Essays on Plato

Aristotle's and Plato's MetaphysicsMetaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with elucidating the essence and origins of truth. Metaphysics attempts to justify the explanation for nature's existence and all that is in it. Aristotle defined it as "the first philosophy" and claimed that it is the knowledge that deals with...

"Love" and its Many Expressions "Love" seems to be a very small or little word; one syllable, four letters that barely encompasses its many expressions. Clive Staples Lewis described "heart" as affection, philia, eros, and Caritas in his Four Loves, but there are several levels of love even beyond these four...

The Apology is a work written by Plato in response to Socrates' words during his trial, when he was accused of not acknowledging the state gods, corrupting Athens' youth, and inventing new deities. Plato was Socrates' student, and he taught several notable people, including Alexander the Great and Aristotle, who...

Protagora's views argue for three main areas: orthoepia, human calculation, and agnosticism. Orthoepeia requires the proper use of vocabulary, man-measuring the human intelligence relies on itself, and agnosticism means that human beings have not been able to do anything about gods. Plato's hypotheses argue that information occurs when an individual has...

Book I from the Republic of Plato highlights the effort by Socrates to achieve a reasonable conception of justice. Socrates engages speakers to explore the best possible concept of justice. Socrates does not, however, give any definition, and instead refutes every proposal. In Book 1 Socrates, a young nobleman Polemarche...

Plato's Tripartite Soul Plato has proposed a hypothesis that suggests that there are three elements that make up a tripartite soul. He insists that human beings have an eternal spirit. It persists before and even after the body or the physical-self ceases to exist. The three things that make up the...

In the year 204 AD, a Greek philosopher named Plotinus was born in Egypt. He founded Neo-Platonism and is considered one of the greatest philosophers of antiquity. He closely followed Plato's teachings and philosophies as the founder of Neo-Platonism, believing that they contained many truths. Plotinus combined contemplation, philosophy, mysticism,...

In his middle-period dialogues Plato developed his idiosyncratic theory of knowledge, which he began in the Meno and continued in the Phaedo and Theaetetus. Plato contextualizes certain words in his philosophy, such as "knowledge." His epistemology presents a knowledge empiricist perspective. The most exorbitant realms of consciousness, according to the philosopher,...

What is the primary goal of the reading? There were many challenges for West while pursuing his education at Harvard University, but one of the most important aspects of his goals is to reach out to a larger audience. The primary goal of reaching out to the public is to rise...

The Allegory of the Cave by Plato depicts a split line in a dialogue between Socrates and Glaucon. The lines form four parts, each reflecting one of Psyche's four passions. The two sections on the lower side represent the clear, while the two sections on the upper side represent the...

Plato's Theory of Forms Plato's theory of forms is based on the belief that the material world is unstable due to its ease of manipulation, and that nonmaterial concepts, or Forms, are the true embodiment of truth. Platonic forms can be found in a variety of life themes, including reality, essence,...

Socrates' Life and Philosophy Socrates' life seemed to be trivial, particularly in his final days, when he was forced to choose between what is right in his opinion and what is right to do often in any situation. The universe lies somewhere in his philosophy, which he shared with Plato, in...