain the interaction made between the masses and philosophers. He explains how
Throughout the last five weeks, I have read three of Plato’s dialogues: the cave allegory, Euthyphro, and the Apology. While reading them, I was able to see Plato’s view of a philosophical life. To live philosophically is to question appearances and look at an issue/object from a new perspective. In this essay, I will explain Plato’s cave allegory, Socrates’ discussion with Euthyphro, and the oracle story in the Apology.
Socrates was one of the greatest philosophers and teachers of this time, however, he wasn’t known to record his teachings hence why Plato is the one writing this conversation. This was also a period of great revelation; multitudes of scientific and philosophical ideas were being spread throughout Greece and Rome and so it makes sense why Plato would write an allegory about changing beliefs. He is saying we should not be set in our ways if ideas are constantly shifting and we should try to come closer to the truth even if it is not a conventional or comfortable
In a quick summarization, it is that what we see is what we become. By using symbolism, he uses a relatable tone of voice to appeal to us on an emotional level. Plato begins to question our self identity with how our self-interest, emotions and mindset is tainted by the everyday, displaying biased advertisements and slim forms of truth, eventually leading for us to become narrow minded with
Socrates in the dialogue Alcibiades written by Plato provides an argument as to why the self is the soul rather than the body. In this dialogue Alcibiades and Socrates get into a discussion on how to cultivate the self which they both mutually agree is the soul, and how to make the soul better by properly taking care of it. One way Socrates describes the relationship between the soul and the body is by analogy of user and instrument, the former being the entity which has the power to affect the latter. In this paper I will explain Socrates’ arguments on why the self is the soul and I will comment on what it means to cultivate it.
Plato’s and Peter Weir’s main concept is that people see reality as the visible world when reality is more than just the visible world. In both stories, they only knew what they were being tricked into believing. They would throw hardships at them whenever they were about to find out the truth. For Plato, education is a turning around of the soul (Plato, 248). As the master creator Chrystoff says, "We accept the reality of world with which we are presented" (Niccol 1998).
In which Socrates thinks that “nothing is so great an evil for a human being as false opinion” (458b). Thus, only morality can ensure long-term success within both entities and true justice can be restored by those with experienced insight which ultimately implores individuals to lead morally rather than manipulate with rhetoric. This calls for education since with proper instruction moral leadership would be encouraged over deceptive practices. In essence, Plato suggests that it’s essential to re-establish democracy based on morality because rhetoric is antithetical to true justice. Rhetoric can be seen as an alluring yet powerful tool for those who wish to deceive for their own benefit.
Virtue is defined in many ways. Some say that it comes from the Latin word ‘virtus’, meaning virtue or courage, which comes from the other Latin word ‘vir’, which means man, meaning that virtue is the qualities of a man, such as courage. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines virtue as, “conformity to a standard of right [and/or] a particular moral excellence” (Merriam-Webster 899). With all these definitions floating around, it is hard to determine what virtues really is and what it really means to have virtue. In Plato’s Meno, Socrates and Meno discuss the definition of virtue and whether it can be taught.
Plato came up with three different working groups the guardians, the military , and the auxiliary class who were the people that supported the city such as builders and farmers. A guardian 's job was to guide the city because they are people that have been chosen to lead that are highly trained in moral education throughout their entire life 's to only then dedicate it to the people of the city. The guardians are to serve the people and never have any private property. Plato realizes that the material world is a cause of our greed. The aspect of wanting more and more for ourselves will cause greed and injustice in the society and therefore produce an unjust city.
In the beginning of book VI, Socrates makes a point by saying that philosophers have always been able to see things as they are versus people who see things as they vary and so he asks, who should rule? (484b) Socrates then launches into how philosophers are the ones who love the truth and want nothing and will not stand for anything, but the truth. (485c) It is because of that they should rule and so Socrates is asking for a philosopher-king who will seek nothing but the truth through knowledge and wisdom. This is the most important and boldest claim Plato makes in the defense of philosophy.
In accordance with the previous statements, Plato unites the ideas of justice and equality by not accepting the societal norms of this time period. Equally important, Plato’s introduction of these forward-thinking ideas may have been the planting of a seed, in the sense that he induced thoughts about equality in his community. In understanding that there is not a correlation between one’s gender and one’s nature, equality is easier to attain in the just
Plato says the prisoners that are chained up could not fathom the new truths; they are
Plato was a well-respected, intelligent philosopher and a student of Socrates. He understood the risks it took to try and educate the public on new ideas because he had witnessed firsthand the trials of Socrates. In book 7 of “The Republic,” Plato writes an allegory about a cave with 3 prisoners. This allegory could be interrupted in many ways, but I believe he introduces the passage as an analogy explaining what it’s like to be a philosopher who’s trying to educate people. Most people in the world are not only comfortable in their ignorance but are aggressive to anyone who points it out, and that’s exactly what happened to Plato’s teacher.
In The Republic, Plato writes about his thoughts on good, justice, and how we can achieve it. He starts off by stating that for human happiness and to live the best life philosopher-kings are needed. Not everyone can become a philosopher; certain people simply are non-philosophers also called lovers of sights and sounds. Plato makes the distinction between lovers of wisdom(philosophers) and lovers of sights and sounds clear using beauty as an example. Non-philosophers see ''fine tones and colours and forms and all the artificial products that are made out of them''(476b) but are unable to see or to understand absolute beauty.
Democracy- the best form of governance; is evidently disputed in modern day politics. The disagreement has been carried on for centuries, as seen in Plato 's Republic and Pericles Speeches. According to The Republic, democracy cannot be implemented as the common man lacks the in-depth knowledge of vital spheres of bureaucracy such as economics, military stratagem, international conditions, and the niceties of law. However, this form of governance is viewed in a much more favorable light by Pericles in Thucydides ' History of the Peloponnesian Wars. He believes democracy is all beneficial to every sector of society and should be run for the general well-being, serving the ultimate goal of equality in justice.
The ultimate goal of human life for Plato is to know and understand the truth or the “eidos” of the “good”. The only way for us to see this truth is through our minds. The truth is not accessible in the physical world but in the intellectual realm. For us to be happy or for use to know the truth is only when we are beyond our physical sense it is a totally different level. So according to Plato, “knowledge” and “virtue” are corollary meaning that as long as one exists the other will follow.