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Socrates’ philosophy of self-examination
The term “self-examination” is a misnomer that has created torrents of ink in the history of philosophy. It comes from the quotation “know yourself,” which some authors have attributed to Socrates, while others point out that the words correspond to a piece of wisdom dispensed at the Temple of Delphi. At first sight, the exhortation…
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Socrates’ versus Aristotle’s teaching methods
Socrates claimed to be a great teacher. He debated people in Athens on all sorts of subjects, allegedly to seek the truth, but I fail to see any proof of the effectiveness of his teachings. Plato wrote a large number of dialogues featuring Socrates, but those dialogues seldom draw clear conclusions. Plato depicts Socrates as…
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Key ideas in Socrates’ and Plato’s “Gorgias”
“Gorgias” is one of the most confusing, rambling and fuzzy of all Plato’s dialogues featuring Socrates. Plato wrote it after Socrates’ death in 399 BC, but historians do not know the exact date for the writing. I call “Gorgias” confusing, rambling and fuzzy because it jumps from subject to subject, drawing wrong conclusions, and praising…
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Socrates’ and Plato’s “Laches”
Why is courage an essential virtue, the one necessary virtue upon which all others are built? Courage is a prerequisite of all other virtues because it is the equivalent of consistency. Ideas that are considered true have little value if they are not put into practice. Courage is the link between abstract truth and factual…
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Key themes in Socrates’ dialogues
I was once asked to explain Socrates’ ideas in one minute. I replied that one minute was more than enough. In fact, I can do it in half a minute. I just need to say that Socrates was the first philosopher in history to identify truth with consistency; and falsehood with inconsistency. If things add…
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Tomorrow is another day
Each of us has a style, a personal style. Some people are outgoing and optimistic; others are moody and fearful. Similarly, there are people who worry about everything, while others are insouciant and carefree. The best of all is that we can choose our own style. Yes, we can choose the style of our soul,…
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The themes of Socrates and Plato’s dialogues
Plato’s dialogues featuring Socrates as protagonist revolve around ethics and, by derivation, political science. Other areas of philosophy play a minor role. They are mentioned or used indirectly to support Socrates’ approach to ethics, not as central elements of philosophy. While systemic thinkers such as Aristotle and Schopenhauer cover all branches of philosophy, Socrates cared…
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Moderation and frugality are virtues
I cannot deny that I was naturally inclined to moderation long before I became interested in philosophy. But when I studied great thinkers in history, I could not help noticing that many of them practised frugality. I mean stern frugality. Names such as Schopenhauer or Seneca immediately come to mind, but in this respect, the…
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Aristotle’s potentiality versus positive thinking
I have seen people crash and burn after trying to achieve impossible dreams. And history gives us countless examples of individuals perishing as a result of pushing themselves too far. That’s why I have always been sceptical when I hear someone say: A person can achieve wherever he wants to achieve. Or that our mind…
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Plato’s Socrates versus the real Socrates
There is no doubt that Socrates actually existed, that he was a citizen of ancient Athens, and that he made large innovations in philosophy. The works of Xenophon (430-350 BC) confirm these facts, and the fact that Aristophanes (446-386 BC), in his stage plays, tried to ridicule Socrates, proves that Socrates was widely known in…
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Recent Posts
- Socrates’ philosophy of self-examination
- Socrates’ versus Aristotle’s teaching methods
- Key ideas in Socrates’ and Plato’s “Gorgias”
- Socrates’ and Plato’s “Laches”
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