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Socrates’ and Plato’s “Phaedrus” explained
Plato’s “Phaedrus,” a protracted dialogue between Socrates and Phaedrus, is one of the most confusing texts in the history of philosophy. Why? Because it jumps from subject to subject without building a waterproof chain of arguments, and to make it worse, it often arrives at the wrong conclusions. I must start by saying that it…
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Warnings about Socrates’ theory of soul
If you accept Socrates’ theory of the soul, chances are that you might be limiting your potential. In the case of Socrates, his theory of the soul ended up limiting his lifespan because it led to a criminal prosecution and a death sentence. I can only guess how many more years Socrates would have lived…
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What Socrates believed about the soul
I tend to run away from any philosopher that preaches the cultivation of the soul, especially if he employs grandiloquent words. Socrates (469-399 BC) spoke widely about the soul, but his conception was practical most of the time. Socrates’ advice for cultivating one’s soul is spread across a dozen Plato’s dialogues, but they all share…
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Controversy in Socrates’ philosophy of life
We know for sure that Socrates existed because his trial and philosophical doctrines are reported by multiple sources. The historian Xenophon (430-350 BC) wrote a chronicle of the criminal trial against Socrates, and so did Plato (427-347 BC). In addition, Xenophon wrote “Memorabilia,” which retells details and anecdotes of Socrates’ life. If we put those…
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Socrates’ philosophy of life, in simple words
“When a man takes a position that he believes to be right,” said Socrates, “or has been placed there by his commander, he must remain in his post without fear of death.” This is a quote from Plato’s “Apology,” section 29a, and summarises Socrates’ philosophy of life. We must first make correct, virtuous decisions, and…
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Insights of Socrates about the good life
For those who want to ruin their lives, Socrates constitutes a model to imitate. All they need to do is to make enemy after enemy, irritate lots of powerful people, and when retaliation comes, they can stay immobile like sitting ducks, waiting for a death sentence, instead of seizing the opportunity to escape. If Socrates…
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Socrates’ path to happiness
If Socrates delineated a feasible path to happiness, millions of people would be interested in applying his doctrines, but in spite of his extraordinary reputation as a thinker, his advice about happiness is only lightly presented in philosophy books. I do not think that it is asking too much from thinkers to provide solid evidence…
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Socrates’ quotes about life and happiness
Before analysing Socrates’ quotes about life and happiness, it is fair to ask whether Socrates’ life is worth imitating? Did he achieve happiness, prosperity and good health? Should we pay attention to his advice in order to improve our lives today? History books tend to answer those questions positively. In their narration of history and…
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Socrates’ moral philosophy concepts
Most of Socrates’ moral concepts are erroneous, but they are still worth studying because they help us sharpen our intellect. To do the right thing in life, it’s not enough to know what’s bad and what’s good. In addition, we need to be capable of making correct decisions quickly, especially in crisis situations, and we…
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Key ideas of Socrates’ ethics philosophy
Philosophers only have one product to sell: happiness; but it can take many different shapes, namely, individual happiness, social happiness, material prosperity and so forth. Socrates was not an exception, although he rarely used the word “happiness” in his debates. Plato (427-347 BC) succeeded Socrates (469-399 BC) by a generation, and recorded in his works…
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Recent Posts
- Socrates’ and Plato’s “Phaedrus” explained
- Warnings about Socrates’ theory of soul
- What Socrates believed about the soul
- Controversy in Socrates’ philosophy of life
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