Philosophy: Socrates & Plato
What did Plato place great emphasize on?
The role of education
Guardians
The rulers of society that led by proper philosophy and people would follow.
What did Plato believe philosophy was?
The process of continuous questioning and dialogues; that's how he wrote
Socrates Quote
"The unexamined life is not worth living"
Socrates
Born in Athens Greece. His works became the foundation of Western philosophy.
What did Plato see vulnerability in?
A child's mind and how it could be molded, which should be started at a young age.
What did education make?
A healthy state that could live and thrive
Elenchus
A method in which Socrates would refute the claim of other people
Allegory
A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to find a hidden message.
What was playdough originally used as?
A wallpaper cleaner
What did Plato's dialogue deal with?
Art, theater, ethics, immortality, the mind, and metaphysics
What should the spirit be represented by?
Auxillary
Laborers
Basic workers and merchants of society
Allegory of Caves
Featured dialogue of Socrates and Plato's brother Glocun.
What did Socrates ask in the Allegory of Caves?
For Glocun to imagine where allusion is perceived as reality
What should reason be represented by?
Guardians
What are the 3 different classes used to find the 3 parts of the soul?
Guardians, Auxiliary, Laborers
Socrates Life
Had a Greek education, didn't have an aesthetic appearance, in military during the Polyponesian war, lived in poverty, and the mother of his 3 children was 30 years younger than him.
What happened while Socrates was in prison?
He given the option to drink poison or go into exile and he took the poison with no hesitation.
Plato
His parents were members of Greek Aristocracies. He was rich and taught by a wide range of educators.
What did Socrates focus on?
Human morality (during a time of immorality) & being and acting good
True Knowledge
Is gained only through philosophy
Reason
Is responsible for thinking and understanding when something is true or false, knowing what's real or fake, and making rational decisions.
What can a person achieve from maintaining this?
Justice & Maximum Success
Who should the appetite be represented by?
Laborers
Who uses the elenchus method today?
Lawyers; also taught in law schools
How did Plato help children before they were born?
Made exercises that pregnant women could use to have a healthy fetus along with arts and activities kids should emerce themselves in.
2nd Method of Elenchus
Once the other person answered is provided to Socrates' first question, Socrates would provide a situation to which made the person assume their answer was wrong
Who was Aristotle?
One of Plato's students
Most written information on Socrates came from?
Plato
Who created allegories?
Plato
Who created the Tripartite Theory of the Soul?
Plato
Plato's dialogues interesting facts
Plato's own opinions on the subject matter he wrote was never stated. He was never a character in his writing. The reason why he did not give his opinions was because he wanted his readers to form and opinion and not be told how to think
Which of Socrates' students wrote about his works?
Plato, Aristophanes, Xenophanes
What did Plato's family expect him to go into?
Politics
Theory of Forms
Reality exists on two specific levels
What should the spirit aid?
Reason
The Spirit
Responsible for wanting victory, dignity, and honor. Plato says every person consciously or unconsciously wants these 3 things. If a person has a rational and reasonable soul, then they will have the proper spirit to achieve the 3 things.
Who had the biggest impact on Plato
Socrates
In order for a person to be wise?
Socrates believed a person has to fully understand themselves and that their actions are directly based upon their intelligence or ignorance
4th Method of Elenchus
Socrates would prove the person's answer was wrong by the negation. He would then continue to negate the person's answer until the answered until the answered continued changing to get closer to the real answer.
What isn't effected by forms?
The concept of beauty, courage, ect., which exists outside of time and space.
What was Socrates outspoken and a critic about?
The focus of external beauty after the loss of the Polyponesian War. He made many enemies for being a critic of this and went to prison.
The Socratic Problem
The information know about Socrates from a philosophical standpoint all comes from the works and teachings of his students.
2nd Level (Theory of Forms)
The intelligible world which is the world of forms and gives the visible world it's being and gives it reality
What did Pre-Socratic philosophers focus on?
The natural world
What did education give?
The opportunity to have a wise and virtuous life.
3rd Method of Elenchus
The other person would then agree to the answer and change the statement to include Socrates' answer
1st Method of Elenchus
The person would make a statement and Socrates would disaprove the statement
Auxillary
The soldiers who forced society to obey orders of the guardians
Tripartite Theory of the Soul
The soul can be broken down into 3 parts. (Reason, Spirit, Appetite)
1st Level (Theory of Forms)
The visible world is also known as the detectable world which is made up of signs and sounds.
What concept did Plato form?
Theory of Forms
Socratic Method
Was first described by Plato; was used to question and understand to expose contradictions. Helped people to understand that their way of thinking was wrong.
What did Plato do?
Went to Sicily to study under Pythagoras and when came back founded the Academy in Athens.
Why did Plato not go into politics, but into philosophy?
When Sparta was victorious in the Polyponesian War and the execution of Socrates by the new Athenian government.
The Appetite
Where your most basic cravings and innermost desires come from. Within the appetite thirst, hunger, addicting and harmful things come from that.
What should the reason rule?
Your decisions
What should the appetite obey?
Your spirit
Socrates believed you should focus on what?
Yourself rather than material objects
