Finally, Socrates comes to the idea of knowledge as true judgment accompanied by "an account," meaning evidence or reason. In this context, knowledge would mean not only believing something true, but also having a reasonable justification for that belief; in other words, this definition proposes that knowledge means knowing a true thing and knowing why that thing is true. However, even here Socrates has a problem with the definition, because one cannot ultimately distinguish between the preliminary knowledge required for true judgment and the knowledge required to make an account of that judgment, such that one is led in circle back to the defining of knowledge. Ultimately, Socrates concludes that they cannot truly define knowledge (at least that point) and gives up.
The attempts to define knowledge in Theaetetus is particularly interesting because it simultaneously demonstrates how Plato suffers from a lack of critical depth regarding the presence of evidence…...

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Works Cited

Aristotle. The Metaphysics. New York: Cosimo, Inc., 2008.

Plato. The Republic. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000.

Plato and Aristotle
Metaphysics

The idea of metaphysics is a complex idea that focuses on expanding beyond the mere realities of physics within the natural world. In a sense, this goes "beyond physics," in that the study of metaphysics is "devoted to matters that transcend the mundane concerns" expounded by those of practical scientists such as Einstein and Heisenberg (van Inwagen, Peter). So in a broad term, "metaphysics" attempts to delve deeply into the matters that try to understand and explain that with which still has no explanation.

Neither Plato nor Aristotle coined the term "metaphysics," though it does become the name of Aristotle's collective works, which revolved around the subject that would be later known as "metaphysics" (or "ontology"). In attempting to answer the metaphysical questions of "What is Substance?" And "What is there?" both Plato and Aristotle provide ideas that could help them understand these questions. In some respects, both philosophers…...

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Resources

Falcon, Andrea, "Aristotle on Causality," The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2011 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = .

Frede, Dorothea, "Plato's Ethics: An Overview," The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2009 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = .

Gottlieb, Paula. "Aristotle on Dividing the Soul and Uniting the Virtues." Phronesis 39.3 (1994): 275-290. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 3 Oct. 2011.

Kreis, Steven, "Greek Thought: Socrates, Plato and Aristotle." The History Guide (2000). URL = .

Plato -- Life and orks
Plato was born in Athens circa 425 BC, just after the onset of the Peloponnesian ar between Athens and Sparta. He lost his father at an early age, but through his mother's marriage to a friend of the leading statesman and general of Athens at the time, Plato became affiliated with some of the most influential circles of a city enjoying a Golden Age. The early historian, Diogenes Laertius states that Plato's birth name was Aristocles and that he was nicknamed Platon, which was the Greek term for "broad," which could have both referred to Plato's intellectual capacity or his forehead/stature (Diogenes Laertius). Plato was reared in the house of his step-father, learning first the works of Cratylus, Parmenides and Pythagoras, and then learning under Socrates, who was friends with Plato's uncle Charmides. Thus, the meeting between Plato and Socrates is not surprising as they ran…...

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Works Cited

Diogenes Laertius. Life of Plato (trans R.D. Hicks). 26 Oct 2013. Web.

O'Connor, J.J., Robertson, E.F. "Plato." University of St. Andrews. 26 Oct 2013.

Web.

"Plato Biography." The European Graduate School. 26 Oct 2013. Web.

He will be a servant to other servants. ithout humility, however, the "servant" will become vain and proud; his vision of truth will likely become distorted by hubris. He will be no good to himself or to others. He will fight with other warrior-kings but for power and influence rather than for truth, beauty and goodness. Humility, in a sense, will keep him honest and in the light (even while laboring in the cave of darkness).
As Plato says, it is the business of the Founders of the State to urge those citizens who are capable of learning towards the light of truth, that they may later labor alongside one another amongst the prisoners, accepting honors when they are bestowed, whether they like it or not (519b). In this manner, Plato means to effect happiness in the whole State. Education benefits those who partake of it, and those who partake…...

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Works Cited

Plato. The Republic. (translated by G.M.A. Grube, revised by C.D.C Reeve).

Indianopolis, IN: Hackett Publishing, 1992. Print.

Plato's Philosopher King
Plato and the Philosopher-King

ith the Allegory of the Cave, Plato expresses the notion that the best thing a philosopher can do is lead the people and that, in turn, a leader (king) must be a philosopher. Plato emphasizes this idea by equating the unenlightened citizens of his Republic to prisoners in chains (they are, in effect, chained by their ignorance of reality and transcendental truth). The philosopher is he who is able to loose himself from the chains of ignorance and follow the light of knowledge and wisdom. Moving toward this light is an ordeal in and of itself, but Plato makes it very clear that embracing the light is only half of the battle: the philosopher must not be content merely with being enlightened, but must descend to the cave from whence he came and share the light with those still imprisoned in darkness. Because the philosopher…...

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Works Cited

Plato. "Parmenides" in Greek Philosophy. (Ed. By Reginald Allen). NY: Free Press,

1991. Print.

Plato. The Republic: The Influential Classic. UK: Capstone Publishing Ltd., 2012.

Print.

Plato's Apology
Discuss the main points of Plato's the Apology

The Apology is based upon series of speeches that were made by Socrates in 39 BC. He was standing trial for corrupting the youth of Athens by not believing in the gods of the city. This is because he would often question various ideas in order to have a greater sense of understand and enlightenment. As a result, there were several main points that he argued in his defense to include: showing his accusers as self-righteous hypocrites, he is obeying the laws of a higher power and the jury / judges was overly influenced by his opponents. ("The Apology")

In the case of showing his accusers as self-righteous hypocrites, Socrates directly questions Meletus (the primary witness) by demonstrating that they are not helping the youth of Athens with these proceedings. Instead, the trial and the charges levied against him are based upon jealousy…...

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References

"Analysis of Plato's Apology." CMU, n.d. Web. 7 Oct. 2012

"The Apology." Spark Notes, 2012. Web. 7 Oct. 2012

Gill, N. "What was the Charge against Socrates?"About.com, 2012. Web. 7 Oct. 2012

Plato. The Apology. Wauconda, IL: Bolchzy, 1997. Print.

Plato and Death
One of the most influential minds in western philosophy describing this search for meaning was Plato. Plato lived from 422-347 B.C, and was born into an aristocratic family in the city of Athens where he became a student of Socrates, and eventually a teacher of Aristotle. As a student of Socrates, Plato followed the structure of philosophical agreement to ensure a just society - no laws are to be broken despite their relevance. The ability for an agreed upon purpose to structure society, law, is important to both the general populace and to philosophers. This theme of law, self-actualization, and justification of responses, resources, and human thought would run through all of Plato's works. Plato's "Theory of Forms" or "Theory of Ideas" assets that non-material ideas are the basis for truth and fundamental reality, not the material and constantly evolving world we perceive on a daily basis. For…...

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REFERENCES

Annas, J. (2003). Plato -- A Very Short Introduction. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press.

Plato. (1966). Phaedo. Tufts University Perseus Project. Retrieved from:  http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=plat.+phaedo+57a&redirect=true

This is very true because even in modern times students who desire to attain good grades will endeavor for that, but a student who has no desire will only go to school to pass time. This analogy can also be vice versa, a petty man can become a gentleman and a gentleman can also become a petty man Austin, Page 106.
The main reason they do not change places is because neither of them desires to become the other. This shows that although a person may desire to become something else it might not be possible for them to actually do it. According to Mencius arguments then this point does not exist at all. Considering that all human beings are born good and it is only the external forces which drive them to do evil. Then it can be misunderstood that the petty man was a gentleman, but due to…...

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References

Austin, M. Reading the World: Ideas That Matter. New York, New York 10110: W.W. Norton & Company, 2010. Print.

Bloom, Irene. "Human Nature and Biological Nature in Mencius." Philosophy East & West 47.1 (1997): 21. Print.

Chan, W.T. A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2008. Print.

Collins, R. The Sociology of Philosophies: A Global Theory of Intellectual Change. Boston, MA 02163: "The" Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1998. Print.

Plato, the Republic by Francis MacDonald Cornfield. Answer each question fully explaining the answer.
What is Socrates explanation of the nature of justice in individuals?

Socrates determines through much discussion that the nature of justice in the individual is associated with a balance of the natural state of harmony in the individual. The individual therefore determines his or her ideal of justice by being true to his or her most suitable practice. For Socrates, justice in the individual is harmony among the three principles of the soul, (reason, appetite, and spirit) achieved by rationality, or reason the wisest faculty. Justice in individuals is analogous to the justice of a society as justice is achieved only when those more capable and educated to lead are leading as an aspect of their most suitable practice, when those elements are in place in a society then the society is just and Socrates would say that…...

It is very dark in the cave, and everything, including the face of the person next to them, is in deep shadows. It is never mentioned whether the people are happy or sad, or whether they speak to each other. It is assumed that they speak at least enough to put names to the shadows they see on the far wall. According to some, the chains that bind the prisoners represent human senses, and the cave and the way they see it represents human life. Behind them is a fire, and there are people moving around between the fire and the people that are chained, so that the shadows are cast on the back wall of the cave for the chained people to observe. The only bright spot in the cave is the fire, and the only things for the people to watch are the shadows. They cannot turn…...

I agree with the theory that humans are born with innate ideas. This idea was best expressed by Plato (2010), who argued that “man must have intelligence of universals, and be able to proceed from the many particulars of sense to one conception of reason” (p. 417). Locke’s idea of the tabula rasa eliminates the idea of the transcendental—the one, the good and the true—that were at the heart of Plato’s philosophy. Plato argued that the soul had these ideals imprinted upon it from the beginning, as a result of the soul’s having passed before God. Innate ideas were what allowed one to “recollect” or acknowledge truth or goodness when it was encountered, for a sense of these things was innate or in the soul: “this is the recollection of those things which our soul once saw while following God—when regardless of that which we now call being she raised…...

Plato's The Republic
Throughout the book, the ideas of Plato and his peers center on the social conditions of an ideal republic, which lead each person to the perfect possible life. Socrates, who was Plato's mentor, acts as a moderator during Plato's discussions, presenting a series of questions and topics that contribute to Plato's ideas of a perfect society. At the beginning of The Republic, Plato asks the fundamental question of what is justice? This becomes one of the key issues of the book, along with Plato's ideas about forms.

Socrates had just attended a festival and was returning to Athens when he met Polemarchos on the road. Polemarchos insisted that Socrates join him at his home to meet his family and friends. The group began a conversation about justice. Polemarchos said that justice was giving back what is owed. Socrates argued that if he returned a weapon to a friend who…...

Americans basically believe that schools should teach children how to become productive citizens who are willing to participate in capitalist enterprise, a philosophy that Plato did not contend with in ancient Athens.
Today, millions of Americans are obese or out of shape. At the same time, Americans are obsessed with bodies, which are plastered on the cover of almost every newsstand magazine. But because schools do not promote physical education as being integral to the development of the whole human being, exercise is conveyed as a struggle. As a result, people force themselves to go to the gym knowing that the exercise will keep them fit. The pursuit of money in modern American society has made care of the body secondary.

On the other hand, care of the body was a primary concern for many ancient Greeks. The ancient Greeks were aware of both the aesthetic and salutary benefits of physical…...

In his model, Plato is therefore unjust.
Just as his social and political arrangement of a city is inappropriate for humans, so too is his argument for the humans in that political and social arrangement. Most of his arguments for the individuals in this society can be found in his fifth book. hile be first begins with the argument that men and women should be treated equally in education, occupation, and war -- a modern idea -- this furthers his unjust expectations of humans. It is an attempt to further dehumanize the humans that live in his society by refusing to acknowledge their emotional and human characteristics by acknowledging, instead, the characteristics that can be used to make use of them in society. In an even greater assault of these human ideas, Plato states that the wives of guardians will be chosen for them, as well as wondering how "marriages…...

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Works Cited

Brown, Eric. "Plato's Ethics and Politics in The Republic." 1 April 2003. 19 May 2009.

Plato. "The Republic." Trans. Benjamin Jowett. The Internet Classics Archive. 2009.

MIT. 19 May 2009.

They do not occupy space. Nevertheless, although the Form of a circle has never been seen -- -indeed, could never be seen -- -mathematicians and others do in fact know what a circle is. That they can define a circle is evidence that they know what it is. For Plato, therefore, the Form "circularity" exists, but not in the physical world of space and time. It exists as a changeless object in the world of Forms or Ideas, which can be known only by reason."
Forms have greater reality than objects in the physical world both because of their perfection and stability and because they are models of reality (Vincent, 2005). Circularity, squareness, and triangularity are all good examples of what Plato meant by Forms. An object in the physical world may be called a circle or a square or a triangle only to the extent that it resembles the…...

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Bibliography

Field, G. (1956). The philosophy of Plato. Oxford.

Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. (1996). Plato. Grolier Interactive, Inc.

Harris, William. (2000). Plato: Mathematician or Mystic? Middlebury College.

J.O. Urmson and Jonathan Ree, (1991). The Concise Encyclopedia of Western Philosophy and Philosophers. London: Unman Hyman.

Plato's underlying attitude toward the body is that it is temporary, and something to be cast off. The body is not the person, it is a shell. The actual person is what resides inside the body until separated by death. Overcoming the fear of death and feeling like death could actually be a good thing - a new adventure - is a large part of Plato's focus. Whether he is correct in this cannot be answered, because there is no factual proof of whether or not a person lives on after the body dies. Many believe it does, but there....

One of the cornerstones of the idea of liberty and freedom, especially when viewed from a religious perspective like Thomas Merton’s, is the idea of free will.  Whether human beings truly have free will is a surprisingly divisive philosophical question that, by design, must consider questions like natural versus nurture, motivation, the influence of society on people, and even the nature of good and evil (O’Connor).  However, the idea of free will is central to Christianity and also to Merton’s explorations of liberty and freedom in a Christian context.

Using the concept of free will to explore the....

Thomas Aquinas was an Italian philosopher who was eventually canonized and made into a saint.  Because of his sainthood, there are myths surrounding Thomas Aquinas that may be difficult to distinguish from the factual information surrounding his life.  As a result, you may want to be wary when looking at religious sources of information about his life, if you are supposed to be focusing on fact-based biographical-type information.  However, investing the mythology of his life would also be a worthwhile topic of pursuit, such as his proof of the existence of God.....

It can be difficult to distinguish between the different approaches taken by various philosophers.  Plato and Aristotle were directly linked to each other and to Socrates in a student-teacher relationship. Socrates taught Plato, who taught Aristotle.  However, Alfarabi was not part of this relationship.  While he was very influenced by Plato’s philosophy, in many ways he took a very different approach to philosophy, particularly the understanding of the relationship between the body and the soul.  The difference in philosophical approaches is very noticeable in how each of the three philosophers viewed the....