In Ancient Greece, the philosopher Socrates was a firm believer that nature was the dominant and sole driving force of man. Fellow philosopher Aristotle, however, believed that goodness could be taught to others through the correct and appropriate usage of nurture. While the age-old argument has yet to be decided upon, modern day sociology dictates that child development relies heavily on the environment and relationships surrounding them; if the two are negative, they will have detrimental effects on the child. If the way children are nurtured (or lack thereof) has such an impact on their development early in life, and subsequently affects who they become as adults, then it is safe to assume that nurture plays a larger part in human development than nature does. Although Socrates believes …show more content…
It becomes apparent that Socrates believes that nature triumphs over nurture when he proclaims to Meno, "...it turns out that being good is not something that can be taught; instead, it seems it arises by gift of god, and without understanding, in the people who have it" (Plato 133). Socrates attests to Meno that while it is certainly possible for men to be good, it is impossible for a man to learn to be good from a fellow peer or so-called "teacher." As Meno is unsatisfied with Socrates' argument, Socrates attempts to aid him in understanding by providing him with an explanation on the distinction between knowledge and opinion. Marthe Chandler, a professor of philosophy at DePauw university, describes this when she remarks, "Right opinion and knowledge are both as useful as the statues are lifelike, but just as the statues fly away if they are not tied down, right opinion leaves us--is forgotten--if it is not "tied down" by the logical reasoning
At the center of the issues of what influences child development, would be the controversy between nature versus nurture . Nature and nurture are two major influences on development. Over the years there had been a lot of researches , for nature and nurture and the influence on children’s development that has been known for the lead census of the developmental and psychology that shoes the importance of both genetics and the environment. (Monographs of the society for Research in Child development, 2007). Even though nature versus nurture does play a big role in child development , nurture seems to be just a little bit
Nature versus Nurture has been a debate in education since the late 1600’s. The debate began with John Locke 's perspective of children as “tabula rasa” meaning blank slate, when he stated that at birth we are all the same, but it is our unique “experiences that write the script of our behavioral repertoire” (Allen, Boykin, & Jagers, n. d.). His theory states that an individual 's experience and environment is what makes them who they are. This idea gave us the foundation for our “nurture” argument, even though at the time he initially proposed this idea, it was seen to be in direct conflict with ideals of previous philosophers.
One of the main, and most controversial topics discussed in a child’s development is, nature vs. nurture. Nature pertains to genetic influences that a child has inherited from their parents, such as traits, abilities, and capacities. For instance, what color eyes the child may have, how athletic they may be, and even their brain development. Whereas nurture, refers to the environment the child is raised in and how this shapes their behaviors. Such factors can include, the family’s socio-economic status, schooling, parental discipline, as well as whether the child is provided with enough resources. When it comes to nature or nurture having a stronger influence then the other, the answer is both, nature and nurture, influence the outcome of the child. This idea that both nature and nurture, play a part in how the child will develop, is known as the nature-nurture continuum.
Socrates interaction with Meno started a chain reaction of arguments, claims, and theories. Socrates is known for exposing the ignorance of ethical claims and definitions. In Plato Socrates justifies his actions by stating how he is essentially providing society a service by teaching proper moral values. He believes that living a good life is knowing one’s limitation on their intelligence and seeking knowledge that could help them morally and intellectually. On this basis, Socrates enlists an argument with Meno of what is virtue in terms of the form and characteristics. Socrates, himself, confessed he did not know what virtue is, and in the hope of doing so, presses Meno on his interpretations of virtue. In Plato's, Meno Socrates deducts a claim that “no one desires bad things’’ and gives a valid argument that considers human values and human reasoning.
In the beautiful city of Athens, Greece, there was a philosopher Socrates, and his "Socratic method," was laid on the groundwork for the Western systems of logic and philosophy. Socrates did believe that he didn't know anything, and It was because of this that the Oracle told Socrates that he was wise and that he should seek out the 'wise men' to hear what they had to say. So Socrates began to travel to different parts of Greece to question the suppose 'wise’ men to see if they really knew all the answers to life. The youth laid their eyes on Socrates since he possessed a different way of thinking and living. His unique method of questioning and insulting was believed that he
Is Socrates a teacher? The answer is yes. Socrates is a teacher in many ways, but what is a teacher? A teacher is somebody who shows or tells you something you didn’t see or know before. What you learn from a teacher doesn’t need to be anything positive or anything that benefits you. Socrates teaches people things very often, and there is proof of this throughout Euthyphro, Crito, and Meno. Not everything he teaches is seen as beneficial to society, but he teaches people many beneficial things as well.
One of the oldest, most prominent topics of academic debate is the Nature vs. Nurture argument. Nature vs. Nurture is a largely psychological term, in which the Nature aspect places more significance on genetics and personality; our innate predisposition to various circumstances tell us a great deal more about who we are. On the other side, the Nurture aspect places more focus on our environment and stresses the salience of the majority of what we do in our daily lives have been “learned” We see a wide array of examples of this specific argument in literature, popular culture, and even in our everyday lives. While no one can deny that both sides have extremely valid points, it would be very naive to assume that one had more of a dominant factor;
When we look at the science of human development, the main consideration is how people change over time. In the age old question of nature versus nurture, there are some that believe the characteristics and traits within us are innate, meaning we are born with them. Still others feel that nurturing, our environmental influences like friends, community, schools, media and even parents affect who we are. This is a false dichotomy, it is not which-but how much of each because both play crucial roles in our development (Berger 2015).
Through history, the idea of nature vs. nurture has been a hotly debated issue. Nature, or genetics is often believed to be the most important aspect of a persons’ upbringing, as nature is something intrinsic to any one person. However, many debate that nurture, or the care and encouragement of any human life, trumps nature. The earliest evidence and rebuttals of these theories have been honed and developed over time by specific psychologists and educational theorists – all who hoped to prove their own ideas as fact at one time in history.
In the Meno, Socrates and Meno discuss the nature of virtue, the process of acquiring knowledge, and also the concept of the teachability of virtue. Throughout the text, Meno suggests many varying definitions for virtue, all of which Socrates is able to dismantle. The point is also raised that it may be impossible to know about something that was not previously understood, because the searcher would have no idea what to be looking for. To dispute this, Socrates makes a point that all knowledge is innate, and the process of “learning” is really just recollecting knowledge that is buried deeply within the human mind. The issue of the teachability of virtue is an important theme in this dialogue because it raises points about whether virtue is knowledge, which then leads to the issue of knowledge in general.
While in a conversation with Socrates, Meno then asks if virtue can ever be taught. Socrates answers his question in that they both have to discuss at that point if virtue can be taught because he is uncertain. They must first define clearly what virtue is to even answer Meno’s question of if virtue can even be taught or not. At the end of the debate, the final conclusion Socrates makes is that virtue is not something natural or can never be taught. Socrates then believes that it is just simply a “gift from god” that we all receive it without ever realizing. Through the process, Meno and Socrates go at it, Meno thinking he is getting close to the correct answer just to have Socrates shot it down. After a few times of Meno guessing, he doesn 't have anything else to say and gives up. Socrates main argument responds with that learning is not discovering anything new but rather remembering something the soul knew before your
Socrates had a unique way of teaching and expressing his thoughts and ideas. He taught by constantly posing questions with the assumption that any person could approach the truth through logic if he set aside ingrained prejudice and received knowledge (Hattersley 17,18). His dialectic method of questioning consisted of a subject being broken down by one or more people, in search of the same truth but with differing views. Instead of merely trying to convince listeners, Socrates would approach others by questioning what they felt to be true and therefore would be able to determine that person’s true feelings and the basis for those feelings. Socrates was open to receive knowledge wherever he could find it, yet when he approached people who claimed to be wise, he found they really knew nothing. He would challenge preconceived opinions, based on the words of others and fallacious logic. Many felt that he was attacking their identity and security causing them to resent Socrates when he pointed this out. Due to his search for truth, Socrates would, eventually, pay the ultimate price. Socrates teaches us to assume nothing and to question everything. In scientific study today, this is a fundamental element of scientific study, starting with a theory and afterward refining it to the point of when a decisive conclusion is made.
Socrates is known as one of the most prestigious philosophers to ever be alive. In his writing Meno, he tries to figure out or show what knowledge and virtue truly are. Throughout Meno, Socrates uses the argument that knowledge and virtue either are used for good or for evil. The majority of men are good and honorable which always strives for good, but there are some men that want evil and strive for folly. In his argument, Socrates explains that knowledge is something more than just true opinion. His argument explains knowledge as being something that was given to us when we were born. Socrates believes that true knowledge and opinion will always end up giving the correct answer to any sort of issue. When looked at throughout this text, this
Socrates was a great philosopher who had an incredible impact on philosopher of his time and even philosopher today. He lived in Athena from 469 B.C.E to 399 B.C.E. He taught his ism of life on the street to anyone who cared to listen. His philosophy basically was that everyone is responsible for his or her own moral attitudes. He was a critic of democracy. He asked simple questions that had difficult result to people who were considered wise at the time. His precept were based on discovering the Truth , understanding life, and talk about the elements that make up a good life. Socrates was brought to trial with many explosive charge for his teachings and philosophy. Who would know that Socrates trial would have such an impact on philosophy today?
As well as that, Meno proposes an idea that goodness could be taught if it was knowledge - as long as there are teachers to do so. There are none — and therefore, virtue cannot be taught and it cannot be knowledge — yet it is a good thing. In conclusion, the dispute between Meno and Socrates boils down to the agreement that correct guidance is a result of knowledge and true belief, and is as such both useful and