Greek Philosophy: Plato and the Sophists - Essay Example

Plato and the Sophists Order No. 275745 No. of pages: 6 1st 6530 Greece and particularly Athens was the intellectual centre of learningand thought in the middle of the fifth century BC. Hundred years of war caused a decline in belief in the Gods and people began to believe less in Moira, and more in their own destinies. This period saw a flowering of philosophy which was a result of the dissatisfaction of the people, with the hitherto practiced concepts of the supernatural and the mythical being brought in to explain the occurrences, which people met with in the natural world. Greek philosophy was shaped mainly by a triad of philosophers beginning with Socrates, often called the father of classical philosophy, followed by his student Plato who in turn was followed by his student Aristotle. Between the three of them they shaped classical Greek thought and the way of life which became a model of inspiration for generations to come. Socrates, who was one among the group of Sophists, is generally considered to be the wisest and noblest Athenian, whose thoughts were always concerned with ways of improving public life and who well knew that in order to lead a life of goodness, man must stay away from public office. Plato in his Apology quotes Socrates as saying that “The true champion of justice, if he intends to survive even for a short time, must necessarily confine himself to private life and leave politics alone.” This could be the reason why Socrates shied away from holding any public office and instead devoted his whole life to the “supreme art of philosophy” and taught it to willing students without any monetary gains. He was the only one of the philosophers, who lived the life he preached. Socrates became so popular that his advice was sought on matters ranging from social conduct to solving the most mundane problems. But in 399 BC Socrates was charged "as an evil-doer and curious person, searching into things under the earth and above the heavens; and making the worse appear the better cause, and teaching all this to others" (Plato) and was eventually given the death sentence on charges of impiety. Socrates has often been called the gadfly of Athens because of his ceaseless pursuit of truth. Plato, one of the most famous students of Socrates is famous for his work ‘The Republic’ which is generally considered a text for a perfect society. In this book Plato argues about knowledge and reality and makes reality an offshoot of our thinking process. In Platos argument’s there is a higher reality called ‘Forms’ which is unchanging and universal and it is this which confers on man the realization of his true purpose in life. Platos belief in democracy was shattered when Socrates was put to death by the council and in ‘The Republic’ he sounds a warning that unless the people, especially the new generation were given the benefit of a good education, the state would cease to exist in the form desired by the people. One of the reasons for this was the proliferation of sophistic thinking in the Athenian way of life, which he felt was corrupting the people of his city. The philosophy of Socrates was put on paper by Plato, and all the knowledge we have of the great master’s thoughts are rendered by Plato. The Sophists were men of learning who traveled extensively and taught young men from the upper classes the fine nuances of public life for a fee. These were men well versed in the art of rhetoric and oratory who sacrificed philosophy, science and ethics in favor of teaching the art of persuasion and much of their philosophy hinged on relativity. According to them each individual is guided by a separate set of values and Protagoras, one of the most famous Sophists stated that "Man is the measure of all things." Although the Sophists were scorned by Socrates and his pupils because of their emphasis on rhetoric, they were concerned not only with knowledge but also with the issues of morality and justice. The Sophists were trying to make the transition from the old concepts of humanity, based on cosmology, to the new ones about man himself. Plato in his dialogue, “Sophist” derides them as men who were only after money while Aristotle saw them as "one who made money by sham wisdom." Gorgias was a noted skeptic and the master of oratory, and a much sought after teacher of this science, because it was one of the greatest assets the youth of Athens prized. Thrasymachus, one of the Sophists, is shown to be more of a specious rhetorician, who suffers from the vice of arrogance. He indulges in the petty habit of name-calling, showing indignation only to advance his argument and often ends by contradicting his own self. The fault of his thinking is seen when he says that natural law is by its very nature “the right of the stronger”( Platos Republic) The same theme is echoed by Callicles in Platos Gorgias, when he too says that the strong man crushes the laws of the weak and imposes his will through sheer might. Thrasymachus is brought to his knees by Socrates’ philosophical questioning and even when he congratulates the great thinker, it is a show of manners devoid of any feelings and he tells him to “feast on his triumph” making their verbal contest seem more like a physical joust. The Sophist Protagoras was the most famous thinker of his time in Athens and Plato uses a dialogue between Protagoras and Socrates to show that the Sophists were often wrong and their teachings were harmful for the youth whom they were trying to educate. When Socrates asks the philosopher what he teaches, the Sophists replies that his aim is to instruct his students in politics and how to go about their personal lives. The question and answer session soon becomes a debate on virtue and soon the two of them begin to interpret a poem by Simonides. According to Socrates the poem is all about the impossibility of being good at all times, especially in times of misfortune but here misfortune is interpreted as a lack of knowledge. He also equates goodness with pleasure and Protagoras too agrees with him. The trial and subsequent execution of Socrates is one of the most debated issues in history of the ancient Greeks. Socrates was the greatest thinker of all ages who “discussed moral questions in the workshops and the marketplace” according to Diogenes Laertius in his ‘The Lives of Eminent Philosophers,’ without thought of any fees. Socrates had made many enemies due to his radical thinking and a disdain for material pleasures and there were many who sought to curb his influence on the youth. Socrates was charged with impiety by 500 of his fellow citizens and when he was found guilty by a small margin and given the option of having the charges dropped against him in return for a small fee he is supposed to have said, according to Plato, that he would rather die than give up “the practice and teaching of philosophy.” Platos Apology makes the charge of impiety the focus of the citizens ire ( Colaiaco) while I.F.Stone says that Socrates was hounded for his “political, not the philosophical or theological views.” Plato the most celebrated student of Socrates was only 28 years old when Socrates was executed. The execution of Socrates caused Plato to think about how to achieve justice not only for Socrates but also the common citizen. He realized that a state free of corruption and in pursuit of justice could be achieved only when citizens knew what justice and good life concepts were. All of Plato’s works are written in the form of question and answer, where the main speaker is always Socrates. Plato learned a great deal from his master but there was much that he discovered on his own and most of this he put down in his extensive dialogue called ‘The Republic’, as well as many other works which contain his views on knowledge. The origin of ideas with which Plato grapples is seen in various forms. In the Phaedo, ideas are treated as objects which have been recovered from another life, since they exhibit a perfection which is missing in the life being lived. Plato reasons that we are not learning things but rather recollecting them from a past life and that is why Socrates used the method of questioning his students so that they could recover the answer which was already present in their inner being. In ‘The Republic,’ in the sixth and seventh books, Plato treats ideas as singular and also many, as the reason behind things and which has the unity culminating in the idea of good. This good life can be attained when man lives in concord with the universal standards of justice, beauty and goodness. The Allegory of the Cave in the seventh book of ‘The Republic,’ makes this idea clearer by saying that because of our dependence on our senses we have become like prisoners in a cave, who consider the shadows on the wall as reality. The Republic constitutes Platos most convincing arguments for a need to live a life of virtue and in this book we see his exposition for the society needed to address the greatest needs of its citizens. Such a society can be produced only when the citizens are educated, an education which he calls paideia, which refers to mental, spiritual and physical development. Plato was not a great believer of democracy, since it was a Peoples Court which had convicted and sentenced to death his mentor Socrates. To him it was merely “a charming form of government”, but in order to fulfill the needs of the citizens, a philosopher king was the best ruler. In the Ethics dialogue Plato shows that the ideal city is made of three classes-the rulers, the auxiliaries and the producers. The human soul too has three classes-the rational, spirited and appetitive, which can be further split into those which are regulable and those which are lawless. The philosophy of Plato was shaped by his derision of the Sophists and their teachings as well as the execution of Socrates which he blamed on them. Socrates spoke against the Sophists and established the meaning of true knowledge through his towering intellect and this was carried forward by his student Plato and further honed by Aristotle and it is their thoughts which have shaped human ethics for all ages. References Platos Ethics and Politics in The Republic (Stanford Encyclopedia ... http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plato-ethics-politics/ The Sophists http://www.thenagain.info/webchron/mediterranean/Sophists.html Sophist- by Plato - (Part I of 3) Schiller Institute Translated by ... http://www.schillerinstitute.org/transl/trans_pl_sophist.html Lecture 8: Greek Thought: Socrates, Plato and Aristotle http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/lecture8b.html Plato and the Sophists http://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1701049.html Platos Ethics and Politics in The Republic (Stanford Encyclopedia ... http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plato-ethics-politics/ Meno by Plato: On the Ideas of Plato. http://www.online-literature.com/plato/meno/2/ Read More