Introduction
Philosophy as a science is one of the important elements in a person’s social life. Different currents and thoughts of people can push others to create their own interpretations and enhance the development of various fields of science. Philosophy was shaped by many outstanding people whose work remains relevant for a long time. Socrates and Plato played a significant role in developing political, social, and ethical norms. That is why it is important to consider in more detail their contribution to science and the development of society.
Discussion
I am studying the impact that Plato and Socrates may have had on the future development of humanity. This question can be uncovered by examining their basic worldviews and what new philosophical currents they brought. Understanding the chosen topic is facilitated by the concept of Plato’s ideal state and Socrates’ self-knowledge.
Socrates is an ancient Greek philosopher and founder of dialectics as a method of finding truth by asking leading questions. Later, this system began to be called the Socratic method or Maieutics. Socrates’ approach was to extract the knowledge latent in man through skillful leading questions. Socrates believed that a person’s wisdom is determined not by knowledge but by how he follows his inner voice of conscience (Schultz, 2019). He did not impose the truth but helped the students to find it themselves in their souls, and thus the meeting with Socrates became, for a person, a meeting with himself. The philosopher was sentenced to death for not believing in God, corrupting the youth, and having a chance to be saved, and he decided to die.
Plato was an ancient Greek philosopher who was a student of Socrates and later founded his school in Athens. The highest idea of the philosopher was an all-consuming good for all. Eternal and unchanging intelligible prototypes of things, of all transient and changeable beings. In addition, he developed the idea that things are likenesses and reflections of ideas (Cairns, 2019). Cognition is anamnesis – the soul’s memory about the ideas it contemplated before its connection with the body. Love for Plato’s idea is the motive for the spiritual ascent, and the ideal state is a hierarchy of three estates: sage rulers, warriors, officials, peasants, and artisans. Plato intensively developed dialectics and outlined the scheme of the main stages of being developed by Neoplatonism. In the history of philosophy, the perception of Plato has changed from a utopian philosopher to the founder of one of the most famous systems of state and law.
The question of the future development of mankind is important because, without the constant improvement of all possible aspects of existence, it will be impossible to solve the existing social problems. The concepts of Plato’s state and the theory of self-knowledge of Socrates, considered within the framework of this paper, apply to this topic. For me, the teachings of Socrates are important because they reveal aspects of the human psyche with the help of a unique system of Maieutics. Plato’s vision of the state and social structure according to the laws of justice and the rule of wisdom is one of the most significant political ideas. These topics are relevant because they affect aspects of self-knowledge and the development of the human personality. In addition, much attention is paid to the social order and the creation of the right state, which is relevant to modern realities.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is important to say that the philosophical views of Socrates and Plato greatly influenced the development of this industry as a science. This was because they taught other people and actively passed on their knowledge. The two thinkers studied had different approaches to philosophy. Socrates developed a universal system of knowing the inner self with the help of leading questions. Plato was engaged in the study and improvement of building an improved form of society and the state. Taking into account their theories can help them develop more effectively as social beings in the future.
References
Cairns, H. (2019). Legal philosophy from Plato to Hegel. JHU Press.
Schultz, A. M. (2019). Socrates as public philosopher: A model of informed democratic engagement. The European Legacy, 24(7-8), 710-723. Web.