The Big Three Ancient Greek Philosophers

Most of the information that we learn about Socrates comes from the work and writings of one of his students, Plato. It has been alleged that the great Philosopher wrote nothing down for others to read, and as such, the knowledge and the teachings from Socrates that is relied upon to convey his philosophy and the epic story of his life comes not from himself, but his students who attempt to provide and accurate picture of the methods and philosophical beliefs held by their mentor and teacher.

Once a mind has reached a level of imagination, people will start to think for themselves and begin to acquire a high curiosity of what is seen with the naked eye. With the Athenian democracy promoting a development of intellect, philosophers and philosophy began to emerge along with their ideas and share it to the world. In the Article, “Ancient Greek Culture and Civilization,” the author states, “The Philosophers-Socrates, Plato and Aristotle contributed to the way of thinking,human life, and science.” Ancient Greece philosophy fixated on the attitude of question and reasoning. Philosophy had an important significance on modern science and modern day philosophy. The three main philosophers of Greece were Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. They contributed to the expansion of medieval scientists and

Plato was a student of Socrates and a teacher of Aristotle. Together, these three men are regarded as the founders of Western philosophy. Plato dedicated his life to helping people reach fulfillment. He established the Academy of Athens. He is often commended for allowing his ideas to be open to interpretation. Among Plato’s popular theories:

Socrates; the founder of Western Philosophy, the first user of the Socratic method and Socratic irony, contributor to the field of ethics, and martyr for teaching what he thought was right. Indeed, Socrates is a household name, yet the picture many hold of Socrates may not be true to who Socrates actually was. Socrates considered himself a teacher and a thinker, not a writer, thus he wrote none of his teachings or thoughts down. As a consequence, the only surviving accounts of Socrates come second hand from his pupils, Plato and Xenophon, and from the playwright Aristophanes. However, it is difficult to tell how much of the Socrates depicted in the works of those men is embellishment or outright fabrication, and how much is truth. This problem, the Socratic Problem, has been troubling historians and philosophers for centuries, and will go on doing so. While the real Socrates may never be known, Socrates the character may be studied extensively through the works of his pupils. Plato’s Symposium depicts Socrates in an informal setting, getting drunk with friends, and offers an opportunity to see Socrates’ character and personality more clearly. While Symposium is set at a party, Socrates is still shown to be a larger-than-life, idealized character, who may have been too brilliant and perfect to be true.

Of all influential people in the history of the human race, there is one that stands out from the rest. It is not because of his heroic acts or physical prowess, but because of his unique perspective on the world. This person is Socrates, an ancient Greek philosopher, who changed the world with his ideas and teachings. His influence is still visible to this very day. Socrates had many influential ideas that not only affected his time, but also the current day world.

Socrates is an influential character in The Republic. He is probably most influential in this one than any other. He says interesting things that make even the most scholarly people think. He believes in things that are controversial to what everyone believed in his time, and what a lot of people believe now. What he says makes sense and makes he or she rethink about what they believe.

Aristotle and Plato are two of the most influential philosophers in history. Plato was Socrates’ greatest student and in turn taught Aristotle. In time, Aristotle became Plato’s greatest student. Together Aristotle and Plato, along with Socrates, laid the groundwork for what we now know as Western philosophy and science.

Socrates is one of the most popular philosophers of all the times. He was the first to study ethics and principles of morality and he always claimed that he did not put knowledge in anyone, yet asked serious questions which contributed to numerous debates (Class notes). Despite his high intellectual level, Athens condemned him with several charges such as the corruption of youth as the society of this time viewed secular knowledge as an obstruction to the achievement of spiritual enlightenment (Class notes.) After his death and his famous trial, Socrates’s philosophy had an enormous impact on the Western Civilization. Socrates’ philosophy could be found in Plato’s works. For example, The Republic written in a form of discussion is an influential book that contributes to several debates. Even if some argue about the validity and accuracy of Plato’s works regarding Socrates’ philosophy, those works allow us to conclude that Socrates was devoted and dedicated to truth. Socrates was concerned with the immutable universal concept of truth, goodness, and justice and thus, wanted to transmit and instore those principles to the city of Athens.

Throughout the world’s history, there have been civilizations that have come and gone. These civilizations are represented to the world today by leaders and their ideals of those times. One such leader was a person of thought from the city-state Athens in Greece. (7) This person was Socrates, “the quintessential philosopher, the seeker and conveyor of wisdom.” (8) Paul Johnson states, “Such a man is well worth knowing about, and for 2,500 years the learned and intellectually enterprising in all countries have sought to know him.” (8) But what is really known about a man who lived thousands of years ago and who left no written record of himself. The starting point to understand Socrates and his thoughts are through the words of his pupils. (8-9) Socrates was a philosopher whose ideals changed the world around him and have an effect the world today.

Two of the greatest philosophers of Athens, Socrates and Plato, each gave their ideas on several issues. These issues included justice, government and education, allegories about the Line and the Cave. Also, their views could be tied into the first chapter of the book that we have. The views and ideas of Socrates and Plato had an influence on several governments that would follow their time.

Often times, when we look back at the great leaders and thinkers throughout human history we tend to romanticize these figures as having some manner of super human capability. As if we think our heroes are exempt from the same human short comings that we are all subject to. When we posthumously speak of war generals, politicians, entertainers, and other public figures we typically dwell on their positive attributes, conveniently forgetting the things in them that remind us of the human frailties that we all possess. We deify those who resist authority and are willing to martyr themselves for their beliefs and march towards death without trepidation. It is amongst this company that Socrates is commonly included,

The three main Greek philosophers were Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Socrates is remembered for how he taught than what he taught. He liked to appear ignorant by asking lots of questions and helped expand the minds of others. He pointed out faults in people’s thoughts and understanding of life and society.

One important contributor to the field of philosophy was Socrates. Socrates was a great

The Enlightenment was the beginning of new ideas which included scientific discoveries, new ideas in politics as well as in philosophy. During the Englitement, phylosophers began to revert back to the study of ancient civilizations and began to convert these concepts into politics and science. Many new philosophers and scientists evolved from the birth of "natural laws" that governed the era of the Englitenment. It was also through the in-depth studies of Greek philosophers, such as Aristotle, new ideas began to arise. In this mannor, the Englitenment was a movement that allowed logic to be inforced, rather than the superstition that ruled the Middle Ages.

In ancient Greece, being a philosopher carried various implications, several of which were unfavorable. In a time when natural philosophers were accused for being non-believers in the traditional deities and sophists were defamed for selling their intellectual services for money, Socrates fit in neither category. Nonetheless, the moment Socrates decided to become an enquirer, or a philosopher of human nature, he was chastised. His enemies, men he had either insulted or embarrassed, sought vengeance and in their process to do so, tried to define him. Accused of being an atheist and a corruptor of the youth, Socrates was viewed harshly by the society he lived in, but, despite this, his true nature revealed itself through his words and Plato’s dialogues. His prosecutors aimed to vilify his name and profession, and ultimately sentence him to death, a goal they eventually completed, but the accusations were not definitive of who he was. Socrates was a philosopher, first and foremost, attempting to find the reasons for various phenomenon, but he was also a self-professed prophet, indirectly given a prophecy from the gods, determined to use dialectic to bring about self-awareness in his fellow citizens. His ideologies, thus, became the building blocks for the philosophers of the generations succeeding him.