The concept of Human Nature as per the Greek Tradition is unquestionably comparable to the notion of Human Nature according to St. Augustine, although there are a few distinctions. The classical Greek philosophers seemingly focused their ideals on logic and saw reason at the core of human essence, while St. Augustine saw will as the guiding light rather than reason. Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, the ancient Greek philosophers, all focused on the primary virtues of human nature being courage and reason, whereas St. Augustine deemed faith, love, hope, reason and courage, combining both ideologies of the Greek concept of Human Nature and the biblical teachings of the human person. St. Augustine agreed with much of the concept of Human Nature in accordance with the Greek Tradition, however, he seemed to have found some sort of gap of insufficiency and incompleteness, in which he chose to place the knowledge of Christ. The ideas of the classical Greek philosophers, namely Socrates, Plato and Aristotle and those of the medieval thinker St. Augustine are interrelated, but they have defining dissimilarities. Numerous parallels can be found between the concept of Human Nature according to the Greek Tradition and that of St. Augustine, as St. Augustine seems to accept the ideologies of the Greek Tradition in terms of human essence, but proceeds to extend it to the realm of Christianity and biblical teachings.
Socrates' ethics revolved around caring for the soul, possessing self-knowledge, regarding virtue as knowledge and focusing on the invincible nature of goodness. Essentially, Socrates' principles were based on a knowledge of human nature and proper functioning, much like Aristotle's. This proper functioning and purpose comprises o...
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...ieve in our sensory capacity, nor did Aristotle, as he believed that reason is the true self of every human being. Overall, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle were all rationalists who saw logic at the heart of human essence.
St. Augustine's theory of human nature revolved around will being our dominant feature, rather than reason, as proposed by the classical Greek philosophers Socrates, Aristotle and Plato. According to St. Augustine, will is our defining feature, causing it to surpass our sense of rationale as it has the capability of being good or evil, unlike reason. St. Augustine also asserted that evil and bad decisions led to ignorance, while the ancient Greek thinkers believed that ignorance caused bad decisions to be made. St. Augustine's theory of Human Nature is a fusion between Christianity and ancient Greek philosophical ideals in terms of human essence.
The identification of the soul parts as the contributors and main elements for the function of the most important human activity (reasoning), marks the inevitable psychological asset of Aristotle’s thinking; specifically, the classification of human virtues derives from the analysis of the soul’s types, attributing to human beings the ability of reasoning which distinguishes human beings from the rest of ‘natural bodies.’ Indeed, reason exists in two parts of the soul, namely the rational and the appetitive (desires or passions), and so it expresses within two different virtues, the moral and intellectual ones. Moral virtues satisfy the impulses of the appetitive part and the intellectual virtues hav...
The following essay aims to discuss the opinion that Socrates should not be considered a Sophist, with one’s chosen focal point to be how although he may have shared many qualities, it is his differences from this group which set him apart in a group of his own. The ideas one shall go on to discuss include how Socrates can be equated with the Sophists, as he too saw the importance of this discussion and education of the moral society, the pursuit of such education lead to hostility towards both the Sophists and Socrates, both of whom were accused of impiety and corruption of the youth.One shall go on to argue against this interpretation however, presenting ideas around Socrates methods and
Socrates attempts to make other people reason well and therefore be virtuous by performing their human function; I believe that this action inwardly reflects Socrates’s own virtue. For example, if a professor can effectively teach mathematics to his students, then he most likely holds knowledge of the subject within himself. In a similar way, Socrates instills virtue in other people, which shows that he himself is a virtuous being. Although some people criticize him, evidence of his positive impact is reinforced by the approval and support of his friends in the Apology. While promoting virtue when alive, Socrates wishes to continue to encourage virtue even after death. For example, at the onset of his death, Socrates asks the jurors to ensure that his sons are given grief if they care for anything else more than virtue (Plato and Grube 44). While Socrates could have been thinking about himself or other things at that moment, he is thinking of how to guide people towards living virtuously. Both his actions while living and his intentions after death reveal that Socrates wished to aid people in living virtuous lives, which highlight his own state of
In the humdrum and mundane events of human life, the question is often wondered if certain abstract characteristics are given to individuals via nature or nurture. This notion has been the core of debates for centuries. The nature notion suggests that individuals are innately gifted with their talent. Adverse to nature is the idea that a person’s talents or skills are acquired through a knowledge that has been taught to them i.e. nurture. Like any debate, nature and nurture have their respective followers. Philosophical greats, such as Plato even offered his perspective on the nature vs nurture debacle. In his work, The Republic, Plato vicariously speaks his thoughts through his character Socrates. Socrates defends his view of justice against his friends Glaucon and Adeimantus. Socrates asserts that justice, in itself, is a naturally good and is desired. To defend his view of justice, Socrates must first construct what he believes to be a
(37) The problem is that many of the citizens of Athens who wanted Socrates dead, lacked that emotional intelligence and thought highly of themselves. So of course they become defensive when Socrates sheds light on the idea that they may be wrong. As someone who cared most about the improvement of the soul, Socrates would have made a constructive role model to the criminals of Athens, as he would go on saying, “virtue is not given by money, but that from virtue comes money and every other good of man…”(35) Socrates was able to benefit everyone alike as he had human wisdom- something that all the Athenians could relate
Whether Socrates is portrayed correctly or not, he certainly was a great man. His contribution to western thought cannot be denied. For even if his teachings were different from what they are known to be at present, his influence on Plato is immense. And so, it is no small matter to describe the tragic passing of such a man as Socrates was and remains for philosophy today. Yet in all the indignation which is expected to arise at the death of Socrates, the panache with which he departs is captured excellently in Plato's “Apology.” Specifically, at the end of the "Apology," Socrates makes a very important statement that has had great impact on philosophy ever since its original proclamation. The Stoics in particular have taken this to be the cornerstone of their ideology. The statement made is that "you must regard one thing at least as certain—that no harm can come to a good man either in his life or after his death,” (Plato 100). The following examination focuses therefore on a brief explanation of the circumstances which lead to this statement being made by Socrates, as well as a closer look at why he thinks this to be the case. It is assumed that this statement is true, and validation for that assumption is to be sought as well.
Stoicism is a philosophical school of thought that asserts virtue as the one true good that can produce eudemonia, the Stoic term for happiness or living well. This good is accessible to all, by means of using impressions properly and behaving in accordance with god and nature. Virtue is a good achieved through both internal and external sources. The Stoics associated virtue with the venerated status of sage, which can be achieved only when the soul is unwaveringly consistent with true human nature. But what is human nature? Unlike many philosophical theories that focus on the role of emotions in human nature, the Stoics thought human nature to be closely tied to rationality. The Stoics believed that it was human nature to seek out good and happiness, and that all wrong choices are made in the pursuit or avoidance of a wrongfully perceived value. These errors in rationale and perception contribute to the formation of false beliefs, which causes non-virtuous or vicious behavior. Determinism, or the acceptance of living in accord with events outside of our control is a key feature of Stoic theory. This strict determinism allows Stoics to distance themselves from encumbering emotional reactions that are often associated with negative or positive outcomes. A stoic would attempt to dissuade a non-sage from engaging in emotions because they lack the capacity of assenting strictly to kataleptic impressions because emotions negatively effect their beliefs. In order to behave in accordance with this logic it requires a rejection of common emotions. Ordinary emotions such as pleasure and fear are considered false impression, which contribute to a bad mental state. In order to avoid assenting to false impressions one must gain a rational und...
There is something in every person that defines who that person is. It shapes how the individual lives their life, and what they believe. Something that acts as a lens which effects how a person sees everything. This is commonly known as a person’s worldview. Plato and Augustine were two highly influential philosophers who expressed their worldviews through their writings. In each worldview there is often a central idea or point that is fundamental to entire worldview. Plato and Augustine have similar worldviews in the sense that both have a central point around which everything revolves. They differ in that Plato sees that point as the Good and Augustine sees it as God, and each central point has a different role, type of existence, and way of being attained.
We have been studying in the course of the class the evolution of thought in the Western Civilization. This study has of course started with the Greek thinkers and philosophers. Their way of thought has had a great effect on the way the whole western civilization approached life, and the fundamental concepts behind it. Plato is the philosopher that most probably had the most influence on the way thought has evolved in western society. But his reasoning put Essence above Existence, which is in contradiction with the faith that is promoted later on by Aristotle at first, and then by the arrival of Christian thought into the western world.
It is Human Nature, which separates one from another; the mainly intellectual, those mainly endowed with muscular and temperamental strength, and those who are distinguished neither for the one nor for the other, the mediocre third class. The first group contains select individuals, and the last, the great majority. Plato believed people to be like ‘sheep’. In other words, people are easily swayed or deceived by their senses; people followed what they believe and not what they can know through reason. (Week Five (2) – A Tales of Two Poleis: Athens & Sparta p.8) Plato believed the Soul consists of three parts, Rational, Spirited, and Desires or the appetites. The rational seeks knowledge and wisdom; the spirted quests for honor, the appetites for pleasure. Philosophers are those who pursue knowledge; they are dominated by the rational. Warriors pursue glory and honor; they are dominated by the spirited. Workers do what is necessary to fulfill the desires and appetites that their souls are dominated by. In his society an individual needed all three parts to work together in proper balance and moderation. Philosophers rule with the help and support of the warriors and producers do the work while their desires are moderated by the guardians. Rationality and reason are in control with assistance of the spirit; balance and moderation with the assistance of
St Augustine instilled a profound impact in the interpretation of the new religion of Christianity. Augustine was well versed in various subjects such as metaphysics and politics but the most important was his engrossment in the Platonic Ideas. His understanding of the body and the soul made him one of the founding philosophers to define Christianity and how one must interpret the scriptures of God. In his era, 400 BC Christianity was emerging as a young faith with know concrete bounds; St. Augustine created a sophisticated doctrine of Christian way of life by not only incorporating but appropriating ideas taken from Platonic ideas as well as Neo-Platonism beliefs. In this philosopher’s eyes, Plato’s idea of a universal being was God himself;
Since the dawn of man, the invariable love of knowledge has kindled the hearts of humankind. That true passion in the heart for mankind over the flux of time is the study of philosophy. One of the greatest embellishments to philosophy overtime is the lionized Socrates of Athens born in 469B.C. His life exemplifies a true philosopher’s life, and the aspect of wonder that has cloaked mankind since the beginning of time. Therefore, the philosophical significance of Socrates is strenuous to parallel for he: practiced systematic and logical reasoning, lived an undemanding life, and pursued truth and wisdom.
When Socrates was brought to trial for the corruption of the city’s youth he knew he had done nothing wrong. He had lived his life as it should be lead, and did what he ne...
Aristotle argued and disagreed with Plato’s views of the self and soul being a separate from the body. Aristotle’s view is that all humans have a soul, yet they cannot be separate from the body in which they reside. To him, there are four sections of the soul; the desiderative and vegetative parts on the irrational side are used to help one find what they are needing and the calculative and scientific parts on the rational side are
Aquinas and Aristotle were both ancient/medieval thinkers. They both agree that human beings have a function and they believed that virtue is necessary to fulfill this function. They presented the idea that certain actions by human beings are intrinsically wrong and that we can know that they are by intellectual apprehension and reason. Even though they agreed on a few things, they had different views.