Philosophies of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle

Socrates was the earliest great free thinker and philosophical giant. Born in Athens, Greece he lived a rather uncanny existence; dressing shabbily, scorning mammon and pleasure- seeking, and passionately looking to explore the “Unexamined” sides to mankind’s existence. He developed a unique approach where he would ask individuals he talked leading questions in order to cause them to closely delve into the truth behind their ideas and beliefs. This would be infamously known thereafter as the Socratic Method. He upheld that the pursuit of truth for the benefit (and enhancement) of society should always trump the pursuit of riches.

Socrates was dubious about the concept of democracy; believing rather that the governing should be left in the hands of an elite, intellectually superior few. In 399 B.C.E. Socrates would be sentenced to his death by Athenian citizens for treason (specifically charged for asking too many (sometimes embarrassing) questions, and ”corrupting the youth.”

A leading pupil of Socrates, Plato, constitutes as one-third of the renowned Athenian philosophers.

Apparently, he became gravely disappointed in city-state politics after his mentor was condemned to death, and he went on to found the Academy (from which we would derive the word academic) in Athens. His institution of learning served as a breeding ground for intensive philosophical study where free citizens and state officials would be pushed to seek truth. His school would remain open into the 6‘“ century C.E. Plato expounded on Socrates’ belief in absolute truth, virtue, and beauty. He taught that most people allow their emotions to rule them and are thus blinded to reality.

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At one point, Plato pushed for the Athenian government to be run by an elite class of persons, called the Guardians, who would be skilled into controlling their emotions and firmly grasp what is ultimate truth and goodness, Yet. Plato retreated from this viewpoint later on in his life and instead spoke in favor of strong laws to supplement any democracy. The concepts and theories of the philosopher Aristotle align more closely to the ideas of our current day than any other great thinker’s. Aristotle traveled to Athens to become a philosophy student with Plato. Like Plato, he too would found a school focused on philosophical investigation; it was called the Lyceum. Similar to Socrates’ fate he was charged by the government of Athens with impiety, yet, he did not choose death as his predecessor did, Aristotle chose as his punishment to go into exile.

A steadfast pragmatic, he accredited greater emphasis to the exploration of both human nature and physical nature, then to the ultimate truths that lay behind human actions. Aristotle sought to attain knowledge from all over the world. compartmentalizing it, and researching it deeper. He was esteemed as one of the earliest psychologists for his descriptive writings on human emotions, such as fear, hate, anger, joy. love, and sympathy. He loved to study nature closely and often dissected animals; he is regarded as the first categorize animals in zoological order, Much of Western and Islamic science is based of his research. His interests spanned from the natural sciences and social sciences to the humanities, ethics, and the political system.