Teaching of Socrates - Essay Example

What is the relevance of Socrates' teachings to later philosophers Part I Teachings of Socrates According to the philosophical society, Socrates, a master of philosophers, did not profess to have wisdom(www.inner.org/) or knowledge(www.leidykla.vu.lt/inetleid/inf-mok/21/str5.html ), but he sought them. Kierkegaard, a danish existentialist(www.webster.edu/corbetre/ philosophy/existentialism/whatis.html) writer, showed his interest in the teachings of Socrates for he had to petition the king to be allowed to write his philosophy dissertation(www.cs.purdue.edu/homes/dec/essay.dissertation.html) On the Concept of Irony with constant reference to Socrates in Danish" ( http://www.philosophicalsociety.com/What%20Philosophy%20Is.htm#V.%20Philosophers%20On%20Philosophy) Here is one modern day well known writer who has been influenced and espouses the teachings of Socrates. Socrates developed a philosophy(www.saliu.com/) which, through his own teachings and the teachings of his immediate followers, especially Plato and Aristotle, eventually won the attention and respect of thinking men everywhere. The three great Socratic philosophers, Socrates, Plato(www.wsu.edu:8080/dee/GREECE/PLATO.HTM), and Aristotle(www.philosophypages.com/hy/2n.htm), were to be "rediscovered" during the Renaissance(www.absoluteastronomy.com/ encyclopedia/c/ch/christendom.htm) and their rational, practical, and scientific ideas were to influence the thinking and the governmental, religious, and educational institutions of the entire western world" it also says that "Socrates was distinct in inculcating ideas on (a) Ethics(www.nd.edu/Departments/Maritain/etext/jmoral01.htm) that that influenced later Greek philosophers (b) Inductive method of reasoning. (www.cs.miami.edu/geoff/Courses/ CSC545-F05/Content/LogicalConsequence.shtml) (c) Imposed Knowledge is happiness. He believed that knowledge or insight is the foundation of virtue (depthome.brooklyn.cuny.edu/ classics/dunkle/studyguide/apology.htm) and happiness (plato.stanford.edu/entries/moral-character/) (d) Rationalism. Thru reasoning, man can reach the truth. His question and answer method, as described below, caused his students and future philosophers to use thinking as a major way of getting to the truth. Future philosophers and Catholic Saints like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas delved into his virtue, knowledge and happiness theories and expanded and brought to the next level Socrates' theories by adding their own modern day philosophical theories. In the "SOCRATIC METHOD . Athens(web.utk.edu/utfp/eoc/athens/) became the classroom of Socrates. He went about asking questions of authorities and of the man in the street in order to arrive at political and ethical truths. He questioned groups of his students as a means of instruction, to compel them to think a problem through to a logical(www.roangelo.net/logwitt/) conclusion. His dialectic(www.english-test.net/gre/ vocabulary/meanings/031/gre-words.php) method, or method of investigating problems through dialogue discussions, came to be known as the Socratic method. It involved: 1. SOCRATIC IRONY(depthome.brooklyn.cuny.edu/ classics/dunkle/studyguide/apology.htm). Socrates pretended that he knew no answers. His assumed ignorance or willingness to learn from others was the background for adroit questioning to reveal the t truth or expose the error of the answers he received. 2. DEFINITION(www.thefreedictionary.com/definition). The initial question usually required the definition of the concept. 3. ANALYSIS(www.mdx.ac.uk/www/study/glothi.htm - 101k - 28 Okt 2005). Subsequent questions elicited an analysis of the definition in all its implications. 4. GENERALIZATIONS(www.friesian.com/founda-1.htm). After examining all of the particular applications and consequences of the concept(radicalacademy.com/philsocrates.htm), Socrates reasoned, or persuaded his students to reason, from the particular to the general, or by the process of induction, to reach a general conclusion". His style of pretending to know knowing and asking questions from students and then let the students, themselves, generate a conclusion or thesis from their own data gathered is presently a standard followed today. This is most a common standard of procedure for guidance counselors for persons asking advice on personal, marital, office, and other decision making actions. The teachings of Socrates are categorized as follows "Although Socrates wrote no books, his philosophy is known through the writing of historians and of his students, and especially through the writings of Plato. Major ideas in the Socratic philosophy were: 1. THE PROPER STUDY OF PHILOSOPHY IS MAN. Socrates was not concerned with metaphysical(indybay.org/news/2002/08/139500_comment.php) questions as such. He believed that philosophy should achieve practical results in the form of greater well-being for man the individual and for mankind as a society. Hence, the proper study of philosophy is man. In pursuit of this study, Socrates' interests were centered in ethics and politics(www.aroundgreece.com/philosophy.htm). 2. NATURAL ETHIC. Socrates attempted to establish an ethical system based upon human reason rather than upon theological(www.thymos.com) directives. 3. KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM. Socrates asserted that the highest good for any human being is happiness. Whatever action a man chooses is motivated by his desire for happiness. Knowledge, virtue, and wisdom are all the same, since man chooses an action according to what he thinks will bring him the greatest happiness. Therefore the more a man knows, the greater his ability to reason out the correct choice and to choose those actions which truly bring happiness to him. 4. SELF-KNOWLEDGE(www.newadvent.org/cathen/14119a.htm). The highest knowledge is possessed by that individual who truly knows himself. This knowledge constitutes ultimate wisdom. It enables man to act in a virtuous manner at all times, because he knows what will bring him true happiness. 5. POLITICS. Socrates did not approve of tyranny or of democracy. He believed that the best form of government was one ruled by an individual possessing the greatest ability, knowledge, and virtue." Socrates believed that philosophy is important to man. Philosophy will help thru reasoning and virtue and knowledge for man to get to his goal and that is happiness. Ethics was emphasized by Socrates and this has been emphasized again by St. Thomas Aquinas. Socrates' knowledge and wisdom has been immortalized by the following philosophical students of his and the two Saints. He also influenced other philosophers. Part II Socrates' Releveance to: Philosopher followers of Socrates 1. PLATO, He espoused Idealism(www.newadvent.org/cathen/07634a.htm). Man in his present earthly journey is an imperfect copy of his real original self, the perfect man. By knowing and recollection and imitating his former spiritual self thru virtue, he will attain perfection. Contemplation or "idle thinking" is knowing, appreciating and doing good. By thinking on what he will be doing next, man will plan his daily actions and do things in accordance with his plans and goals. This was influenced by Socrates' question and answer attitude of life. 2. ARISTOTLE, espoused rationalism(plato.stanford.edu/entries/aristotle-logic/). The use of reasoning to gain the truth. The senses help in getting to the truth. He said that contemplation is not a lazy act but a noble action. Contemplation is very noble for it seeks the Eternal truth, the ultimate basis and rationale for living. He espoused Socrates' theory that true knowledge is practical, for the betterment of one's self. Knowledge is wisdom - the knowing and doing what is best for one's self for attainment of one's perfection and happiness. Happiness is wisdom and virtue. Scientific experiments have been broken down into standard procedures or steps to come up with the truth or falseness of a statement or question placed in front of the man involved. 3. ARISTIPPUS(www.iep.utm.edu/a/aristip.htm), founder of the Cyrenaic(www.newadvent.org/cathen/04591a.htm) school of hedonism.( www.angelfire.com/az/experiment/hedonism.html) A follower of Socrates taught that the primary goal of man was pleasure. We must not set to a future date the pleasure, if we can do it now. Hedonism teaches its believers that the primary goal of life is pleasure. We must do everything we can to reach a pleasure state. We must also do everything we can to lessen the pain and of everyday living. As a student of Socrates, this came about because of knowledge, reasoning, ethics and reasoning theories that Aristippus mastered from Socrates. (http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/agexed/aee501/socrates.html) 4. St. Thomas Aquinas(www.britannica.com/eb/article-9108661). His works, Summa Theologica and Summa Contra Gentiles, tells us that we can follow Aristotles' teachings (student of Socrates). Aquinas proclaimed that we should use reason (rationalism) in searching for the truth and decision making. But he goes further as to say that man must engage in divine truth that cannot be reasoned with. God is Truth himself. Like Aristotle, he said that man longs for perfection and happiness thru fulfillment of man's powers (rational, moral, social, emotional, physical. The reason students are studying logic and philosophy today is because of battery of theories of the Greek philosophers and the Catholic Saints. Most popular of the Catholic philosophers is St. Thomas Aquinas. His reasoning method to prove the existence of God, which we present day men have not physically seen, has bolstered the belief, thru reasoning, that there exists a God. Thru reasoning like, the planets revolve around the sun without ever crushing into each other. The link that was espoused by Charles Darwin that we came from apes, thru reasoning, has been defeated since most of the ape skulls were actually only ape skulls. The harmony and unity of living things in this world, both animal and plants, have given men reason enough to think that there is a Divine Person watching over us. 5. St. Augustine(www.bartleby.com/65/au/AugustnSt.html). He espouses the theory that happiness is the end object of man and this could be obtained thru the bible. St. Augustine said that virtue, art of living rightly and well, is the order of love. God is love. Since Plato said that morality is following the divine model, St. Augustine further improves on this by saying love is very important, for it makes us like Love (God). Virtue is the art of living rightly and well is the order of love. Doing bad actions is not love. Augustine's ethics tells that love and justice must go together. Man is endowed with reason and passion. Virtue is a theory that was taught by Socrates. Love is also is a result of St. Augustine's study of the teachings of the Greek Philosophers starting with Socrates. He has combined other modern day theories to the teachings of these Greek teachers. St. Augustine tells us that loving your neighbor as you love yourself is the second law in accordance with the bible. St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, also said, that love of God is the first priority in man's temporary journey into this world. This was influenced by Socrates' teaching of question and answer and rationalism, or reasoning, to prove or disprove a fact or opinion. Conclusion Socrates taught his students the philosophy of questions and answer in order to help the patients or students clarify what the main question is, then the students or patients will then gather the necessary data or materials for him or her to make an analysis of the data gathered. The students or patients will then make, by themselves, several recommendations to the one problem they have generated in the beginning of the quest. The patients or students then make a conclusion or single recommended action or choice by themselves again. All thru the process, Socrates only acted as guide or moderator and never gave his own advices or opinions to be "forcefully" followed by the student or patient. The followers of Socrates took his teachings a littler further. They added their own theories on virtue, happiness, goodness, pleasure, pain, and love. They also emphasized that God is a reason by Himself that cannot be proved by human reasoning like " seeing is believing". Since we do not see God physically with our eyes or ears or touch or smell, there is no God. This is human reasoning. Reasoning is the major focus of Aristotle. He said that we can know the trueness or the falseness of a fact or opinion thru reasoning. Reasoning could be done by experimentation thru use of our five senses. St. Augustine, meanwhile taught that love is important. Love of God and love of neighbor is the paramount law in our temporary journey in this world that we live in. Socrates also taught about ethics. St Augustine following the teachings of Aristotle, a student of Socrates, also taught about ethics. But St. Augustine added his own version of the ethics. Social ethics is commonly related to ethics. Socrates taught that he did not approve of tyranny or democracy. What he believed in was that a government ruled by a person of great ability, knowledge, and virtue. Therefore, to Socrates, happiness is achieved if we pursue a life of knowledge and virtue. Plato taught about idealism. Idealism was that man was on a temporary journey in this world. He must try to live a life of purity. He should contemplate on the various ways to journey in this world in a purely spiritual way by imitating, as best he could, his original self of spirit. After his long hazardous, painful and happy journey, he will return back to his original self. Plato espoused rationalism. This was originally taught by Socrates. Plato continued the teachings of his mentor, Socrates, and taught that we will only know that a thing is true if it can be proven thru reasoning that it is, in fact, true or, otherwise, the fact or opinion presented, with high probability, could be false. Aristotle then had some followers who believed, followed and improved on his rationalism theory. One of his famous ardent philosopher follower is the Catholic Church' St. Thomas Aquinas. 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