A Socratic Worldview

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A Socratic Worldview

Of the philosophers I have studied, Socrates stands out to me from all the rest. Although I would be the first to confess that I have never put forth the time nor the effort necessary to consider myself a philosopher (at least not in the sense that I imagine most would consider to be the credentials of a philosopher), my philosophy about life is most closely aligned with what I understand Socrates philosophical beliefs to be. Although there are some distinct differences in what I believe to be the ultimate meaning behind life, which I will later address, I believe his thoughts on how one should live their life to be the wisest of any philosopher we have studied. First, let me relate what I understand Socrates philosophy to be. Socrates believed that we all have a soul. He believed that we are to live our life by principles, and that these principles should be what is considered to be good. He was convinced that there were moral absolutes, a right and a wrong, his reason being that if there weren’t everything would just be relative. This seems most logical. Also, according to Socrates, in order to find which standards we should live by we should test these standards in real life situation to see if they are right or wrong. From what I understand, we are to live our lives according to rights and wrongs - in our dealings with others, and our private life as well. And, this is all in order to be living according to the dictates of the soul, if you will, and not by the desires of the flesh. One of the most interesting ideas Socrates had, I believe, were his thoughts regarding the “true philosopher.” He said that the true philosopher is often misunderstood by other men, that they do not understand that his who...

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... missing. I don’t ever expect to see such a change in society, because it is such a personal thing, it is an entirely different way of seeing things, and would warrant entirely different behavior. It isn’t something that a government could mandate, it isn’t something that can be done so to speak, its more of a lifestyle change; it can’t be faked. I believe that Socrate’s philosophy could be the solution to a lot of the worlds problems. Things such as racism, jealousy, and greed, and materialism all appear so trite when you look at it in regards to the soul, and humanity could learn to be at peace with itself. Socrates, stating that he was not greedy for life, was willing to die for what he believed to be the truth. Socrates said he spent his whole life getting ready for death, let us all hope we have found the truths that will leave us at peace when we are to die.

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