Socrates Vs Socrates - 1704 Words

Socrates and Aristotle would think that philosophy was for the greater good and expanding the minds of those around them. Socrates in particular would regard philosophy as conversational and weeding out those who ‘know’ and those who do not. Aristotle would use philosophy to try to reach the conclusion on what happiness is. These great thinkers believed absolute contemplation was the greatest pleasure human beings could reach, so for them philosophy was reaching a type of Nirvana. Take the Apology as an example of what Socrates thought about philosophy. When charged with atheism and corrupting the youth he defends himself by claiming he is an ignorant man. Socrates is on a search for the wisest man after being told by an oracle that it is†¦show more content†¦Sadly, we know of Socrates’ fate and with him trying to change Athens for the better it backfires on him. But, Socrates leaves those who attended his trial his with some final words that speak to who he is and how he felt about what he was doing regarding his philosophy. â€Å"If, I say, now, when, as I conceive and imagine, God orders me to fulfil the philosophers mission of searching into myself and other men, I were to desert my post through fear of death, or any other fear; that would indeed be strange, and I might justly be arraigned in court for denying the existence of the gods, if I disobeyed the oracle because I was afraid of death: then I should be fancying that I was wise when I was not wise. For this fear of death is indeed the pretence of wisdom, and not real wisdom, being the appearance of knowing the unknown; since no one knows whether death, which they in their fear apprehend to be the greatest evil, may not be the greatest good† (Apology, Plato). As I stated in my introduction Socrates and Aristotle believed that contemplative thought was the highest form of human life. That this concept of thinking and attempting to answer life’s hardest question s was the best thing to occur to any human being. When looking at their point of view of what is the highest kind of pleasure a human can achieve it begs the question if that isShow MoreRelatedAristophanes Vs Socrates1472 Words   |  6 Pages ARISTOPHANES VERSES PLATO’S VIEW OF SOCRATES Student’s Name Course Name Date Introduction The historical story of Socrates depicts why he was able to attract critics and followers from different geographical locations. A more profound assessment of his biography reveals how his arrogance put him on the wrong side of the law on many occasions throughout his life. It is essential to note that the significance of Socrates contribution to the society cannot be sidelined based on theRead MoreSocrates vs Protagoras1705 Words   |  7 PagesPhilosophy Socrates a sophist? Or just sophisticated? 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