Plutarch And Plato

Plutarch And Plato
Plutarch in our textbook tried to define the teaching of Plato as how to love liberty and living it by
focusing on virtue, justice and morality. So, the write could explain Plato's teaching by his students
Dion and Brutus, that they were noble men who had risen from an inconsiderable background. They
were both pupils of Plato whose lives were set parallel by his teachings. Dion should have ended up
in sadness and miserable life. They fought together great struggles and overcame many odds to rise
in power and dominance. However, both Dion and Brutus's lives were cut way before they could
realize their dreams and potential. They had been warned of their impending fall by specters but
became delusional.
Dion was the brother the brother–law of Dionysius. Dionysius on assuming power married two
wives and established himself as a tyrant in Syracuse. Dion's character and natural gifts made
Dionysius connect him with Plato who had visited Sicily. Dion was quick to learn and expressed
exemplary virtue from the innocence of his youth. When Plato visited Sicily, they mainly talk about
morality. Plato proved that the lives of just men ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
For him, excellence is a virtue and liberty. To achieve justice, modern societies will need to adapt
platonic theory of education. Therefore, this is because education is only concerned with the
common good and for attaining justice. In a liberty teaching , a leader can only secure his position
through love and zeal but not through fear or torture. Everyone in the government should have a
voice and allowed to participate in decision making. Revenge may result to worsened situations.
Other means of solving differences can be used that would lead to harmonious relationships.
Wickedness may fail t to sustain a leader at the top position. Power should be exercised with
precaution. The society will always fight to oppose
... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...

Comparison Between Plato And Plato
Over centuries theorists and philosophers and have been creating new ideas in order to help form
society. The philosophers help determine why we obey, what morality is, how to create justice inside
and outside society, the state of nature, equality, and the state of war. They distinguish how the
people and government help create a well–oiled society. Comparing Plato to Rousseau, the
beginning of philosophy to a more modern perspective. In Crito by Plato, Socrates continues a
speech of the Laws of Athens by appealing to a social contract that exists between the Laws and the
citizens. By living in Athens, one must abide by the Laws of Athens. Since Socrates is in prison, if
he were to try to escape he would be breaking the Law. Socrates lived in Athens following the
Athenian Law up to this point. Socrates dismissed the possibility of exile, saying he would rather die
than live outside of Athens. Though they offered the exile freely, to flee Athens when the Law no
longer permitted him to do so. There is no reason or will for Socrates to break to Law now when he
always agreed to follow them. The problem with this is that Socrates ' accusers have unjustly
sentenced him by usig the Laws. The accusers viewed the Laws in their own perspective. By writing
Crito, Plato hoped to distinguish them as a separate entity, making them something human toward
which Socrates might be able to act unjustly. However, it may be hard to deem that the laws of a
state from which the people who apply

Plato
The Conditional Acquittal:
On a Supposed Contradiction in Plato's Apology and Crito
Ben Blanks, Lynchburg College
(Editor's note: This essay by Ben Blanks is the winner of the North Award for the best paper in the
2012 Agora. Ben presented an earlier version of this paper at the ACTC Student Conference at
Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, in March, 2011.)
When reading the Apology and the Crito of Plato, one inevitably comes upon a seeming
fundamental contradiction between the two dialogues. The Apology presents readers with a defiant
Socrates who declares in his trial that, if acquitted on the condition that he never philosophize again,
he would continue to practice philosophy in spite of the jury's order to the contrary:
. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Rather, it clears the debate considerably. If the Apology passage is shown to have been made in
defiance of an illegal court procedure, then the Apology passage cannot be taken as evidence of
Socratic support of civil disobedience. Such evidence, coupled with the obedience to law proscribed
in the Crito, allows the supposed contradiction between the two dialogues to be dismissed.
In order to analyze the Apology and the Crito in relation to each other, one must first make an
assumption that has not been proven to any significant extent. One must assume that the Socrates
character within the two dialogues is both consistent and trustworthy in espousing philosophical
arguments. By accepting this assumption, one can evaluate the inconsistencies within the two
Socratic dialogues as if they were a complete, consistent whole. Following such an assumption, one
can examine the philosophy in the Apology in relation to that within the Crito with logical bearing.
In order to understand the seeming contradiction between the two works, one must understand the
passages on which it is based. The defiance passage of the Apology, when interpreted literally, does
indeed seem to contradict the obedience to the state espoused in the
3 Thomas C. Brickhouse and Nicholas D. Smith, Plato's Socrates (Oxford: Oxford University Press,
1994), 145– 146.
Blanks 3

Crito. In the passage, Socrates declares that, if given a choice between obeying the

Critism in Plato
What is life? This is the one question that to this day still cannot be answered. Over the years
millions of people have had there own interpretation of what is means to live. However the quest to
answer this rhetorical question goes back to the golden days of Greek civilization when the worlds
greatest philosophers first attempted to find the answers to this question. "As his position takes form
in the Republic, Plato claims that only a very few individuals are capable of understanding how
human life is to be lived. If it could be done, the rest of us would be best off it we were to let out
lives be controlled by such individuals". This position held by Plato has been one of much
discussion and disagreement over the years. In this paper I ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
Also you can 't blame him because as it is visible in the Republic, Thrasymachus says, "I declare
justice is nothing but the advantage of the stronger". All that this quote basically incorporates is that
justice is nothing to normal people but in essence it 's just an advantage to those people who are
rulers and are stronger than the ordinary people. He brings up a great point stating that when robbery
and violence are practiced by normal people its considered injustice, however when this is practiced
by mass or most often by rulers or those in charge its considered justice. Since the rulers themselves
do not obey the principles that they impose on the citizens, they are themselves "unjust". Because of
this the tyrant himself is happy because he breaks the rules of justice that he imposes on the weak
people below him. When you are allowing yourself to be governed and controlled by someone else
rather than yourself it is not justice it 's basically considered slavery. These are all the ideas brought
upon by Thrasymachus in the Republic. However on the other hand in Book I of the Republic Plato
's mentor Socrates tries and contests Thrasymachus ' ideas. Socartes brings up a great point in saying
that if the weak themselves were strong enough to prevent someone from becoming a tyrant then
they themselves are strong meaning they don 't need help. Socartes basically insists that a lot of the
power of the man has to do with his

Plato And Plato 's Republic
The ancient Greek Philosopher Plato had an interest in finding the ideal government. In Plato's
Republic, he discusses his ideas and views of how this ideal government would function. He
believed that people are born into 3 different classes, with different responsibilities (Plato 415a).
Only people in the "golden" class were fit to rule. The most effective of these rulers would be
philosophers, as they have knowledge of the good of the whole (Plato 473d). This system seems too
perfect for me. I believe that Plato's republic is unjust and would not work with our modern society,
as it relies too much on the "golden" class choosing what is right for everyone, and there is nothing
to make them accountable if they choose wrong.
Before arguing for my ideas on Plato's Republic, I will elaborate more on what the Republic entails.
Plato believed that the citizens of a state should be told "you are brothers, yet God has framed you
differently" (Plato 415a). Some people are born into the golden class fit for leadership, some are
born into the silver class meant to be auxiliaries to aid the golden class, and others are born into the
brass or iron class destined to be farmers and labourers. It was Plato's idea that "the fostering of such
a belief will make them [citizens] care more for the city and for one another" (Plato 415d). The most
effective rulers in the golden class would be philosophers (Plato 473d). According to Plato, they
alone have the ability to see what is good for the

Weaknesses Of Plato
In the Meno, Plato justifies the possibility for one's mind to uncover knowledge. Knowing one can
obtain knowledge motivates the mind to gain more knowledge. Plato explains the theory of
recollection by first questioning what virtue is, then demonstrating the process through the
questioning of a slave boy. Although a few weaknesses present themselves in Plato's argument, Plato
presents a valid theory on how our minds can obtain knowledge. This paper focuses on exploring
Plato's theory of recollection by examining the strengths and weaknesses of his discussion with
Meno.
The discussion of Plato's theory of recollection evolved from a single question, "What is virtue?"
When questioning Meno on the single definition of virtue, Plato was ... Show more content on
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What sort of thing, among those things which you know not, will you put forth as the object of your
seeking? And even if you should chance upon it, how will you ever know that it is the thing which
you not know?" (Plato's Meno, 77)
Although Meno's paradox seems to be merely a dodge of proceeding to continue and ponder the true
meaning of what virtue really is, "the (paradox) is one of real philosophical importance and is basic
for understanding the Theory of Ideas and the related notion of Recollection" (Plato's Meno:Text
and Criticism, 78). The problem with this paradox is that in order to discover the definition of virtue,
one must use reflection and logical insight, not research and proof. "If the question under discussion
had been a merely empirical one–e.g., 'How many citizens are there in Athens?'–then Meno's
objection would have been utterly pointless, for this is a question to be answered by counting heads
and not by reflection" (Plato's Meno:Text and Criticism, 79). Plato, who has confronted this paradox
before, told Meno the argument was an "excuse for indolence: and hence we must not give ear to
this specious argument, for it will make us idle, and is pleasing only to the slothful" (Plato's Meno,
78). Plato strongly believes in this concept and discusses his thoughts furthermore:
"I am ready to fight for as long as I can, in word and act: that is, that we shall be better, braver and
more active men if we believe it right to

Plato Essay
1. a) Explain how Plato's epistemological assumptions shape his metaphysics (Why does he think
that there must be Forms? Hint: Plato says (in effect): "Since knowledge is certain, therefore the
objects of knowledge must be unchanging.").
b) Define Plato's Forms and present the theory of Forms by explaining the "divided line." (You can
use the visual image, but explain it.)
Plato was extremely devoted in answering the sophists' skepticism about reason and morality. To do
so, he spent more time than any philosopher before him studying knowledge, or epistemology. He
realized that to answer the sophists' skepticism he had to first solve the three main problems that
earlier philosophers had left behind; the problems of change, the ... Show more content on
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Plato's theory of Forms led him to many assumptions, one of the most important of which is his
view on the form of "man" and his relation to the state. He understood that no one man has ever
been perfect and that each man participates in the form "man" to different degrees. Individual men
are adequate copies of the true form of "man". Plato believed that the men who participate in the
form more fully are going to more real, and therefore better, then the men who participate less. This
is better explained by his philosophy of the nature of man and his analogous relationship to the state.
Plato recognized the nature of man as a psyche, or soul, that was grouped into three main parts.
Each of these three parts have motions proper to them that he believed, if harmonized, would lead to
eudaimonia, a total well–being. The first, and lowest, part of the soul he called the appetites. The
highest part Plato called reason. The third part, between appetite and reason, he called spirit. He saw
the state as having three main parts as well, each corresponding to one of the three parts of the
human psyche. Every state needs a governing body, whether kings or congress, so this will be the
first part. The second is reserved for the essential producing class, which includes merchants,
industrial workers, agriculturists, and so on. Third, Plato held that every state needs a group,
between the governing and producing classes, to maintain

Plato And Guardians
On the subject of the Guardians, education is one of high importance. The Guardians are meant to be
brought up in such a way that the City can depend on them to not only being highly intelligent but
also fierce fighters. Plato breaks down their education into two categories : gymnastics and music.
These two categories serve to enhance both the body and mind to the highest level. However, it is
important to note that Plato planned to filter and censor the majority of what was given to the
Guardians in the mind category. This filter included removing any and all teachings of Greek
mythology, as well as only allowing the Guardians to study what was deemed beautiful and just by
Plato and his attendants. The claim made to support this was " we can

Plato and Confucius
Separated by more than 8500 kilometers but only 52 years, two seminal thinkers have shaped the
moral philosophy of their respective cultures. While Western ethical theory has been deeply
influenced by Plato's Republic, Eastern ethical theory has been deeply influenced by Confucius's
Analects. David Haberman describes the Republic as 'one of the most influential books of all time'
(86). And Bryan Van Norden compares (with considerable fervor) the Analects to 'the combined
influence of Jesus and Socrates' (3).
On the surface, there are many similarities between Confucius and Plato. Both taught through means
of dialogue, and both expressed reticence to provide direct definitions. Both advocated
contemplation and education as the means for ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The term seems to have a more ethical meaning. Some have argued that it is better translated as
'goodness'10 or 'love,'11 but these terms fail to capture the 'completeness' of Confucius's meaning.12
Kwon–Loi Shun claims the meaning of the original word itself is clouded by 'competing views.' He
states that 'in the Analects ren is used both more narrowly to refer to one desirable quality among
others, and more broadly to refer to an all–encompassing ethical ideal' (53).
While Confucius's definition of ren is not explicitly stated, it is intimated, and its parallels with
dikaiosune are notable:
1.
Confucius's concept of ren entails a wide scope of meaning. It is 'described as something that
includes other desirable qualities' (Kwong–Loi Shun: 53).13
2.
But it is also listed as one desirable quality among others such as courage and wisdom (W9.29,
W14.28).
3.
Ren is a virtue, which regulates our relationships with others. Confucius said the 'direction which
unifies everything' and the 'single saying that can keep watch on one's actions throughout one's life
is this: considerateness – that which one disfavors, apply not to others' (W4.15, W12.2, W15.24).
Essay – Plato vs. Confucius 5
4.
Ren is related to harmony: harmony of the individual within 'the social framework of the ideal state'
(Jiuan–Yu: 327). 'The central Confucian idea is represented by a Chinese character that has been
explained pictographically as consisting of two parts: the component

The Republic By Plato Vs. Plato
The Republic by Plato is an vision of an utopian society established through the character of
Socrates. Many aspects of Plato's society appears utopian; however, it can also be viewed dystopian
as it is mere subjectiveness. Many of Plato's arguments apply to current day society; for example,
Donald Trump's rise to power depicts democracy degenerating to despotism. Plato's Republic is
utopian in idealistic terms because the most qualified individual is in charge of society who is able
to extend his ideals to the subjects through education; however, when the ideals are integrated into
practical terms, it creates a totalitarian society due to a lack of freedom, individualism, and morality.
From a governing perspective, Plato's Republic is ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Through this plan, a philosopher king will be able to forge perfect individuals that "heaven can
approve"; therefore, he will be able to remove all the evil from human character, creating a society
where there is complete order and social perfection.
When Plato's Republic is considered in practice, it rapidly degenerates into a dystopian society.
Plato's Republic can be seen as a totalitarian regime destructive of individualism because a
philosopher king makes all the decisions based on his knowledge; consequently, subjects are
stripped of the freedom to make their own decisions. There is no dissenters in Plato's Republic; the
philosopher king extends his views onto the people through education, forcing individuals to abide
by his principles. Moreover, in a practical setting, it can be difficult for a philosopher king to
convince the subjects that he is a true philosopher king; besides a true passion for knowledge and
truth, there is nothing distinguishing of a philosopher king and a despot.
Moreover, although philosopher kings make the objectively correct decision for a state, it is clear
that they do not take into account morality as Plato "proposes to rusticate" part of a population, so a
philosopher king could start a city from the beginning (Cornford 209). Morality is an important and
necessary

Plato And The Cave
In Plato's article The Republic he describes that we all exist as part of a society in which he refers to
as a cave. Plato says in the opening of this article "Let me show in a figure how far our nature is
enlightened and unenlightened". With our heads restrained to a wall and not capable to perceive our
surrounding, we accept as true the shadows to be reality. He then goes on to explain that with a
teacher is the only way that we can move from our state of being a prisoner and moving into a new
reality beyond the cave and that we would discover the true reality to be painful, and then want to
return to the state of deception of the cave. He explains this by saying "Plato also believes that we
are all have the ability within ourselves to

Plato Illusion
Plato furthers his argument that initially the prisoner would resort back to his original frame of
thought because he is baffled by what he is seeing. The prisoner being liberated is new knowledge
and ideas being shed upon him. The sharp pains the prisoner is suffering from is the new
information he has been enlightened with and is now clashing with his old beliefs. The illusion he
saw before was his old beliefs and knowledge. It is referred to as an illusion because this new
knowledge has now taken place of his old knowledge, replacing it and ultimately making it non–
existent, hence the word illusion. The clearer vision this prisoner gained is the enlightenment this
new knowledge has given him, and he is able to perceive things differently

Plato Essay
Due to experiencing the volatile state of the Athenian government, it is not surprising that Socrates
had much to say on the topic of political philosophy. Central to his political theory was his position
on how citizens ought to approach ethics and politics. In the Apology, Socrates' conduct
demonstrates his belief that citizens must not be complacent when it comes to political virtue. In
order to push citizens out of complacency, Socrates used a method called the "elecnhus" to prod
citizens to discover the true definition of virtues (Jowett, 2009). In doing this, Socrates hoped to
promote a rigorous understanding of traditional moral virtues; an understanding of what courage,
justice, and wisdom, truly meant (Jowett, 2009). At first ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Therefore, Socrates held that it was necessary for citizens themselves to comprehend the essence of
justice so that they could avoid being slaves to those who managed to hold legal influence at the
time (Plato, 1974, 98, 505c). Such that those who held legal influence may be blind towards the
"good" or essence of justice (Plato, 1974, 98, 505c). Therefore, Socrates' second motivation for
using the elenchus was in order to promote the valuing of justice, and other traditional values, in
hopes that Athenian citizens could identify for themselves the things which adhere to the essence of
these values.
Accordingly, with these two motives in mind, Socrates engaged with the citizens of Athens,
invoking them to question the traditional Greek values. His mission was to give birth in them a
desire to understand the true essence of values, and then to be able to recognize it in the physical
world. In response to such conduct, Socrates was accused of corrupting the youth, and questioning
Greek life, giving rise to the context in The Apology. From the perspective of the Athenian jury,
based on his charges, it appeared that Socrates' conduct was radical. For the second part of this
essay, by using his two motives as a reference, I will now explore the various arguments for why
Socrates' was not a radical, but instead a conservative.
For the purpose of this essay, I will hold that the

Plato Vs Aristotle Vs Plato
Plato and Aristotle had a considerable amount of differences in ideology given that Aristotle was
Plato's student for roughly two decades. Plato, a student of Socrates, opposed the idea of average
citizens to participate in politics because he believed that political practice was skill or "technē" that
can only be achieved by a few people. He believed that "kings must be those among them who have
proved best both in philosophy and where war is concerned." (Republic, 491) and that these
"philosopher kings" were the only people fit to rule a government, or the government would be
doomed to fail. Aristotle is highly critical of Plato and his ideal constitution but he does find a
similar form of ruling class to be ideal. He believes, in the ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
They hold the job of protecting the city and well as making all of the diplomatic decisions. They
cannot bother themselves with wordy possessions, like property or family and must live in
communes with the other guardians. The idea is for the guardians to only find importance in leading
and protecting the city and not with their personal lives.
To be apart of the guardian class, one must participate in extraneous education, physical activity and
must be virtuous and brave. The guardians in the just city are what are considered "philosopher
kings". In book 5 of Republic, the ideology of a philosopher king is expanded upon:
"Until philosophers rule as kings in their cities, or those who are nowadays called kings and leading
men become genuine and adequate philosophers so that political power and philosophy become
throughly blended together, while the numerous natures that now pursue either one exclusively are
compelled not to do so, cities will have no rest from evils..nor..the human race." (Republic, 425)
Additionally, Socrates provides the Allegory of the Cave, an allegory that represents that
philosophers struggle to convince the average person of the true forms. Plato believes that the
average population is to ignorant to govern themselves. Which bring Plato to the argument that
people have to be pre–destined to be apart of this ruling class, and not anyone can just become a
philosopher king; stating "someone

Plato Essay
Today many people regard Plato as the first genuine political philosopher and Aristotle as the first
political scientist. They were both great thinkers in regards to, in part with Socrates, being the
foundation of the great western philosophers. Plato and Aristotle each had ideas in how to proceed
with improving the society in which they were part of during their existence. It is necessary
therefore to analyze their different theoretical approaches regarding their philosophical perspectives,
such as ethics and psychology. This paper however will mainly concentrate on Aristotle's views on
friendship and how it impacts today's society.
The main objective in Plato's philosophy is a creation of a perfect society. He constructs a
foundation ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
He felt that Plato's view of a strict overhaul of society in general wasn't necessary. He believed that
society was at its optimum and you can only improve upon the existing one.
Plato's perfect society would consist of three basic groups, which are Guardians (Gold), Auxiliaries
(Silver), and the Artisan (Bronze). The highest of these classes are the gold people, which consist of
rulers and non–rulers. Those that are rulers are society's decision & policy makers and non–
rulers occupy levels of civil servants. The fundamental prerequisite to becoming a genuine
philosopher is to have knowledge of forms, thus enabling you to know the truth. Plato's theory of the
forms is partly logical and part metaphysical. Armed with the truth, he believed that philosophical
ruler will always make the right decision, and rule with total wisdom, justice and virtue. The rulers,
he felt, wouldn't posses any money or property, they would be free of desires, excesses, and vices.
The Auxiliaries (Silver) are people of strength, courage, and military capacity; they occupy a small
sector of society. All auxiliaries would be subjected to a series of tests, which will check their
powers of resistance to self–interest, pleasure and other temptations. The last level, Artisan
(Bronze), are the workers which might be composed of farmers and artist, essentially non–skilled
workers. They would produce all the consumable and non–consumable goods deemed necessary for
consumption and the continued

Euthyphro, By Plato
The book Euthyphro by Plato demonstrates one of the many complex ideas on ethics by the Greek
philosopher, using his teacher Socrates and the theologian Euthyphro. The two intellectuals meet at
the Porch of the King Archon, where both are involved in legal suits. The discussion between the
two begins with Socrates informing Euthyphro of an accusation by another individual, Meletus,
calling the philosopher "a poet or maker of gods" (pp. 2). After introducing the idea of piety, or
holiness, Euthyphro reveals to Socrates that he is prosecuting his own father for murder. This
confuses Socrates, due to the fact that Euthyphro is prosecuting his father over a murderous slave,
and perceives it as impious. The philosopher praises Euthyphro as a great ... Show more content on
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Throughout the paper Socrates provides sound arguments to the definitions given by Euthyphro,
who believes that he is an expert on the matter, yet ends up leaving without an answer. The dialogue
ends without an explicit answer to the question that has been the basis of the entire conversation;
this provokes the reader to determine whether there is an actual definition as to what is pious. The
concept of pleasing the gods and universal rights/wrongs are explicit examples of supernaturalism
and moral realism. What Socrates aims to teach his colleague is that there is no explicit answer to
the question being asked. If there is an answer, it would be an amalgamation of the aforementioned
theories. With a large majority of the world being religious, the subject matter of the dialogue is still
relevant today. While reading this, I was able to agree with both Socrates and Euthyphro at different
times in the dialogue. Euthyphro's explanations of holiness are what the majority of the public
would say today, however Socrates highlights that piety is something that cannot be explicitly
defined. While some things are unanimously agreed upon as holy deeds, there are some conflicts as
to what can be considered

Plato Essay
Socrates' ideal city is described through Plato in his work The Republic, some questions pondered
through the text could be; How is this an "ideal" city formed, and is justice in the city
relative to that of the human soul? I believe Socrates found the true meaning of justice in the larger
atmosphere of the city and applied that concept to the human soul. Socrates describes his idea of an
"ideal city" as one that has all the necessary parts to function and to show that justice is
truly the harmony between the three stages of the city and soul in the human body.
Plato introduces the idea of the happiness. Socrates says, "...in establishing our city, we aren't
aiming to make any one group outstanding happy but to ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The three virtues are wisdom, courage, and moderation. Wisdom is the whole knowledge, which
describes the rulers of the city. The rulers should be the ones who incorporate philosophy and ruling
together to rule the city wisely. Courage describes the guardians, who's job was to defend the city
from invasion and take new lands for the city. The third virtue of the ideal city was moderation
which is the concept of self–control and knowing ones role, also the concept of "one man, one
job". The ideal city described in the work is ideal to me because it relates all essential parts to
bring harmony among the different kind of people and the virtues that go hand in hand with to bring
about justice. Therefore, the question arises, if I would want to live in the ideal city Plato has
described in the work. My answer would be yes because it seems that everyone has a specific role to
follow depending upon their abilities, both physically and mentally. When I look back to the early
cities Plato discussed I agree with the city of need, but that is only part of the whole scheme of
things. We need to add the luxurious things and leaders and the people to protect the city. No one of
those first two cities could be great by its self, sure each one had their strong points but together they
are harmonious to develop the perfect city. The perfect city needs both cities' traits, beginning with
the basic

The Republic by Plato
In Plato's Republic Book 1, Thrasymachus argues that morality is the advantage of the stronger. To
support his view, Thrasymachus first claims that the governments, which are the stronger parties,
always pass laws based on their own interest, and then argues that subjects must always obey these
laws, therefore morality is the advantage of the stronger. Socrates gives two sets of counter
arguments. First, by differentiating apparent advantage and actual advantage to the stronger,
Socrates argues that the obedience to the laws by the subjects can be occasionally not in the actual
interest of the rulers. Second, by claiming that all craftsmen only consider the welfare of the
recipients of expertise instead of their own interest, ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Next, he brings in another premise that each form of government proclaims that justice is obeying
these laws and injustice is breaking these laws. From these three premises, Thrasymachus concludes
that justice is everywhere the same, the advantage of the stronger. Thrasymachus' definition of
justice represents the doctrine of "Might makes right" in an extreme form. By this, he means that
justice is nothing but a tool for the stronger parties to promote personal interest and take advantage
of the weaker. Here, Thrasymachus treats the ruler as someone who imposes his "rights" by sheer
force, and believes that the ruler–subject relation is a zero–sum game. As he states later in Republic
Book 1, " 'just' means serving the interest of the stronger who rules, at the cost of the subject who
obeys" (Plato, 1941, 25). A perfect example of such a ruler is the tyrant, who has the will and the
power to do good to himself and his friends and to harm his enemies. This is not a theory of social
contract: it is not suggested that the subjects have ever made a bargain with the ruler, sacrificing
some of his liberty to gain the benefits of a social order. Socrates begins refuting Thrasymachus by
examining the precision of definitions in Thrasymachus' premises. As Socrates quickly points out
that there is a difference between what rulers believe to be their interest and what is actually their

Phaedo by Plato
People approach knowledge in different ways. Not many people have the same view on knowledge
thus making it hard to grasp. Certain people are rationalist thinkers who regard reason as the chief
source and test of knowledge. They believe knowledge comes from oneself which is based out of the
mind. The truth is not based upon the sense rather on intellect and deductive reasoning. Contestants
of this perspective on knowledge are called empiricists. People who practice this form of thinking
conceive that knowledge is produced from sensory experiences. Empiricist see the importance of
sensory experiences in order to provide answers about the natural world. Each view has their
benefits and drawbacks but each play a vital role in the discussion about knowledge. The
philosopher Plato is considered to be a rationalist thinker. In Plato's Phaedo, he shows the reader that
the five senses are not what one should rely on. The senses do not provide us with truth. One's
surroundings are constantly changing thus, their senses must change with them. For example, in the
winter time one feels that it is cold out so one would not walk outside with a bathing suit on. In the
summer one feels that the weather changed and it is now warm. Thus, one can wear a bathing suit.
Since one's surroundings are constantly changing and so are one's senses, they are unreliable when it
comes to discovering truth. Plato argues that the only way one's sensory experiences can be
corrected is through his Forms.

Plato And Plato: The Subject Of The Soul
Numerous philosophers, including Plato and Aristotle, widely and differently interpret the subject of
the soul. On one hand, Plato is a dualist who believes that the soul and the body exist separately. He
states that the soul is external and considers the body its prison. The body is immaterial and is
concerned with physical things while the soul is immortal and divine. Plato views the soul as the
most important thing in life, and he explains his reasons in the texts Meno and Phaedo. His
arguments that favor the immortal nature of the psyche include the argument of recollection, the
argument of affinity, and the theory of the opposites. He further talks about the perfect "forms" and
knowledge of them, which is essential given that the soul ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
This theory claims that the world is in a constant state of flux. Everything is constantly changing to
its opposite between day and night and vice versa. Life changes to death and vice versa. Substances
that have an opposite are generated out of their opposites (Holbo and Waring 23). According to him,
this is a principle that holds true universally. Life is the opposite of death while sleep is the opposite
of waking. Sleep is generated from waking the same way that death is generated from life and life
from death. Since the soul is a living thing, it is alive so it must be generated from death. Therefore,
the souls of the dead must be in some place out of which they come again. He reckons that if all
living things were to die and remain in their dead form and never come back to life again, at last all
would die, and nothing will be alive (Holbo and Waring 23). Moreover, Plato states that forms
cannot have their opposites. For instance, something that is Hot cannot be Cold at the same time.
Hot snow cannot exist because once the snow is changed from being Cold to Hot, it will melt and its
property will be destroyed in the real world. Similarly, the soul is associated with Life, which is the
opposite of Death. Something cannot be alive and dead at the

A Comparison Of Plato, Dover, And Plato
Mia Shehadi
Prof. Dresser
Classics 361
Midterm Option 2.A
30 October, 2017
Plato, Dover, and Plato The response I've chosen to expand and challenge is number four, partly
because its the only one I've completed and in another part due to the incredibly complex subject
matter. Response four asks us to pick apart the characteristics K.Dover attributes to homosexuality
in classical Athens in comparison to Plato's definitions in Symposium. I discovered that both articles
weren't defining the same things; while Dover was speaking about the literal act, Plato touches on
the more philosophical aspects of the acts– the moral implications. I'm going to focus and expand on
the specific aspect of domination in sexual relationships by bringing in the complicated, and
flippant, context of The Republic's Book 5– also by Plato. I believe that this text can add a
competing idea, the ideal city containing equality, complicating the hierarchy and bringing in a more
wholistic view of the ideals. In his text Greek Homosexuality, Dover describes the roles of the
'active' and 'passive' lover, defined by the age of the men. The older erastes, who is considered the
dominant lover, and the younger eromenos, as the passive beloved. This demonstrates the hierarchy
that is established between homosexual lovers (Dover 16). After the eromenos reaches a stage in his
life where he becomes a 'man,' his role is then switched to the erastes, giving him the ability to look
for his own eromenos. If a boy

Plato Essay
Plato
Plato was born in Athens to a wealthy family and lived from 429–347 B.C.E. He was Socrates'
greatest student and held his teacher in such high regard that in most of his works Socrates plays the
main character. Some people doubt the existance of Socrates but, "like nearly everyone else who
appears in Plato's works, he is not an invention of Plato: there really was a Socrates" (Kraut). Plato
wrote many works asking questions about terms such as justice, piety, and immortality to name a
few. His works include but are not limited to, The Apology, Crito, Phaedo, Euthyphro, and his most
famous work The Republic which was a work about justice. In 387 B.C.E. Plato founded the first
great school of antiquity called "The Academy". This ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Eventually, one of the prisoners escape to the outside world and returns to tell the others the truth
about what they have been shown and what is really out there.
"The shadowy environment of the cave symbolizes for Plato the physical world of appearances.
Escape into the sun–filled setting outside the cave symbolizes the transition to the real world, the
world of full and perfect being, the world of Forms, which is the proper object of knowledge"
(Encarta). In other words, a person who has intellectual insights is often misunderstood by those
who will not accept the fact that things may not be as they appear. Also, those things that the
unenlightened person is apt to believe, may only be what the person wants to believe and not what is
actually the case. Plato indicates that we must be willing to accept that there may be an underlying
meaning to things which only the enlightened may see.
Plato's "Theory of Forms or Ideas" states that if something has a particular form, such as that of a
cat, then that resemblance is the essence of that animals catness. If all the attributes are the same or
similar, then the animal has the correct form for that particular label. Also, according to Plato, these
forms or ideas "can only be known through reason" (Encarta).
"An individual is human to the extent that he or she resembles or participates in the Form
"humanness." If "humanness" is defined in terms of being a rational

Plato And The Crito
1. "The Crito" draws a fine line between preserving one's integrity and maintaining one's image.
According to Plato, an Ancient Greek philosopher, "The other considerations which you mention–of
money and loss of character and the duty of educating one's children–are, I fear, only the doctrines
of the multitude, who, if they could, would restore people to life as readily as they put them to
death–and with as little reason" (67). One of Plato's main assertions is that emotions and priorities
are bound to fluctuate over time, therefore an emotional decision is not necessarily always the
correct decision. Logic based decisions are able to preserve one's morals and integrity, regardless of
what public opinion is; public opinion can fluctuate but

Plato On The Crito
Plato was born around 428 B.C. which was during the final years of the Golden Age of Pericles
Athens. Plato came from one of the wealthiest and most politically involved families in Athens. His
father Ariston died when he was a child. His mother Perictione remarried a politician by the name of
Pyrilampes. Plato was raised during the Peloponnesian War and was educated in philosophy, poetry
and gymnastics by well known Athenian teachers including a philosopher by the name of Cratylus.
Plato became a devoted follower of Socrates in fact, Socrates was condemned for corrupting the
youth which included Plato at the time. Plato would go on to remember how Socrates believed in
questioning everything which became the basis of his early studies.
Twenty four centuries ago Plato taught us that every human soul has the need and desire to reach a
higher, more pure and spiritual place that will lighten a path towards a better world. This belief is
what made Plato the chief spokesman for every religious group and for all the believers in the
supernatural reality. Centuries after Plato's death his ideas were brought up ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
His old friend Crito visits him with arrangements to break him out of the prison and bring him safely
to exile. Socrates was willing to await his execution so Crito presented as many arguments as he can
to persuade Socrates to escape. On a personal level, Socrates death will look bad on his friends and
family because people will feel no one did anything to help him. Ethically, Crito presented two
arguments that if he stayed, he would help the enemies wrongly execute him and he would also
leave his sons without a father. The only real question is whether or not it is reasonable for Socrates
to attempt an escape. Socrates feels that is wrong to escape, he says "I cannot abandon the principles
which I used to hold in the past simply because this accident has happened to

Plato Vs. Rhetoric : Plato And Rhetoric
Plato and Rhetoric
Plato is one of the greatest philosophers in history. Often his words and sayings resonate to this day.
But, considering all what Plato has done, what is most peculiar about him is his condemnation of
poets and sophists. Plato is in a constant fight to see that the way of true philosophy replaces these
false arts. But even much more interesting is that Plato goes even further, and condemns the use of
rhetoric, the art of persuasion, as a whole. He not only does this adamantly and with hearty
conviction, he fights rhetoric with rhetoric itself. It is a contradiction that which seems laughable
and intriguing. Through his works of the Phaedrus, in which Plato's voice is heard through the
mouth of Socrates and The Republic, Plato's ultimate goal for civilization, the perfect place for
society to function together. In these works, Plato demonstrates his dislike for the practice and
implementation of rhetoric but also aims at taking sophistry and poetry down along with it.
The Phaedrus is the ultimate attack on rhetoric from Plato, and its practices. It follows Socrates and
Phaedrus as they discuss love, and other ideas. But it sets up somewhat of a villain within the work
as well. There is a man named Lysias, trying to win Phaedrus' heart, just as Socrates is. But they
both employ different methods of doing so. There is the use of rhetoric, which Lysias uses to
persuade others, he is popular amongst his peers and others as well. And then there is Socrates, a

The Plato of the Apology
Western philosophy, beginning with the dialogues of Plato, is premised upon both the rejection of
the artform of tragedy and the rejection of experiences and events considered to be tragic. This
general and far–reaching exclusion of the tragic originates from Plato's dissension made in The
Republic of the normative claims defined by nearly all tragic and epic poetry regarding the question
of how a human being should live. Tragedy, merely by being tragedy, expresses the following
evaluative commitments regarding human life: One, events beyond the agent's control have the
ability to play a major role in her ability to lead an ethical and moral life. Two, tragedy validates
forming emotional attachments to people and objects beyond the agent's control. And three,
sympathy, fear, and pity for the tragic hero demonstrate the recognition of certain ethical truths,
truths which may be applied to everyday life of the audience members. Plato flatly denies all three
of these claims. The Plato of The Apology states that a good person cannot be harmed. The good
person is self–sufficient. Both uncontrollable events and the fate of external objects or people have
no effect on the virtuous person. She remains virtuous no matter the circumstances. Additionally,
returning to The Republic, Plato denies the cognitive value of emotions. Thinking connected to the
emotions necessarily focuses on the immediate, the finite, and the uncontrollable, and, therefore, the
false. Poetry must be banned

Plato The Shackles
In "Book 1" of Plato's The Republic, Socrates asks Cephalus about the difficulty of old age, as
Cephalus has reached "the threshold of death" and is therefore suited to speak upon age. Cephalus
explains that older people tend to be more peaceful because youthful desires like sex, partying, and
drinking constrain many people to temporal pleasure, but age releases them from those shackles.
These youthful desires are later treated as shackles that constrain many people to temporal
pleasures. By introducing these metaphorical shackles in the first discussion of The Republic, Plato
foreshadows and parallels the cave allegory that appears in "Book 7" (Plato 3). In the cave allegory,
people are chained inside a cave and their knowledge is limited to only what they can see: the
images of shadows casted by statues. But once a philosopher enters, the prisoners are released from
the shackles, exposed to the light, and they themselves become philosophers. But the process does
not stop there; the new philosophers adopt altruism, going back to the cave to free the other
prisoners ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
He introduces the struggle of classism when he notes that "age isn't easy for a good man if he's
poor" (3). This statement connecting age and class further demonstrates the timeless issue with
money and material possessions in society. Plato states that money is a requirement for old age to be
enjoyable and enlightening. But money is the same item that lures people into the chains of
obsession. So those wishing to enjoy a pleasurable old age free from glutinous desire must maintain
wealth. But wealth often diminishes character, causing people to become greedy and corrupt.
Nevertheless, old age acts as a safeguard against the perversions of

Plato
In Plato's Apology, Socrates believes that to be good, you should strive to find out why and how
things are the way they are. When his childhood friend visited an oracle and asked if anyone was
wiser than Socrates, the oracle said there wasn't. In doing this, he demonstrates that you should not
just accept what you see or hear at face value, rather, you should investigate further to understand
why. It does you no good to not be able to explain it. If you cannot explain it, you could say that you
might not even know it at all.
So he went around and talked to many politicians and craftsmen who were supposedly wise (the
definition of wise used here being something along the lines of "knowing a lot of stuff"), but after
speaking with them, ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Another difference is that Plato believes that the best type of good is one that is desirable both in
itself and for the sake of its results, while Aristotle says that if X is desired because it brings you to
Y, then Y is ultimately better than X. Therefore, the highest good is one that isn't desirable because it
leads to anything else, but instead is good in its own right.
So essentially, Aristotle believes that to be a good/virtuous person, you must strive to work towards
being better at whatever you do, getting better by experience, and the closer you get to being
amazing at whatever it is, the closer you'll be to achieving the thing that the first thing you did led
to, and so on and so forth until you (ideally) meet the good that is called good just because it is
good. You can still be considered a good/virtuous person just by being on the path to "goodness",
simply because you are in the process of making habits out of the good things you are doing for the
right reasons. Plato believes that to be a good person, you must always try to gain knowledge
through arguments and reason, and only when you know a good deal about something, can you
begin your journey towards the

Plato Essay
Plato
Biography
Plato was born in Athens of an aristocratic family. He recounts in the Seventh Letter, which, if
genuine, is part of his autobiography, that the spectacle of the politics of his day brought him to the
conclusion that only philosophers could be fit to rule. After the death of Socrates in 399, he travelled
extensively. During this period he made his first trip to Sicily, with whose internal politics he
became much entangled. He visited Sicily at least three times in all and may have been richly
subsidised by Dionysius. On return from Sicily he began formal teaching at what became the
Academy.
Plato is generally regarded as the inventor of the philosphical argument as we know it, and many
would claim that the depth and ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
But no otherDialogue of Plato has the same largeness of view and the sameperfection of style; no
other shows an equal knowledge of the world,or contains more of those thoughts which are new as
well as old, andnot of one age only but of all. Nowhere in Plato is there a deeperirony or a greater
wealth of humor or imagery, or more dramatic power.Nor in any other of his writings is the attempt
made to interweavelife and speculation, or to connect politics with philosophy. TheRepublic is the
centre around which the other Dialogues may be grouped; here philosophy reaches the highest point
to which ancientthinkers ever attained. Plato among the Greeks, like Bacon among themoderns, was
the first who conceived a method of knowledge, althoughneither of them always distinguished the
bare outline or form from thesubstance of truth; and both of them had to be content with
anabstraction of science which was not yet realized. He was the greatestmetaphysical genius whom
the world has seen; and in him, more thanin any other ancient thinker, the germs of future
knowledge arecontained. The sciences of logic and psychology, which have suppliedso many
instruments of thought to after–ages, are based upon theanalyses of Socrates and Plato. The
principles of definition, thelaw of contradiction, the fallacy of arguing in a circle, the distinction
between the essence and accidents of a thing or notion,between means and ends, between causes and
conditions; also thedivision

Plato Essay
In 428 B.C. Aristocles (later known as Plato) was born in Athens. He was born on the island of
Aegina, which lies just twelve miles off shore from Athens in the Saronic Gulf (Havelock 3).
Aristocles was born into a great political family (Friedlander 14). His father being the descendant of
Codrus, the last king of Athens, and his mother was descendant from the great Athenian law maker
Solon (Friedlander 15). Like most adolescent children his ambitions were far from anything his
parents had ever done. Aristocles wanted to be a wrestler. Aristocles attained the name "Plato" from
his wrestling experiences (Havelock 4). Twice he carried the wrestling prize at the Isthmian games
but seemingly never made it to the Olympics at Olympia. Plato ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Plato explains that "most humans live as if in a dim cave. We are chained, he says, and facing a
blank wall, with a fire at our backs. All we see are flickering shadows playing across the cave wall
and this we take to be reality" (Friedlander 30). Only if we learn to turn away from the wall and the
shadows, and escape from the cave, can we hope to see the true light of reality (O'Conner). Many
criticize that this philosophy that Plato suggests is unrealistic. It has been said that his idea of the
world is just that, merely an idea instead of the world itself (Havelock 32).
Later in Plato's life he became good friends with the powerful and well known "Dionysius".
Dionysius gained very high ranks in the army and was a large figure in the turning of Syracuse into
the most powerful Greek city. Dionysius was a very proud man who did not like to be questioned or
proven wrong by any means (O'Conner). He and Plato began discussing philosophy. Plato found
himself questioning a flaw in Dionysius's thinking. At this point Plato's life was said to be in danger!
Dionysius sold Plato as a slave in Aegina. (Havelock 27) Luckily Plato was bought for a mere
twenty mina by his old friend Anniceris. Anniceris sent Plato back to Athens with enough money to
set up a school. Plato bought land for his school in 386 B.C. (Friedlander 32–35)
Plato then opened his Academy, which it later became known as, gathering a group of followers
with him. Many of which were women. This was not very

The Republic by Plato
After reading The Republic there are three main points that Plato had touched on. The first of these
three points is that Plato is disheartened with democracy. It was due to Socrates' untimely death
during Athens' democracy that led to his perception of the ideal state as referred to in The Republic.
Plato perceived that the material greed was one of the many evils of politics; in Plato's eyes greed
was one of the worst evils of political life. Thus economic power must be separated from political
power; he came to this conclusion due to an experience that filled him with a hatred for mob
mentality. He concluded that a democracy must be replaced with a government ruled by the wisest
and the greatest people fit for the job; the people that would be fit for the job would be called
Philosopher–Kings; which I will touch on later. Plato feels that democracy is a form of political
organization that is exceptionally inferior as compared to other types of political organizations such
as a monarchy and aristocracy. He came to this notion because of the fact that in his eyes the
average man and woman would be inclined to make improper decisions for the society based on
greed. Plato viewed all forms of government as being corrupt; the key components in an ideal
society are morality and justice. The forms of government that Plato thought were corrupt was
timocracy, which would ultimately fall and crumble into an oligarchy which then turns into a
democracy, then last but not least turns

Kallipolis Plato
In the Republic, Plato, through Socrates, presents the idea of the kallipolis and is not only apathetic
to the idea of a perfect city but goes as far to discourage thinkers from attempting to attain this
perfect city.
Within the cave individuals are bound to the physical world by their own inability to see the light
behind them. In Plato's analogy he is crying out against the politicians who seem to be controlling
and thus stunting the metaphysical growth of unenlightened individuals. In the kallipolis that Plato
described the government holds all of the power. This is detrimental to the ideological sense of the
philosophers because the government is able to trick the masses into believing in the reality of the
cave. In Plato's time the Athenian

Plato Vs. Plato : The Republic Of Plato And Aristocracy
Plato and Aristotle are philosophers that looked at the question of the best regime and came to two
different conclusions. Which presents the question, who had a better argument on the best regime
for a city? Both Aristotle and Plato present valid arguments on the best regime, Plato's theory argues
for Aristocracy as the best regime because it would have a philosopher as its ruler. Furthermore,
Aristotle builds on Plato's approach as he identified more than what the best regime is, he actually
tried to find a regime that is going to account for all the people in the city and is going to last. He did
this by using a 'middle approach' to establish a mixed regime, polity, that could be implemented in
an actual city, which makes Aristotle's argument superior to Plato's.
In this essay, I analyze Books 5 and 7 of the "The Republic of Plato" to see why through discourse
between Socrates and Glacon, Plato believes that the philosopher king is the best ruler. Next, I look
at Plato's organization of regimes and his choice for the best regime as Aristocracy came about
because of his love for the philosopher king in Book 8. Furthermore, I analyze Aristotle's principles
in his book, "The Politics" and how he takes a different approach when trying to answer the question
of the best regime. He did this by not just trying to identify what is best but also what is going to be
"attainable" which is what differentiates his answer from Plato's and leads him to his argument. As
Aristotle

Plato And Plato : The Allegory Of The Republic
What is the best regime for a country? What are the presumptions and existing problems for a
country to employ one kind of the regime? In Republic, Plato modified a paradise, bringing up the
idea of politics, gave out his own definition of justice for the citizen–no meddling or moving of the
classes. On the other hand, Aristotle provided his own comprehension about how a city should
operate after studied and analysis 158 existing polis. During the discussion about the transition
between regimes, Plato and Aristotle provided different comprehension about the regimes, stated
their own point about how the transition take place with concrete reasoning and various examples.
Firstly, Plato based on his logical deduction when assessing the transformation between different
regimes while Aristotle based on his own studies and analysis of different cities. The different
evidences Plato and Aristotle employed throughout their reasoning in some ways show their
different approaches through their demonstration. Plato mostly employed the examples in the daily
life–the examples of the relationship between father and son, olds and youths, teachers and students,
masters and slaves (Plato 563b); the precise calculation process (Plato 546c), the analogy– describe
the oligarchy governor as drone, and similes and metaphors–describe the light as wisdom and
goodness in the allegory of the cave (Plato 516a). These evidences contribute to make Plato's
statement prone to understand, but at the same

Essay on Plato
Plato: The Life of Plato
Plato was born around 427 BC, in Athens Greece to rich and politically involved family. Plato's
parents spared no expense in educating him; he was taught at the finest schools. He was taught by
Socrates and defended Socrates when he was on trial. Plato traveled to Italy and may have even
visited Egypt before founding The Academy. Plato also visited Sicily and instructed a young king
there before returning to The Academy to teach for twenty years before his death in 347 BC at the
age of eighty.
Growing up Plato would have gone to best schools the area had to offer; his parents were rich there
were no limitations to what they could afford. Plato was taught by the best teachers available and
was a very skillful ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
At a later date Plato wrote "The Apology" remembering this horrendous time and the conversations
as he and Socrates other students argued for Socrates life.
After Socrates death Plato and several of Socrates other students traveled to Megara where they
stayed for 9 years. He also traveled to Italy around 390 BC where he met Archytas of Tarentum who
introduced Plato to Pythagorenism. This helped form Plato's ideas that mathematics was the truest
way of expressing the universe. There are also rumors of Plato traveling to Egypt and learning of the
water clock but like all rumors it is not know for sure.
Plato founded The Academy in 387 BC; it was build on land that once belonged to a man named
Academos hence the name The Academy. Plato founded The Academy for the purpose of teaching
future leaders of Greece. The Academy had a gymnasium and several shrines on its large lot of land.
After founding The Academy Plato traveled to Sicily, came back taught for four years, left for Sicily
again, and then returned to The Academy to teach for twenty years. When Plato died he was
succeeded by his nephew, not by Aristotle, which was who most people thought the successor would
be. The Academy was eventually shut down in 529 AD, but it holds an immense record, it was kept
open for nine hundred years, a feat no other establishment of its kind can claim.
In 367 BC Dion, a student and good friend of Plato, requested Plato to come and

Plato 's Symposium, By Plato
In the book," Plato's Symposium," by Plato, who was a philosopher in Greece, he illustrates the
dialectic discussion at a party at Agathon's to celebrate his triumph of his first tragedy. In the
Symposium; the guests Phaedrus, an Athenian aristocrat; Pausanias, the legal expert; Eryximachus,
a physician; Aristophanes, eminent comic playwright; Agathon ,a tragic poet and host of the
banquet; Socrates, eminent philosopher and Plato 's teacher; and Alcibiades, a prominent Athenian
statesman, orator and general; discuss their own versions and viewpoints to praise the god of love.
First, we have Phaedrus, who starts to say that love is the most ancient of the gods and should be
praiseworthy, next we have Eryximachus who states that love affects everything in the universe and
that it should be protected, next we have Aristophanes, who states that the reason why love is on
earth is because god has split humanity in half and that man should fear the gods and should
embrace love to feel whole again, and last we have Socrates who suggests what Diotima explains
that love is in the middle of two things or objects and has both characteristics. Phaedrus starts off the
conversation of love stating how the god Love doesn't get much attention in songs and that he
should be praiseworthy because he has helped men to gain honor and blessedness. This begins the
symposium and functions as a way to tell the reader what the topic would be about and why the
guests in the party should discuss it.

Plato On Censorship
Carlos Sandoval
Mr. Guiles
Honors English II
17 November 2015
Plato on Censorship
Since the rise of man, the concept of art has also arisen. With it, the goods and troubles it causes.
Some argue that art is good and is only entertainment, while others see it as the cause of a State's
corruption. In Plato's The Republic , Socrates thought that art should be censored because of its
heavy influence on men. Writer Alexander Nehamas, on the other hand, feels that one generation's
entertainment is the next's fine art, which he thinks is ridiculous to censor. But the biggest question
that remains is: when does art stop being art?
Platonic censorship is based mainly on excluding forms of art and literature from society, based on
the components they include that portray bad role models and blasphemies, topics not ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
"The fact is that the works of both Homer and Aeschylus, whatever else they were in classical
Athens, were, first and foremost, popular entertainment."(Nemaha, 3) Nemaha says that
entertainment was basically just a representation of their world. "To compare the Iliad... to Grand
theft auto...may seem silly if not absurd"(Nemaha, 4) Nehama restates that fine art is meant to
change people, and entertainment is just to please. Art should not be censored it allows us to express
ourselves, and a world without imagination would be a dull one, with "depraved life".
My personal opinion is that art should NOT be censored. It is good to have bad art in order to show
the youth what is not acceptable and what is. This way we can create a better future for the children
without leaving them so hopelessly innocent minded. In another way, I think you should not be able
to label someone else's work as "good" or "bad" art. I, just like article writer Jeff Goins, think, "what
is not okay is calling something "art" when it's not – when it is, in fact, something else."(Jeff

Plato Essay
The great philosopher, Plato, wrote two specific dialogues; the book Timaeus and the book Critias.
Plato was a professional teacher who valued intelligence immensely. Plato founded the first
Philosophical Academy in Athens in the early fourth century BC. He devoted his life to philosophy
and the teachings of his friend Socrates. Plato learned from Socrates and passed on his knowledge to
his students. After his friend's sudden death, Plato became dissatisfied with the government in
Athens. He filtered away from his family and lived his dream of researching and teaching
philosophy. Plato focused on many philosophical aspects and wrote numerous dialogues. In the
book Timaeus, Plato spoke of the beginning of the world and the creation of ... Show more content
on Helpwriting.net ...
Human beings were created with divine body and soul that was similar to the gods, with the only
difference; human beings were mortal. Plato insisted that God had a plan for all human beings, "the
first incarnation would be one and the same for all and each would be sown in its appropriate
instrument of time and be born as the most god–fearing of living things" (58). Human beings were
created as two different sexes, "the better of the two was that which in future would be called man"
(58). Plato stated that "man," was the stronger, more complex sex that was created as a proportional
being.
Plato insisted the human body was created in a divine approach, making the head in a spherical
shape. The head consists of the brain, which controls the entire body, without a brain and a soul a
body would just be a body. The soul is what keeps a human strong and the brain is what keeps a
human alive. When looking at a human body, if one were to cut it straight down the middle between
the eyes, each side would look just like the other. Plato illustrated that the head was "the divinest
part of us which controls the rest"(61). The head was placed on top of the body so that the body
could serve the head in any way. Plato acknowledged that the Gods added two arms and two legs for
easy mobility, which "should act as a convenient vehicle" (61). Plato insisted that the
Gods believed that the front was

Plato Cave
In the story The Allegory of the Cave, Plato describes the perception of reality. He explains how to
interpret ideas or objects in different perspectives. The story he tells about the cave could have
influenced different modern day ideas. Some ideal examples might include religion, abuse, and
imprisonment. Plato's cave theory applies to all of these ideas and can show many different
perspectives. While everyone has a different opinion on religion and its origins, Plato's story may
have influenced it in some way. This could be interpreted by saying the people sitting in the cave,
for example, could be the "believers" in religion while the person to escape would be the
"nonbeliever". The prisoner could have interpreted the light as life outside the religion. The prisoner
been ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Imprisonment, while less influenced than the others is influenced nonetheless. It is shown when the
prisoner who is freed. The prisoner is representing someone incarcerated being released after
serving a sentence. They are shown a better way of living when released. They want to share his
experience and wants to help show other prisoners a better way than going back to old habits. But
the prisoners in the cave are so used to what they were taught to do and not do differently, it is all
they know, different scares them. In the story Plato says that "don't you think he would consider
himself lucky because of the transformation that had happened and, by contrast, feel sorry for
them.". He's saying that anyone else would just leave and not share their experience, but this
prisoner did. The Allegory of the Cave by Plato, a different kind of story shows many different kind
of perspectives. Plato describes in his story how there are many examples that have been influenced
by his story. Some example might include: religion, imprisonment, and abuse. There are many ways
to show how these examples might be influenced by Plato's

Plutarch And Plato

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Plutarch And Plato