ipl-logo

Comparison Of Plato And Platonism

1166 Words5 Pages

Introduction:
More than 24 hundred years ago Plato though people that every human being is seeking to reach for a higher, purer and a more spiritual truth that will illuminate lives and essentially transform the entire world. The researcher will examinat and analyse Plato and Platonism and how it still is relevant to the twenty first century.

Findings
Platon grew up in an aristocratic environment in Athens that was ruled by the thirty tyrants at this time. Unlike previous philosophers, all scriptures of Plato are preserved. This has also been a contributing factor to Platon's advanced position in philosophy history.

The unusual about these writings is that they are written as dialogues, where philosophical questions are discussed between two or more combatants. The books are written in …show more content…

Although his idol (some indicate that in his last years, Plato partially rejected this), his political visions or his cosmological theories have not gained any significant practical impact, his philosophical legacy has gained immense influence.

Analysis
One of Plato’s biggest legacy and the gift he left for the world is the idea of democracy and the way to rule a government. Plato did not want to be identified as being for democracy. His faith in the Athenian democracy disappeared when his teacher Socrates was sentenced to death. Plato believes that in a democratic city state there is no responsibility or obligation. Slaves should have the same freedom as their owners, men and women are should be equal. Freedom is abound. There is freedom of expression and the freedom to do what you want.

The fundamental error of democracy, according to Plato, is that it ignores people's differences. It makes no demands, and ignores the need for education. Democracy creates bad people. Platon considered it more important that the people who govern a city state have knowledge and education than that of the city state being

Show More
Related

  • 's Cave Allegory, Euthyphro, And The Apology

    1170 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Democracy In Ancient Athens

    527 Words  | 3 Pages

    Only the men truly had a say, and ran ancient Athens. Some people believe they were more democratic than us today, but I think they were never a true democratic government. In ancient Athens they were ruled by few, by only the men. “It is true that we are called a democracy, because the government is ruled by many, not by the few.”

    Read More

  • Social Class In America Dbq Analysis

    375 Words  | 2 Pages

    A democracy is a form of government that is ruled by the people and controlled by the people. For example, here in the United states which is a democracy, everyone is allowed to vote and have land. Also, everyone is allowed to practice a religion of their choice. Athens was truly democratic because everyone had the equal justice, people were voted into office, and one’s social class did not determine what a person could become.

    Read More

  • John Locke's Concept Of Justice

    1751 Words  | 8 Pages

    Justice is one of the most important moral and political concepts. The word comes from the Latin word jus, meaning right or law. According to Kelsen (2000), Justice is primarily a possible, but not a necessary, quality of a social order regulating the mutual relations of men As a result of its importance, prominent and knowledgeable people have shared their views on justice and what it means and how the state is involved in its administration. The likes of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Thomas Hobbes and John Locke among others have written extensively on the concept of justice.

    Read More

  • What Is The Difference Between Democracy, Oligarchy And Democracy

    967 Words  | 4 Pages

    As far as democracy is concerned, critics of democracy, such as Thucydides and Aristophanes, both are pinpointing on that the demos in which that they thought that it could be too easily swayed by a good orator or popular leaders the firebrand and get carried away with their emotions. Democracy Democracy in Athens the government officials are chosen by sweepstakes and worked for 1 year for proposing and enforcing decrees but didn’t have much individual power. Democracy in Athenian government the way that the citizens pass a vote is getting done, in elected by the assembly annually for making decisions about military matters and by showing hands.

    Read More

  • Plato's Republic: Just Or Unjust?

    832 Words  | 4 Pages

    I believe that Plato believes that people are inherently good and they will do what is morally right and just for society. They will earn their right to power and ensure fairness for all to prevent the tyrants from trying to take control. Plato mentions three main arguments regarding

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of Ancient Athenian Democracy

    298 Words  | 2 Pages

    Democracy, a form of government, allows the people in their own nationality to vote for people in order for them to become representatives as a result to vote on new laws that would affect their own nationality. One of the many states of Greece, ancient Athens was indeed not truly democratic as a result of not inclusive, other than male citizens, to gain authority in ancient Athens, ¨Demokratia was ruled by male citizens only, excluding women, free foreigners(Metics) and slaves.¨(Document D), therefore ruling Athens was only accessible to male citizen since since women, free foreigners(Metics), and slaves were not allowed to rule as a result of not being male citizens. One of the many states of Greece, ancient Athens, was indeed not truly democratic as a result of not even using the essentials of democracy that is used today, “Thus, by our standards, it was oligarchy, not democracy.¨(Document D), therefore ancient Athens was not using democracy as their form of government, they were using oligarchy,another form of government in which a small group of people has power and control, as their form of government instead of democracy.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Arete In Ancient Greece

    1134 Words  | 5 Pages

    While some, like Plato in his The Republic, thought it weak to give government into the hands of the common people, Pericles countered this argument with a compelling argument of greatness. By putting government into the hands of the people, the people are united and more devoted to their country. Democracy bonds the people together in a way that no other government can understand. Pericles confidently states, “Athenians advance unsupported into the territory of a neighbor, and fighting upon a foreign soil usually vanquish with ease men who are defending their homes.”

    Read More

  • Objective Truth In Plato's Allegory Of The Cave

    817 Words  | 4 Pages

    South African Journal of Philosophy, vol. 28, no. 4, Nov. 2009, pp. 415-432. EBSCOhost, dcccd.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=48656660&site=ehost-live. 3. Plato.

    Read More

  • What Is Plato's Unjust Soul

    1385 Words  | 6 Pages

    Failure during the Peloponnesian War caused Greeks to question democracy and traditional Greek values. Plato disagreed with the way the state was run, especially after Athens’ loss at war. He discusses the meaning of justice and outlines how the ideal state should be governed in The Republic. He believes that the ideal state should be governed by a class of guardian rulers, who were trained as philosopher-kings. These rulers are the only members of society who could understand the Form of the Good and would be able to rule justly and logically.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Plato's Allegory Of The Cave

    836 Words  | 4 Pages

    During the 399 B.C., Socrates for rejecting the Greek gods and for putting wrong moral ideas in his student 's minds was sentenced to death. But Socrates’ goal wasn 't that, his goal was to encourage his disciples to find any reason by themselves for what is true and real. After Socrates’ death, Plato, who was one of his best students, opened the Academy- school that continued Socrates 's ideas. In this School, Plato wrote The Republic, where he states that each individual’s perspective of reality is changing, and can change more every time. People get more knowledge about the world and their surroundings.

    Read More

  • Strengths Of Democracy In Canada

    1065 Words  | 5 Pages

    This can project the people from anything they would disagree to occur. Democracy is based on the rule of equality which means that all the people are equal as far as the law is concerned. Every person has the right to enjoy and experience social, political and economic rights and state is not allowed to discriminate him on the standard of gender, class, property or religion.

    Read More

  • Plato's Point Of View Of Socrates Research Paper

    767 Words  | 4 Pages

    The existence and continual study of Socrates’ philosophy regardless of differing accounts is astonishing in itself since it survived not through the specific philosopher, but through other people. Which is a testament of the impact that a man, such as Socrates, can make. When we think of Plato, who is regarded as a father of western philosophy, we are quick to think of his major work The Republic, his student Aristotle, and his writing on Socrates. (We think of his writings on Socrates as mere footnotes in philosophical thought without examining them.) “Nothing comes from nothing,” Parmenides proudly claimed, and this philosophical doctrine applies to Plato’s thought.

    Read More

  • The Three Characteristics Of A Just State In Plato's Republic

    1114 Words  | 5 Pages

    Plato’s republic aims to describe a just state, and in turn a just individual consistently throughout the text. By analogising the justice of the state and the justice of the individual, Plato attempts to demonstrate that a just society will breed just individuals. However, there are certain loop holes within his thought process that can lead one to wonder whether or not his ideas are pragmatic, and could function within a real societal structure- and if human beings given their inherently selfish nature, can adopt the traits necessary in order to achieve justice and the ideal state described in the Republic. Plato described the human soul as a “tripartite soul” where three main qualities seen in the human being, will also be reflected in the three classes of the ideal state. Reason is the highest of the three main qualities, and it forms the class of rulers and guardians.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Plato And Socrates

    984 Words  | 4 Pages

    “Plato’s philosophy is an attempt to justify Socrates’ belief in the objectivity of moral virtues.” As one of Socrates’ most loyal disciples, Plato’s own philosophy was heavily influenced by Socrates’ own thoughts and teachings. Much of Plato’s philosophy is a direct extension of some of the questions Socrates posed, i.e., Socrates asked what justice is, and Plato explored this question in his own writings. It is Socrates’ code of ethics, however, that most closely corresponds with Plato’s ethics.

    Read More

More about Comparison Of Plato And Platonism

Open Document