Plato's Contribution to the Ancient and Present Human Thinking - Essay Example

Plato has contributed must to the ancient and present human thinking more than any other person in history with the exclusion of Aristotle (Plato). Plato ideas about ethics affect people in the present days, in different ways. First, he contributed enormously to the doctrine of Christian theology on the conflict between the flesh and the spirit. Secondly, Plato argued for discussion of phenomena in a scientific way which influenced the human mind into scientific mentality. The scientific, mathematical explanations of the world event such as season take after Plato’s doctrine. Plato is cherished for his work, and this is evidenced by the preservations of his work in the ancient Greek more than any other philosopher of his time. According to Alfred Whitehead, the Western philosophy about ethics, metaphysic and ethics all has Plato footnote meaning that his influence of the Western thought is insurmountable (Philosophy). Ethics is the questioning of the moral order that exists in the society. Therefore, the influence of Plato ad Socrates on the modern ethics involves the critics of the system that governs the society and maintains social order. Plato, who took over from Socrates after he was executed, questioned the morality behind the execution of his mentor. In his work the Apology, Plato says ‘the unexamined life is not worth living’ (Chapter Four Socrates And Self-Knowledge). He was rebuking the treatment of Socrates by the authority because of enlightening the youth. Socrates had urged the youth to desist from obeying the self declared elite without questioning their motives. Socrates assured the people that it is their moral right to think for themselves and that what is right and ethical (Chaffee 73). The history of ethics originated from Socrates to Plato and then to Aristotle and Alexander the Great. These are the men who brought down the subject of ethics and politics to the forefront of human thinking (Jowett). Plato helped human question about the ideas of the nature. The Republic offers must understanding about justice. The character in the Republic argues that justice is the ideas and interest of the strong over the weak. In these questioning, Plato makes us understand that not all that is pursued by the mighty is right and that those who pretend to actualise justice are the worst enemy of justice. Through this conversation, Plato makes invokes human thought of what is good or evil and whether the human being are naturally practice injustice or justice (Dorbolo). The analogy of the Ring by Plato in the Republic argues that human would want to exercise power of other human being and if the power to rule is acquired through unjust means; then the rulers are much likely to act unjustly to the governed (Dorbolo). Plato ideas explain the reason behind massacre and genocides in the world today. Some leaders are not ready to leave power to others because they would want to perpetuate corruption and other self interest gains. The thoughts of Plato help us to rise against corruption and other injustices perpetuated by a few to the citizens. There have been revolutions in Europe America and Africa as a result of Plato’s and Socrates ideas. According to Socrates, the ultimate goal of the human being is to actualize happiness. He said that happiness dictates what is good for people, and it can only be reached by practicing of virtue. Socrates argued that nobody is born corrupt only deliberately engages in corruption, but it is ignorance that leads people to do evil. Moreover, he referred to virtues as the prudence ways of men that can be learned through guidance and instructions. Plato and Socrates said though the at most virtues cannot be reached it is for human good to imitate God as He is the ‘Absolute Good.’ Therefore, people search for the well being of themselves and their children and sibling is to fulfil the morals of happiness. Both Plato and Socrates ideas explained that people are always trained to be prudent and emulated religious teachings which advocate people to be like God. Plato teaching explains the establishment of the modern education system. The schools institutions are tasked in moulding behaviours as well as impacting knowledge. Plato argued that education of fellow men makes them realise the important of justice, fortitude and temperance which help them live in harmony. For this reason, Plato said that an ideal State is that which train its people of virtues, and he proposed that it comprises of a ‘State of goods, of wives and public education of the children.’ Plato raised one of the biggest controversies in the field of philosophy. He argued that though education is good for the well being of human, it is innately a recollection of what is already in human’s minds. He said that there is nothing new that people learn, but what education does is to recollect emphasising the important wisdom. Socrates had the similar view of learning. He argued that the uneducated person would answer the question correctly in the ways of Pythagorean Theorem. Plato and Socrates, however, did not explain what the different of innate, perception and knowledge (Samet). Plato ideas help to restore the morality in the ‘hopelessly fallible instrument of human reason’ (Jones 123). The contemporary world just like the ancient society suffers from degeneration of morals and ethics. In his theory of form, Plato justified that a live where justices prevailed are the best place for the human being to coexist with the other being. He blamed the injustices to the degradations of human into an animal world. Plato ideas in the theory of form have shaped the modern society with the establishment of reformed institution of justice to ensure that justice prevails over injustices. Plato’s theory of forms also talked about change. He puzzled how and why people change their ideas and ways of life (Jones 122). Plato questioned that ‘how can something change and still be the same thing?’ Therefore, Plato ethical ideas define what happens in the contemporary world. The world has change in form and manner as it was before. The laws that allowed execution of criminal has now been replaced by imprisonment and community work. It is due to the work of Plato that people has embraced change for the better to transform society to a better place where liberty and pursuit of happiness is guaranteed to all citizens. Plato defined what a State should be ruled. He argued that the wisest were the only people who can rule the citizen while at the same time share the good of knowledge. He argued that the ignorant could be the worst rules because they would maintain the level of ignorance in the society while condemning the wise. Plato, therefore, said that given the wise has understanding, they would share their knowledge by educating the citizen to behave just like the rulers. The moral ethics of the rulers would be shared or coursed to the people through dictatorship. Plato supported the dictatorial leadership of the wise because it is guided benefit the people rather than deny them justice. Plato also argued that the wise would hold all the properties as an entity of the community and not as private property. The ruler would hold the good in common so as to ensure that there are no division and discord while people trying to scramble for a share (Jones 180-182). In conclusion, Plato and Socrates ideas about ethics are playing a big role in the society as if he lives in the past few years. Their ideas of ethics have shaped the human race since their work on the Republic, Apology and others. It is through their ideas that we live in a free world, free from control by the States. Work Cited "Chapter Four Socrates and Self-Knowledge." Web.unlv.edu. 06 Feb. 2009.Web. 16 Mar. 2014. < http://faculty.unlv.edu/paul/Socrates.pdf >. Chaffee. The Philosophers Way: Thinking Critically About Profound Ideas, 4/e . London. Pearson Publisher. Dorbolo, Jon. Plato: Ethics- The Ring of Gyges. Web. Oregonstate.edu. 2002. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. < http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl201/modules/Philosophers/Plato/plato_dialogue_the_ring_of_gyges.html>. Jones, W. T. The Classical Mind: A History of Western Philosophy. 2nd ed. Fort Worth, Tex.: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers, 1970. Philosophy. Plato and Aristotle. Web. Sevenoaksphilosophy.org. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. < http://www.sevenoaksphilosophy.org/ancient/plato-and-aristotle.html>. Samet, Jerry, "The Historical Controversies Surrounding Innateness." N. Zalta (ed.). Web. Stanford.edu. 2008. Web. 15 Mar. 2014. . Read More