Plato’s views on the soul are more convincing than Aristotle’s – discuss. Plato and Aristotle were both Greek philosophers who wrote alternate views upon the soul. When discussing Plato and Aristotle we must deduce that Aristotle’s views are likely to revolve around empirical matters whereas Plato’s will be mostly based upon The World of the Forms. Plato wrote about his dualist views upon the soul that state that the soul is ‘imprisoned’ in a body waiting to be freed by knowledge, to Plato, the soul is immortal and lives on when the body dies. Aristotle has a monist approach to the soul, unlike Plato he says that the soul cannot exist without the body.
Critically access the view that humans have immortal souls (35 marks) People who support the idea of an immortal soul think that that the soul is a distinct and immortal entity within the body (dualism) which can survive the death of the body and ascend to the afterlife. However, this theory would be greatly opposed by those who believe in materialism, the belief that we as humans exist as a single unit of body and soul which cannot be separated. The first major argument in favour of an immortal soul was given by the philosopher Plato. Plato believed that the soul was imprisoned within the body and that the ultimate goal of the soul was to be released at death back to the world of the Forms where it could be reunited with the Form of the Good (God). Thus the body which is purely material dies for Plato and the soul returns to the world of the Forms and is immortal.
Plato’s theory of forms is unconvincing discuss Plato was a duellist and thus believed that there are two worlds; the material world and the world of ideas/Forms. The world of ideas or Forms is the true reality and the world of appearances is just reflections of world of Forms. Plato believed that our knowledge of the Forms was a priori which means that our souls knew the Forms before it was inside us, therefore we have knowledge prior to experiencing the objects with our senses. Plato believes everyone is born with an intuitive but imperfect understanding of the Forms. He also believes the philosopher is able, through using his intellect, to achieve true knowledge of the abstract Forms without using his senses.
In the beginning of Book I, Socrates convinces Cephelus and Polemarchus that justice is not only doing good to friends and wrong to enemies nor is it only useful in certain aspects of life. Rather, justice is something that should be in every aspect of your life. But when Thracymachus questions this theory by saying justice only benefits some, Socrates (and Plato) is forced to clarify. He goes on to explain why justice is beneficial to every type of person. He explains that the strong can only be powerful when they make just choices, otherwise they will be overthrown by a united majority.
By engaging in dialectic with two of his friends, the Thebans Cebes and Simmias, Socrates explores various arguments for the soul's immortality in order to show that there is an afterlife in which the soul will dwell following death. In total, Socrates presents four arguments for the immortality of the soul. The first three, though convincing, are insubstantial. These may be referred to as the cyclical, recollective, and affinity arguments. While valuable to the reader as examples of both invalid arguments and the difficulty of proving such a claim as the soul's
Ancient Greek society has shaped almost all western civilization into what it is known as today; therefore, in a literal sense, they could be considered our unpretentious creators. A good place to start would be philosophy; also can be known as the foundation of this construction of modern society. Though it is not seen externally, our “foundation” is far from destroyed. Philosophy has been an important part of human life even before prehistoric peoples could speak. Socrates, an Athenian philosopher, was a curious man.
(Lawhead 2011:15-16). However, the pre-Socratic philosophers brought about change through discrediting the accepted mythical thinking that all things can be explained by means of the nature of the Greek gods. They went about removing the negativity surrounding knowledge at the time in order to facilitate human beings to determine truth for themselves instead of blindly believing explanations of a blind nature. This opened up a consideration for knowledge from a naturalistic standpoint (Curd & Graham 2008:8). The theories of the pre-Socratic philosophers were generally characterised by their link to perception.
The concepts in The Symposium, speech of Aristophance showed the birth of desire, and dialogue between Diotima and Socrates showed that what is love and same-sex love, and Michel Foucault idea, showed that what true sex is. Love desire is the force to fulfilling lack but we can’t just remain in this level. We need to seek for good such as wisdom to become immortal. We should not get trapped in our stereotype, male and female. This kind of stereotyping just created by our society, by our culture.
Running Head: Preservation and Transmission of Greek Philosophy in the Middle Ages Preservation and Transmission of Greek Philosophy In the Middle Ages Antilkumar Gandhi Professor Fleming Religion and Philosophy Introduction Greek philosophy focused on the role of reason and inquiry in the study of the natural world. Many philosophers today concede that Greek philosophy has shaped all of Western thought since its inception. As Alfred Whitehead once noted, with some exaggeration, "Western philosophy is just a series of footnotes to Plato," (Brickman, 1961). Clear and unbroken lines of influence lead from Ancient Greek and Hellenistic philosophers, to medieval Muslim philosophers, and to the European Renaissance and Enlightenment. Early Greek philosophy, in turn, was influenced by the older wisdom literature and myths of the Near East.
This sculpture was constructed using a strict mathematical formula that was believed to represent the perfect male body. Greek philosophers such as Aristotle further explored the value and importance of visual perfection and its effect on human consciousness. This exploration was later developed into a branch of philosophy known as Aesthetics. In contrast, Roman art was used as propaganda that displayed the authority and greatness of Rome’s current ruler; this in no way reflected evolution of thought. (Roman) Artists began to use detailed craftsmanship with which they could portray human emotion and in turn use physical appearance to make