Philosophy at Its Finest

Macon Borne

Dr. Heern

Philosophy at its Finest

Civ 201

Murray State University

December 8, 2011

Philosophy at its Finest

“As the builders say, the larger stones do not lie well without the lesser.”[1] This is a quote by the famous philosopher Plato. This quote represents the ideal philosophical quote that everyone expects to hear when thinking of philosophy. If asked by a professor to interpret this statement made by Plato, answers would range from very simple and obvious to complex and in-depth. This term, philosophy, strikes fear in the heart of many, yet simply means the study of knowledge, reality, and existence.[2] Since civilization first existed people have always asked questions such as “Where do we come from?” and “Why are we here?” These questions sparked the start of philosophy. There are three philosophers that many believe began to start shedding light on some of these famous questions. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are three of the greatest philosophers of all time. They each contributed their own research and ideas while changing the way we think, learn and view the world of today.

Socrates was born in 410 B.C. in Athens, Greece. Socrates did not write anything down himself, the knowledge obtained of his life is through the writings of his star student Plato. Socrates is famous for system of teaching known as the “Socratic Method.” The “Socratic Method” is a teaching style where students are asked question after question intended to cause contradiction in the student’s thoughts and ideas.[3] This leads the students to a concrete, justifiable conclusion.[4] The overall principle of the “Socratic Method” is for the students to learn through critical thinking, reason, logic and fixing the holes that arise in their own theories.[5] Socrates often used this style in front of big groups so his students could learn to use these principles...