History:compare and contrast the ideas of socrates,plato and aristotle - Research Paper Example

SOCRATES, PLATO AND ARISTOTLE There are three great philosophers that have changed the world of philosophy with their theories and ideas. They are Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. These men all were Grecian men and they grew up and were taught in Athens. It began with Socrates. Socrates was born in Athens in 469 BC. His mother was a midwife and his father a stone-carver. He lived during the time of the Peloponnesian war, and he fought for Greece then. When Socrates reached his forties, he began asking a lot of questions.

He was a curious man and he wanted answers to his questions. He began asking, “What is wisdom?”, “What is beauty?”, “What is the right thing to do?” He knew on his own he couldn’t answer them, so he decided to get other people’s opinions on the matter. So he started going around Athens asking people, “What is wisdom?”, “What is piety?”, “What is beauty?”. Some people would try to answer him, others just ignored him. He would sit down with young men and try to get them to understand the logic (Bochenski, 1951).

One of his students was Plato. Plato was able to write down some dialogues that Socrates would teach. Socrates wanted to get people to think for themselves, to be able to give a solid answer for what they believed. Usually, he would prove that people didn’t know why they thought the things they believed. This angered people and he ended up dying because he asked questions. (Sedley, 2003) Plato, his student, became a philosopher too. One of his doctrines was that “the world that appears to our senses is in some way defective and filled with error, but there is a more real and perfect realm, populated by entities that are eternal and changeless (Wikipedia, 2011).

One very famous metaphor that Plato used was the cave metaphor. He said, suppose there is a cave. There are people in the cave, and they have their backs to the wall. These people can’t see anything outside the cave, or even each other clearly. They only see shadows of what is going on outside the cave. Eventually these prisoners will think that the shadows are real, and this is really how things look like. If one day one of them escaped and went out and saw the real world, then came back to tell the others, would they believe him?

Plato went on to say that we are like those men. We are trapped and can only see shadows, but not the real thing. (Carr, 2011) He believed that the ideal form of man is not the man we see, but the soul. According to him, the soul is made up of our natural desires, our will, and our reason. If these three parts a not balanced, it can lead to disharmony. He also believed that the lives we live right now are a reward or punishment for the choices we made in a previous existence. He felt that only those that could distinguish between what is truly good and virtuous from that things that are called good and virtuous can be enlightened beings.

Plato went on later to open an academy where he taught. Aristotle was one of his students. At a young age, Aristotle had a mind of his own. He was interested in the sciences. He wanted to use Socrates’ logical method, and he founded the scientific method. He later founded a lyceum where he taught his works and dialogues. Aristotle’s main works focus on three headlines: first is dialogue and other works of a famous character, second is collection of facts from scientific treatment and lastly is systematic works.

His treaties are further divided into logic, physical works, psychological works, works of natural history, and philosophical works. (Wikipedia, 2011) Aristotle taught that each of the four terrestrial elements move toward a place that is natural to them. This process would go on unless something hinders it; such as if something would force it out of its direction to another. He also argued that the speed of an object is proportional to the force being applied; In other words, the more shaky the medium, the faster the movement.

Aristotle believed in the geocentric view, that the earth was the center, and other planets revolved around it. (Rose, 1968) These three philosophers had many different ideas. Socrates believed that consequences did not matter. He was a free thinker, and only thought that if you did what was right, it was ok. Plato’s work, on the other hand, says that we have the will, the reason, and our desires. He believed that certain people could be trusted to lead. Finally Aristotle followed the sciences.

The contrast in their ideas is that they all believed different things. Socrates wanted people to adapt a free mind where they could think for themselves. Plato believed that what we have now is not the ideal, there is a better place where things are eternal and way more beautiful. Aristotle believed that man’s mind could figure out the laws of the universe based only on observation and without reason. He thought there couldn’t be a relationship between math and physics. These men may not have always had the right hunch, but one thing they have in common is they were not afraid to think.

They were not afraid to have their voices heard. They put their ideas out there and taught them. Socrates died for his ideas; the other two were not so popular in their time. What’s most important, however, is that we should all learn to think for ourselves. Don’t accept something just because it’s handed to you. Imagine where we would be if these three philosophers had done that. That is how discoveries are made. If there’s anything we can get from these men other than their amazing discoveries and philosophies is the gift of learning to question.

That is, after all, what philosophy is-“a school of thought” REFERENCES Sedley, David. (2003). Greek and Roman Philosophers. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press Rose, Lynn E. (1968): Aristotle's Syllogistic. Springfield: Charles C Thomas Publisher. Bochenski, I. M.: (1951) Ancient Formal Logic. Amsterdam: North-Holland Publishing Company. Carr, Karen. “Plato”. History for Kids (2011). Web. April 29, 2011 Carr, Karen. “Socrates’ Dialogues.” History for Kids (2011). Web. April 29, 2011 Wikipedia. (2011). Retrieved from: http://www.en. Wikipedia.

org/wiki/philosophers. April 29, 2011.