Free Essays on Socrates to Get Inspired & Learn by Example

Tragedy according to Aristotle is an imitation of a serious action, that is complete and something that has a certain magnitude. A tragedy according to him also contains language that is embellished with artistic ornaments that can be found in parts of the play and could be in the form of action, with the incidents bringing pity and fear in the reader and with the aim of accomplishing catharsis of these emotions. Tragedy according to Aristotle then must have six parts Diction, Spectacle, plot, Characters, thought and melody. Plato’s Crito is a dialogue between Socrates and Crito in Continue reading...

Philosophy Course_Number

In this paper, I will argue that the meaning of life has changed from Socrates’ definition of an examined life to one of the absolute autonomy of the will, as credited to Descartes’ in The Meditations to the existentialist notion that the self is nothing but one makes it as articulated by Simone de Beauvoir. All three thinkers represent movements in philosophy in how we as a culture have understood meaning. The history of philosophy can be understood in three ways. First, there is the Socratic way that says the truth is something we have within us. The Ancient Continue reading...

Socrates

Socrates
Socrates - one of the most famous philosophers of ancient Greece. His philosophical works have not lost relevance over the centuries. Interest in his personality and views over the time has not diminished. The teachings of Socrates made a turn in philosophy - from considering the nature of the world to considering the person. However, Socrates considered person as a moral being. Therefore, the philosophy of Socrates is ethical anthropologism. Socrates was not interested in both mythology and physics. By means of Socrates the philosophize thinking for the first-time addresses to itself, investigating own principles and receptions. Socrates Continue reading...

The Apology is a piece of literature written by Plato. Plato’s’ Apology is the interpretation and reminiscence of Socrates trial. Plato writes about life and trial of Socrates. In the apology, Socrates defends himself and his conduct, and does not apologize for his actions. The apology begins with Socrates giving an account of charges brought up against him in court. Socrates defended himself in the court and gave reasons why he followed his philosophy, but in the end, he was sentenced and executed. Among the charges leveled against Socrates that Plato writes about are teaching people not to Continue reading...

Plato’s Apology is one of the foremost works on philosophy that showcase the philosophical thought of those time periods. The background of this dialogue is the trial of Socrates wherein his detractors feel that he should be put to death for not believing in the official Gods believed in by the state and for corrupting the youth. In the particular dialogue under consideration, Socrates attempts to pacify and console his supporters and friends that death may indeed be better than expected. This paper will begin by explaining Socrates’ argument and in doing so will arrive at the conclusion Continue reading...

Philosophy

Society has a tendency to be self-satisfied especially when coupled with an unawareness of controversy. In Plato’s Apology of Socrates, Socrates refers himself as a sort of gadfly to the society. According to the dictionary, a gadfly is a fly that bites and annoys livestock. Socrates precisely uses this metaphor to contend that he is a gift and that killing him would not be an injustice to him only, but to all of society. Socrates was inappropriately ineffective in his defense; nevertheless his gadfly metaphor still stands true. For this reason, Socrates refers to himself as one that Continue reading...

In everyday life, one constantly sees instances of people who are unjust seemingly leading perfectly happy lives, while the good people who live honest lives suffer. This is a question that is constantly bothering humanity since time immemorial. In the Western civilization, the Greek Philosophers Socrates and Plato were amongst the first to examine this question. This essay will clearly argue that one should be moral since morality has benefits that immorality does not possess by examining the episode of the conversation between Socrates and Thrasymachus as well as from Plato’s Apology.
During one of their regular philosophical Continue reading...

Introduction

According to the Plato’s Symposium, one of the most outlandish aspects of his ethical philosophy is that it gives beauty and erotic love a central place. The young custodians in the Nation must cultivate a sexual desire for the beautiful in advance before their teaching in philosophy, a desire first conveyed in love for attractive souls in beautiful physiques. In the Phaedrus Socrates associates beauty to the power to rouse the soul’s sensual psychosis and by this means to release us from our tainted, bodily fact.
Even though Plato seemingly tries to explain the ethical implication of Continue reading...

Socrates believed that the meaning of human life and the supreme good is to achieve happiness. Ethics should help a person to live a life in accordance with this purpose. Happiness is a prudent and virtuous life, i.e. only a moral person can be happy (or reasonable which, in fact, is the same thing). Socrates argues that morality is not subordinated to the natural desire for happiness, but rather happiness depends on morality, or virtue, of people. Accordingly, the task of ethics is specified; to help a person become moral, hence, happy.
According to Socrates, real moral relations are Continue reading...

The greatest philosopher of all-times Socrates gracefully, as was befitting an old and the ideal city-state of Athens accepted the death by drinking hemlock and did not opt to escape from prison as desired by his student Crito. Hence, Socrates fulfilled his ethical duty to obey the laws of Athens. Socrates ethical stance to obey the laws of Athens is presented in unambiguous terms in Plato’s dialogue Crito. Like Plato Crito was the disciple of Socrates. The sentence of death was passed against Socrates because he was guilty of corrupting the young men of Athens. He was accused Continue reading...

Lysia’s speech is in form of an imaginary address. An older man is addressing a younger man on the subject of love whereas Socrates’ speech is in form of a story. Socrates narrates the story of a boy in quest for love and relationship but with many male suitors. All his suitors are lovers but one of the lovers claims that he is a non-lover. The idea behind both speeches focuses on the love between a younger man and an older man.
In Greek such relationships existed although not publicly recognized. Such relationships were known as pederasty where Continue reading...

The Euthyphro is one of the most important works written by Plato for showing how the Socratic reasoning works. It follows a conversation between Socrates and a character named Euthyphro as they try to define what piety is. The conversation never uncovers the meaning of piety, even though Euthyphro affirms that he knows its meaning but fails to give a satisfactory definition. This paper will uncover the argumentative flaws committed by Euthyphro and how Socrates proposed to amend them to reach at a satisfactory definition of piety.

When reading the Euthyphro it is important to have in mind who Continue reading...

The Meno refers to the dialogue between Socrates and Meno, written by Plato. It attempts to define virtue; whether it is attained by practice, teaching, or nature, or by neither of the ways. The dialogue defines sensible virtue rather than specific virtues. It seeks to shed light on an individual can be seen as virtuous from different perspectives owing to one’s understanding or views regarding good deeds. According to the dialogue, Meno learns the collective meaning of virtue. First, he learns from Socrates that virtue is not different for both men and women, and for every condition of Continue reading...

The Socratic Method employs logic argument as a form of approaching the right answer to a problem but does not provide a complete solution to the same. If one were to consider Plato’s records of Socrates’ dialogues, it is evident that by the end of each one, the philosopher avoids answering the questions altogether. A good illustration is in Socrates’ dialogue with Meno, where rather than give a precise definition of virtue, the Socratic Method merely concludes that morality comes from the gods. Thus said, Nietzsche Friedrich’s “The Problem of Socrates” focuses on the fact that Socrates Continue reading...

The methods that people use to acquire knowledge about virtue forms the base from which the “Meno” discussions emerge. Evidently, all human civilizations need virtue for their survival, making the ability to discern between rights and wrong a significant factor in the delicate thread that intertwines societies. Thus said, it is no wonder that the ensuing passages recording Socrates’ counterarguments in “Meno” have spurred debates on the implications and validity of his reasoning. Nonetheless, the discussion revolves around two major themes that seek to explain not only the nature of virtue, but also the means through which humanity manages Continue reading...

Socrates is among the most influential philosophers in the history of mankind. He was concerned about ethics and moral actions in the society. Some argue that Socrates is a moral hero while other refutes such claim. There are various aspects that any moral hero must possess. A noble hero has the moral courage to stand for and defend what is right even when such may hurt the person.
Miller (2005) quoting Socrates argues that courage is the endurance of the souls, wisdom, and fear (p. 11). A moral hero, therefore, display courage in ethical aspects such as showing prowess Continue reading...

The soul of this dialogue is the debate between justice and injustice. This is one of Plato’s smallest dialogues and consequently is quite terse – it has a fairly simple structure with only two people involved in the whole dialogue – Socrates and Crito. Crito was one of Socrates’ more wealthy admirers; he had arranged for Socrates to escape prison and go into exile. The ensuing dialogue is built around Crito’s arguments for Socrates’ escape and Socrates’ rebuttal of them.
Crito argued that, in staying behind, Socrates was aiding his enemies in committing a wrong and, consequently, committing a Continue reading...

My ethical beliefs strongly oppose the legalization of abortion. The benefits associated with banning abortion outweigh the disadvantages. Abortion compounds tragedy, and it should be avoided at all costs. Situations like rape and unplanned pregnancies are not enough to support the legalization of this vice. For instance, conducting an abortion because a woman was raped might lead to health complications in the future. People should learn that two wrongs never make a right. Abortion also jeopardizes the lives of the unborn, and this violates civil rights. Supporting abortion is punishing the lives of innocent beings by depriving them the Continue reading...

Following the American Psychological Association’s Guidelines

The passages of the assigned reading for “Plato’s Phaedo” were nothing short of thought provoking, with many of the ideas eliciting new and seemingly evolved thoughts considering the time they were written. Many of the concepts can appear to be confusing, whether it is because of how they are presented, or their general content. Plato’s take on Socrates’ ideas about the soul are complicated, at best. Throughout one such passage, Plato attempts to show the disagreement Socrates and Cebes have over the soul’s life after death.
The entire reading proclaims Socrates believes the soul lives on Continue reading...

Philosophy

William James' rejection of "the agnostic rules for truth-seeking" using his romantic love/marriage example and explain what it means for the question of whether God exists
The issue of whether God exists forever remains as people always strive to argue whether it is true or not especially with theologians. God is said to be a supernatural being that controls everything in the universe. God is said to be omnipotent, omnipresent, perfect, and eternal. We have different Gods depending on the religious faith such as Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism (Pojman &Vaughn, 2014). The arguments of whether God exists have Continue reading...

The dialogue of Socrates with Thrasymachus in Republic, I, raises a very important issue of understanding justice and political ethics. The statement Thrasymachus brings forward is this: “I say that the just is nothing other than the advantage of the stronger.” In other words, Thrasymachus claims that justice is an action that benefits only those in power, the people who are stronger and more courageous than the ruled populace.
First, Socrates wants to clarify what Thrasymachus means, because he finds the very statement defective in terms of consistency. He gives another statement as an example. If beef is advantageous Continue reading...

During the Greek classical period, having the skill to speak cleverly was an essential tool to possess. Clear speech was an important tool for individuals. The sophists possessed this skill and rhetoric teaching was essential in their search for knowledge and democracy. Gorgias takes a look into the nature of rhetoric and touches on issues such power, justice and art. Plato’s own positions on the issues are represented through Socrates, who was his teacher and as usual with Plato, he aimed at underlining his definition of respectable and most acceptable human life.
The first portion of the dialogue Continue reading...

The main theme of Plato's "Symposium" – is a reasoning about a benefit and love. Dialogue represents a story about a symposium with Socrates, arranged on the occasion of winning a competition in the Athenian theater of the tragic poet Agathon. A talk about this symposium organized by Plato is performed by Apollodorus and his friend Glaucon. To formulate what are the ideas of material things was relatively simply for Plato, but much more difficult problem was to understand an idea of the human soul. Dialogue “Symposium” is devoted to this specific issue. According to Plato's opinion expressed in this Continue reading...

In Apology, Socrates refers to himself as a gadfly. Explain how this metaphor is considered to be characteristic of the discipline of philosophy.
Philosophy is a complex field of theoretical inquiry different from yet connected to a variety of fields. It has various characteristics and relates to other intellectual and academic pursuits. An understanding of the nature of philosophy can occur through the focus on Apology by Socrates. Socrates refers to himself as the gadfly; the metaphor describes philosophy’s characteristics in relation to other fields.
A gadfly is an individual who poses novel and upsetting questions that interfere Continue reading...

The meaning of life

Every individual has their perception and connotation of life that influences and affects most of the choices they make. What each takes to be the composition of life can range from anything to the quest of bliss. That includes what they take bliss to mean and being famous before their peers. The definition of life can be divided into three goals that include that include being in a position to have long term, short and the ultimate goals. The durable goals include the goals such as that of pursuing bliss or living every day to the fullest or striving Continue reading...

When Crito asks him to accept his aid and escape from a jail in Athens, Socrates refuses by providing counterarguments to Crito’s persuasions. First, the philosopher advises his friend against heeding to what society thinks and instead, asks him to worry about the people who matter. Secondly, Socrates asserts that were he to escape from jail, he will never be a free man because once dubbed a criminal in Athens, other governments will only view him as the enemy. Finally, when Crito brings up his children, Socrates points out that there is no upside as an escaped convict. Continue reading...

Instruction Models Approach to Teaching Adults in the Modern Day Classroom

Introduction
Before teaching the adult learners, it is essential for a teacher to understand the principles that work best with adult learners. If the strategies applied to teach preschoolers and school children are put into place for teaching the adult learners too, then that would not be an effective learning method, because adult learners are different from children when it comes to learn a new concept or analyze a situation. Malcolm S. Knowles (1973) is one of the first proponents of the need to apply strategic learning techniques to adult learning. Since adults are driven by the desire to Continue reading...

Plato – The Republic

‘The Republic’ is one of the most famous Plato’s dialogues which were related to the height of his creative activity around 380 BC. It was created over the years. ‘The Republic’ absorbed all the concepts of the thinker’s doctrines, including his idea of justice, art and art education, as well as the project of the ideal state as the implementation of the ideal of justice, the theory of ideas and a number of the consequent specific conclusions; the concept of free knowledge which was developed in Neo-Platonism. There are ten parts or books and many actors in ‘ Continue reading...

The close relationship between politics and religion is unequivocally complex, nuanced, and dynamic and spawns significant ramifications for both parties. Such a connection is clear in the context of the Roman Empire in relation to the burgeoning Christian Church during the epoch in which the Emperor Constantine reigned during the fourth century in the common era. Legislation and events unequivocally impacted the relationship between church and state. Indeed, the policies enacted by the emperor Constantine enabled the Roman state at large as well as the Christian Church in order to influence each other as well as gain control. This Continue reading...

Short diagnostic essay and journal notes

Part 1
Introduction
Yancy (2008, p.155) say that philosophy is a situated activity shaped by different norms, assumptions, intuitions, and ways of thinking concerning the world. Philosophy engagement has a focus in history where embodied activity emerges in a diverse context. Most of the philosophers employ pretense in their work since they ignore confluent social forces that shape history. Philosophers neglect critical research as they despise human sciences. The leading male figures in philosophy are busy defending the validity and dignity of the subject other than provides a critical theory. Male philosophers absorb themselves in the question of rank Continue reading...

I think the pursuit of knowledge is the greatest form of living since it demands more than mere true belief knowledge contributes to the extra ingredient beyond true belief. Knowledge is valuable to a person since it enables one to have preparedness and an expectation of survival advantage. The persistence of knowledge to a person will enable them to maintain the appropriate belief state through time and changing situations Socrates concluded that knowledge of the road to Larissa is no more valuable than true belief for the intent of getting to Larissa. Socrates failed to take into consideration that Continue reading...

Socrates is the great philosopher of his time and his thoughts are learnt by modern people because his virtue is still the item of the agenda. However he didn’t write his ideas thanks to Plato, his student, humanity has a great opportunity to learn about him and his philosophy. His trial and his speech of defense made me rethink the values of life, take care of the soul. After learning his trial I argue that he could have provided better arguments for his defense.
Socrates had to overcome two different types of prejudices: the old and new. The Continue reading...

The paradox of Meno, also known as the paradox of inquiry, is an argument, which implies that an individual cannot come to know something that is unknown to them. Hence, the inquiry does not produce new knowledge but only serves to repeat things that are already known; hence, leading to the famous Doctrine of Recollection. The argument can be reformulated as follows; if you know, what you are in search of, an inquest will be pointless if you do not discern or have no idea of what you are after. In addition, analysis is impossible; therefore, implying that an Continue reading...

The understanding of the individual or the self has been subjected to intensive debates over the years. Various philosophers have sought to understand how the individual or the self is manifested in the society. There has also been a massive inquiry into how culture affects aspects of individuality. Nietzsche is one of the philosophers who have explored this aspect in great detail. Generally speaking, Nietzsche is world renowned critic of modernity and his arguments on various aspects of modernity, and their authenticity or credibility have been discussed by various scholars over the years. One of the areas that Nietzsche Continue reading...

(1.) Socrates teaches that one cannot learn virtue. Virtue is a matter of the soul, and whoever has virtue is sort of like a gift of the gods, although virtue, in whichever capacity has it, can be nourished and enriched. The Sophists, on the other hand, who were mainly paid teachers, taught that they could teach virtue in the same way we see self-help books in the supermarket that claim they can teach you to live a better life (for a fee). Neither the Sophists nor the Socrates are relativists in the strictest sense of the term. Objective realism Continue reading...

Plato’s Allegory of The Cave dwells on Socrates interpretation on the predicament of prisoners chained to a cave’s walls all of their lives. The individuals face a blank wall which from time to time has shadows projected by a fire behind them. The shadows are the only reality that the chained slaves know about. Socrates explains how a philosopher equates to that slave or prisoner freed from the cave chains. The freedom ultimately means that a philosopher can decipher that the shadows do not constitute a reality but merely a perception of it. Despite this philosophical interpretation Continue reading...

The story of the cave, or sometimes called the myth or the allegory of the cave, is a passage in Plato’s Republic in which Socrates gives an account, in the form of storytelling, of the metaphysical and political implications of the human person within the confines of this reality. The cave story is an analogy of philosophical import. It is meant to illustrate the crucial points of Plato’s ontology. For in Plato, the world that we live is not a perfect world, and in effect, we live in a world o shadows that is a mere copy Continue reading...

The Allegory of the Cave, written by Plato, is one of the great philosophical documents of Western civilization. The allegory describes people chained to a wall, facing a direction where all they can see are reflections of reality. The Allegory of the Cave addresses the key issues of what is real, and how does one find the truth in a world full of people who “follow the shadows.” Plato’s message is still applicable today. The idea of figuring out true meaning for oneself, instead of relying on the patterns and behaviors of others, is still hard to do Continue reading...

Box #xxx

TH605 History
Plato, Descartes and the Matrix
The human perception of reality and the actual knowledge of reality is a problem that many philosophers have attempted to decipher. Most philosophers attribute human perception as part of the senses, but the senses themselves may not be accurate sensors of perception. This essay will start by comparing the Matrix (1999), to some of the writings of Plato and Descartes, and will also examine if one can prove (or not prove) with certainty that the world around us is real (or not real). Lastly, the essay will also examine how the inaccuracy Continue reading...

In the context of Debra's moral dilemma describe the basic tenets of Glaucon and Socrates' philosophies and explain how each theorist would solve the problem.
In the context of Debra’s moral dilemma, there are many tenets of Glaucon and Socrates philosophies. In Socrates philosophy, one of the fundamental principles is that people always act immorally, but he, however, stated that when they do so they do not do it willingly (Laird). This fact can be seen from Debra’s actions when she does not report John for mishandling the painting to the artist or the buyer. She does Continue reading...

Introduction

Nietzsche is considered to be one of the greatest philosophers that ever lived. He especially stands out from other philosophers because of his ruthless criticism of modernity and basically everything that exists in the modern world. Nietzsche present powerful arguments on a variety of modern subjects including morality, philosophy, and religion. He criticizes many of the modern values and institution and deems them as oppressive to the bodily creativity and energies and also as blockers to the generation of a vigorous culture and society that is characterized by strong individuals. In simple terms, Nietzsche postulates that the modern and Continue reading...

PART ONE

“Is the pious being loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is being loved by the gods?”
Socrates tries to elaborate the error in Euthyphro definition on piety, he further continues to stress on the human understanding of pious. Because what is lovable is majorly defined by human, then something pious dose not men that it is something loved by all gods. Even though the priests’ definition of piety is that it is something that all the gods’ love, however it is very important to realize that the gods also have different Continue reading...

{Student’s Name}
{Professor’s Name}
{Course Name}
{Date}

The problem of the one and many refers to one of the major existential dilemmas of philosophy. It is the quest for the answer to the question about the major elements which control the world. The problem of the One and Many is the question of whether the world is governed by a single entity which is the supreme power or whether there are various elements and powers which control the world. The question has various other questions attached to them which have been a serious issue of concern for Continue reading...

Describe the general structure of the ideal state as Plato presents it in the Republic. What are the cardinal virtues and how do they relate to Plato's theory of the ideal state?
“The Republic” is Plato’s most renowned work on its comprehensive philosophical viewpoint. It is a full file of the most fundamental behaviors and principles in human life. Plato described his ideal state and its common structure. He included the value and characteristic of justice and the accompanying virtues as they materialize jointly in the constitution of society in unison with the individuality of a human being.
Continue reading...

Complete Name of Professor

It is in this Nicomachean Ethics that Aristotle lays out the interconnectedness of ethics and happiness. The Nicomachean Ethics emphasizes the difference between Pre-Socratic ethics and the ethics as discussed by Plato: Pre-Socratic ethics are purely theoretical and only allows people to see ethics in the light of imagination. Ethics, as explained by Plato, is practical – teaching people how to live the best life. It focuses not just on how to live a best life but on how to create one. So how does moral virtue lead to happiness? Virtue is simply a behaviour showing high standards such as Continue reading...

The Olympics and the Fight for Democracy

When Brazil’s bids were accepted to host the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, naturally its government and many of its wealthy elite were absolutely ecstatic to showcase the nation that was known for putting on an exceptional party. In addition, Brazil wanted to show the world why it was nation’s fifth largest economy and that its recent economic strides were not a flash in the pan. Brazil was finally on the cusp of becoming a world power and depending on how the World Cup and the Olympics were presented they could assume Continue reading...

Introduction

Logical paradoxes have always existed as long as the Greeks in the classical era were graced with philosophers and logicians such as Aristotle, Plato and Socrates. This is because, engagement in philosophy and its branches such as logic helped in the identification of fatal logical flaws. Thus, logic has helped in identifying the impossibility or the paradox that may accost flawed thinking. Through the use of the same logic, it became possible to establish the difference between what exists and what accounts for the changes that exist.

The question above in part addresses the essence of existence. The question Continue reading...

William Faulkner’s “A Rose for Emily” and Plato’s “The Myth of the Cave” are very different stories in almost every way. Faulkner wrote about the physical and mental decay of an upper class woman from a bygone generation, and Plato wrote about philosophical knowledge versus worldly needs in the governing of society. The stories were written thousands of years apart and the elements of the stories illustrate the passage of time between them. A comparison of the theme, setting, style of writing, and characters display how different the stories are; however, both stories include descriptive imagery that Continue reading...