Euthyphro Dilemma The Euthyphro dilemma is found in Plato‘s dialogue Euthyphro, in which Socrates asks Euthyphro, “Is the pious loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is loved by the gods?”(10a) Although it was originally applied to the ancient Greek pantheon, the dilemma has implications for modern monotheistic religions. Gottfried...
Form Of The Good “Form of the Good“, or more literally “the idea of the good” (ἡ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἰδέα) is a concept in the philosophy of Plato. It is described in Plato’s dialogue the Republic (508e2–3), speaking through the character of Socrates. This form is the one that allows a philosopher-in-training to advance to...
Plato’s Quotes We have collected and put the best Plato’s Quotes. Enjoy reading these insights and feel free to share this page on your social media to inspire others. May these Plato’s Quotes on many subjects inspire you to never give up and keep working towards your goals. Who knows—success...
What Is Ancient Greek Philosophy? Ancient Greek philosophy arose in the 6th century BC and continued throughout the Hellenistic period and the period in which Greece and most Greek-inhabited lands were part of the Roman Empire. Philosophy was used to make sense out of the world in a non-religious way....
The Socratic Problem In studying Socrates as an educator, we must first come to grips with the sources of our information about Socrates and their methodological complexities, which are known as the “Socratic problem.” Because we have no writing whatsoever by Socrates himself, we must rely on the extant literature...
What is Ontology? Ontology is the philosophical study of being. More broadly, it studies concepts that directly relate to Being, in particular becoming, existence, reality, as well as the basic categories of being and their relations. Traditionally listed as a part of the major branch of philosophy known as metaphysics, ontology often deals with questions concerning what...
Sage (philosophy) A sage (sophos), in classical philosophy, is someone who has attained the wisdom which a philosopher seeks. The first to make this distinction is Plato, through the character of Socrates, within the Symposium. While analyzing the concept of love, Socrates concludes Love is that which lacks the object it seeks. Therefore, the philosopher (meaning lover of...
What Is Platonism? Platonism, rendered as a proper noun, is the philosophy of Plato or the name of other philosophical systems considered closely derived from it. In narrower usage, platonism, rendered as a common noun, refers to the philosophy that affirms the existence of abstract objects, which are asserted to...
Who Is Plato? Plato (Plátōn, 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was an Athenian philosopher during the Classical period in Ancient Greece, founder of the Platonist school of thought, and the Academy, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. He is widely considered the pivotal figure in...
Socrates, Xenophon, And Plato Empedocles In the fifth century BC the Pythagorean school continued, and Parmenides in Elea contributed to metaphysics. Zeno also of Elea let his mind trap himself into thinking one could never get somewhere, because by going half-way there each time one would get closer but never...
Platonic Love Platonic love (often lower-cased as platonic) is a type of love, or close relationship, that is non-romantic. It is named after Greek philosopher Plato, though the philosopher never used the term himself. Platonic love as devised by Plato concerns rising through levels of closeness to wisdom and true beauty from carnal attraction to...
The Spirit And What Follows This article covers the Spirit and the Afterlife. Based on al-Milal wa’n-Nihal (“The True and False Ways of Belief and Thought”) by ash-Shahristani,[1]Tahafut al-Falasifa (“The Incoherence of the Philosophers”) by Imam al-Ghazzali,[2] Mawqif al-‘Aql wa’l-‘Ilm wa’l-‘Alam (“The Place of Reason, Science, and the Created World”) by Mustafa Sabri...
Demiurge In the Platonic, Neopythagorean, Middle Platonic, and Neoplatonic schools of philosophy, the demiurge is an artisan-like figure responsible for fashioning and maintaining the physical universe. The Gnostics adopted the term “demiurge“. Although a fashioner, the demiurge is not necessarily the same as the creator figure in the monotheistic sense, because the demiurge itself and the...
Classical Theism Classical theism is a form of theism in which God is characterized as the absolutely metaphysically ultimate being, in contrast to other conceptions such as pantheism, panentheism, polytheism, deism, and process theism. Classical theism is a form of monotheism. Whereas most monotheists agree that God is, at minimum,...
Plato About Spirits This article covers the view of Plato about spirits. Although it was Anaxagoras who, being a spiritualist philosopher, discussed the physical and metaphysical dimensions of human existence under the titles of the spirit, intellect, and carnal soul for the first time in the history of philosophy, Socrates...
Aristotle About Spirits This article covers the view of Aristotle about spirits. Aristotle is the most renowned figure of ancient philosophy after Plato and Socrates. He continued and still continues, to be connected to the Peripatetic School, which he founded based on deductive and inductive thought. Unlike his master Plato,...
Greek Philosophers Belief In The Resurrection This article covers Greek Philosophers and The Resurrection. Ancient Greek poet, Homers, writes about the shelters of souls. He believed that the souls, which manifest themselves here in bodies, have shelters in another place. Pythagoras, a Greek mathematician, believed in the Resurrection and argued...