Socrates, the Genius of the Ancient Times - Essay Example

Socrates Socrates is an ancient Greek philosopher who has been acknowledged time and again for his bringing into basis the tenets of Western philosophy. His pursuit of wisdom was one that used to focus on his own style rather than imitating someone else’s. He brought things into action from his personal reflection and thus his point of view was considered as authentic, genuine and right from the wisest brain in all of Greece. People used to have a number of uncanny queries which were more or less in relation with his opinions. On the one end, his followers did not seem to get tired praising him and his philosophies endlessly while the critics were there aplenty nonetheless. In all fairness, he was ridiculed at time as well. On the other hand, he raised devoted followers in Plato who was regarded as another great philosopher of his time. Socrates portrayed Plato in quite a vivid and open manner which came to light as a basic model for the member of the clergy within the parish council. This was due to the fact that the role of these pastors had become somewhat difficult to understand in the setting of a council and thus looking at Socrates within the related setting made us realize of the illumination aspect of this setting. Socrates has made sure that he shows us the way in this council by being quite open and frank as his questions have given food for thought, at all times possible. His assertions have made one and all understand the true intricacies related with the discussion at hand and Plato’s conceptions, as and when raised. The book Parable of the Cave gives the ideology of a journey which Socrates is basically trying to tell. This point of view is related with each man’s separate version of his world and the manner in which he sees it fit with regards to the realities faced with the passage of time. In the quest of reaching the intellectual self within one’s own world, the hardships faced are immense and this raises quite a many troubles for the person under study. Thus, as Socrates puts it, is a journey that is not for the weak hearted. It encompasses the route towards enlightenment and clarification nonetheless. The image presented of the cave is such that it is a basic linkage point with the human condition. The same could be held in abeyance with having education and at times, even lack of it. The imagination raised here is that prisoners are held in a cave where their heads are immovable and hands cuffed. This makes it quite a difficult task for them to understand what is going on since they see only what they are made to see, right in the direction of their heads. This glance is not voluntary as a matter of fact and is dictated by the wishes of the people who have made them as captives. The picturing of the whole message communication amongst the captives and the people have had them there in the first place is interesting to say the least since the men tied up can relate with the voices coming from the shadows which have formed up on the wall. The objects, so as to speak are hidden behind these voices and yet cannot be seen by them since the heads of the tied men are not able to move as previously described. Their voices are not on a consistent basis but are heard once so often. The echoes seem to prolong the voices thus heard and the process gets a bit mutilated for the tied men at the end. This is an irony since they cannot see for themselves who is talking to them and what their emotions, expressions and gestures are in the first place. They can just relate to these voices through the shadows built on the wall. One interesting aspect that we can discuss here is that the prisoners can talk between themselves and thus their making up of these voices looks strange right from the onset. They have assumed certain names to what they see and hear and it raises quite a number of questions as concerns to the authenticity of the whole drama that is taking place. For this, Socrates raises his view that the only real people in this world are hidden beneath the artifacts and indeed these artifacts make up for the real men and women who know what the situation is like and how they can maneuver themselves in line with the changing circumstances and times. One can easily fathom that these prisoners are indeed amazing as they exhibit something strange about not only their own selves but also about the whole situation at hand. The weirdness related with these prisoners raises a point or two when we find out that they have assumed names for the shadows that are created on the wall and which are being touched by the voices that seem to have no basis in terms of their owners, yet the shadows give them their individual self and identity. Socrates raises the point in relation with this point that these men are pretty much like the normal human beings or like us. They are no different and should in no way be remarked as one. Moving further ahead in the book, we find the discussion relating with the prisoners in the cave. The writer makes us realize that the prisoners are looking in the wrong direction and this is something that is contrary to the earlier understanding which was developed. The manner in which the bonds have been created between them refuses them to turn their heads and thus look in some other direction. They have to focus on the back side of their heads to understand the actual basis of the voices which get raised from time to time but what they can see, at the present moment is nothing but the rear end of the wall. The prisoners need to stand up and turn their backs towards this wall and start their journey towards the firelight but then again we need to realize that they are chained – a true pretext that seems to have been forgotten all this while. As Plato brings to light the aspect of education, we find out that indeed the right sort of ruler can only come to the notice of all and sundry if and only if there is systematic education and knowledge within the related ranks and this is one point that Plato has made sure to concentrate his attention time and time again. This education raises the question related with images of the sun, the line which is making the division within the cave and last but not the least, the cave itself. In the book, the world outside the cave and above it is the lucid region, one that is not reachable to basic thinking and mindset of a common man, however reasoning of his can have a grasp of the related hang of things. The world has more real and physical objects or creatures as compared to the cave scene where the artifacts seemed to have outnumbered the reality basis of things. These objects are originals and hence they do not bear any resemblance with the artifacts since the latter seemed to have inspiration and at times imitation directly from the real objects, as is the case the world over. In the Parable of the Cave, Socrates raises the point that a person who seems to have emerged from the inner depths of a cave and into an environment of sunlight, which is inferring for attaining education and getting acquainted with the world knowledge, is the only person who is able to take the right decisions and make wise decisions throughout his life. This has a very deep and embedded meaning which gives food for thought for students of philosophy and even to those who want to understand the psyche of life. He also asserts that others might act wise at certain times if a certain kind of force is exerted upon them but this might just not be the case on a consistent basis. Lack of knowledge is the basic difference between the two and the real point of segregation nonetheless. With regards to the guardian’s education as raised in the book concerning the argument of education, we find out that there has been a claim in the ideology related with the each part of soul having its own distinctive form of attaining pleasure. This has its roots in the understanding that is in direct linkage with the reorientation which Plato desires to offset as concerns to his different methodologies related with education and the like. It was in the Republic that we see different classes coming into action whereby there were producers, guardians and rulers nonetheless and it was the meaning that held emphasis for their own whims that they were given motivations in terms of their respective souls and the manner in which the same ruled over these people, divided by distinct classes. BIBLIOGRAPHY Fischer, Mark F. (1991) Socrates in the Parish Council Today’s Parish Sellars, Wilfrid. (1967) Philosophy and the Scientific Image of Man Routledge The Parable of the Cave Found Online at: http://www.mnstate.edu/gracyk/courses/web%20publishing/PlatosCave.htm Word Count: 1,520 Read More