Socrates and Properties Essay - 3228 Words

Socrates and Properties By Characterizing himself –Socrates- as both ignorant and wise, he presents us with one of the most striking paradoxes. Like so many of the other philosophers, is provocative in that its apparent self-contradiction hides an important idea for us readers to discover. Though out this text Socrates ignorance results from his belief that he has no knowledge of moral idea, or moral properties, such as justice, virtue, piety, and beauty. He asserts that, if only he knew the relevant definitions, he would be a moral expert who could answer philosophical questions about moral properties- questions such as is a certain action just? Or is it truly good for a man to be virtuous? Socrates believes that only someone that is†¦show more content†¦suffering is better than injustice), but not to know why or how it is they are true; Socrates extraordinary claims in the Gorgias concerning what everyone believes and desires (justice and the true good) are consistent with his treatment of akrasia, and present an entirely unified psychological theory; Socrates regards virtue as neither necessary nor sufficient to happiness (this view is unique to the authors); Socrates opposed all disobedience to law, even to law which commanded injustice, and his trial and execution were not motivated by political concerns; the accusations against Socrates at his trial reflect religious prejudices which he represents quite accurately in Platos Apology. This paper will try to answer one of may question specific positions and arguments the authors make. I do not see, for example, that the distinction between knowing that certain things are true and knowing why or how it is they are true is all that significant, when applied to moral wisdom, understood as knowledge of the true or ideal virtues: is not knowledge of how each of the beings is equivalent to knowledge of what the definition of each is? I also cannot agree that Socrates would be willing to obey a manifestly unjust law, e.g. to harm an innocent person, and think his action justified on the grounds that not he, but the state was the responsible agentShow MoreRelatedThe Theory Of The Forms Figures Into Plato s / Socrates Reflections1471 Words   |  6 Pagesessential properties of a particular or thing. According to Socrates, these forms have properties which give them a certain causal power. Using the concept of Forms, he systematically constructs an argument in an attempt to prove that the soul exists and must always exist. Although, his complete conception of Forms is not captured in the Phaedo, We can still use this dialectic to address his arguments. In this paper, I will attempt to describe the Forms. To do this, I will detail the properties of theRead MoreSocrates And Machiavelli s Views On Violence And Violent Actions1687 Words   |  7 PagesSocrates and Machiavelli hold vastly different views on violence and violent actions, the former advocates strongly that it is always better to be harmed rather than to harm while the latter argues that violence is essential, when used correctly, in order to gain and maintain power. These contrasting views on violence both hold merit, yet the question of which view is more corrupting depends strongly on what corruption is defined as, and thus, which view fits this definition. Socrates is determinedRead MoreSocrates Ideal Society Essay1467 Words   |  6 PagesIn Plato’s Republic Book 2 and 3, Socr ates gives two arguments and proposals about making a just city. Socrates proposes and later argues, the ideal society being a society in which there is supervision over the storytellers. He believes this is necessity to make sure the youth of the society grow up to be just characters. Socrates’ second proposal that an ideal society would have the â€Å"myth of the metals† as a â€Å"noble lie† implemented into their society. This ideal society therefore following theRead MoreThe Flaws of Plato ´s Phaedo Essay1306 Words   |  6 Pagesflaws in Plato’s argument while showing how the conclusion can still be convincing for some. According to Plato talking through Socrates, whenever a soul occupies a body, it always brings life with it. This means that the soul is connected with life, and so cannot admit its opposite which is death. If it does not admit the form of evenness and is uneven, according to Socrates, then it follows that the soul, which does not admit of death, cannot die. It must either withdraw or disappear at the approachRead MorePlato s Phaedo For The Immortality Of The Soul1701 Words   |  7 Pagesflaws in Plato’s argument while showing how the conclusion can still be convincing for some. According to Plato talking through Socrates, whenever a soul occupies a body, it always brings life with it. This means that the soul is connected with life, and so cannot admit its opposite which is death. If it does not admit the form of evenness and is uneven, according to Socrates, then it follows that the soul, which does not admit of death, cannot die. It must either withdraw or disappear at the approachRead MoreThe Body And The Soul1153 Words   |  5 PagesAn Analysis of the Distinctions of the Body and the Soul in the Philosophy of Socrates This philosophical study will define the distinctions of the body and the soul as defined in the philosophy of Socrates. In the Phaedo, Socrates defines the important distinction between the †visible† body and the â€Å"invisible† substance of the soul. Socrates defines the temporal and changing nature of the visible body, which is impermanent. In contrast to this view, the soul is a higher form of incomposite energyRead MoreComparison Between Plato And Plato1101 Words   |  5 Pagesbeginning of philosophy to a more modern perspective. In Crito by Plato, Socrates continues a speech of the Laws of Athens by appealing to a social contract that exists between the Laws and the citizens. By living in Athens, one must abide by the Laws of Athens. Since Socrates is in prison, if he were to try to escape he would be breaking the Law. Socrates lived in Athens following the Athenian Law up to this point. Socrates dismissed the possibility of exile, saying he would rather die than liveRead MoreThe Republic, Socrates And Glaucon1244 Words   |  5 Pages1300 11 September 2014 First Paper In sections 433-445 of The Republic , Socrates and Glaucon discuss about definitions and properties of both justice and injustice, with reference to the structure and condition of an ideal city with absolute justice. Considering the properties of justice and injustice, they conclude that just lives, even without anything desirable, are better than any other unjust lives. To start off, Socrates discusses about a just city where three kinds of people (rulers, defendersRead MoreDifferent Definitions of the Word Pious Depicted in Platos Socratic Dialog Euthyphro1249 Words   |  5 Pagesarchetypal of the sort of philosophy that Socrates is thought to have been interested in. In it (as in most classic Socratic dialogs), Socrates seeks out a person who claims to have a certain sort of knowledge. He then proceeds to show that these experts do not possess this knowledge by getting them to contradict themselves. With this in mind, I will discuss the three definitions of the word pious that the character Euthyphro gives to Socrates, and Socrates problems with each of these definitionsRead MoreThe Works Of Plato s Life899 Words   |  4 PagesPlato (428-348 B.C.) In order to gain the proper perspective and fullest understanding of philosophy of property we begin here with the works of Plato. Plato’s life The Greek Philosopher Plato was born in 428 B.C. a free citizen in one of the wealthier, politically active, families of his time in the city of Athens, his early life was marked by The Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC) between Athens and Spartan which carried on for nearly 30 years. And at first he was inspired toward becoming a great