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We all know about Niccolo Machiavelli and his ideology, but there’s a lot more great western thinkers.Let me introduce to you a man by the name of Socrates, arguably the founding father of greek philosophy.
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Socrates was estimated to be born in 470bc in Athens.He was born in a working class family.His father was a sculptor while his mother was a midwife.
Socrates never wrote any books.His most famous student is Plato, although he claimed was his friend instead of his student.
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Socrates never wrote any books.His most famous student is Plato, although he claimed was his friend instead of his student.
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The majority of the information that we know about Socrates derived from the writing’s of Plato.
He was said by the Oracle of Delphi to be the wisest person.When he then learned about this, he was set on trying to prove the Oracle wrong.
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He was said by the Oracle of Delphi to be the wisest person.When he then learned about this, he was set on trying to prove the Oracle wrong.
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He went out and questioned figuratively everything.He likes to ask questions to people to see whether they actually know what they are talking about.He concluded that people went around thinking that they knew more than they actually knew.
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He then was claimed to say “I am wiser than this man, for neither of us appears to know anything great and good; but he fancies he knows something although he knows nothing; whereas I, as I do not know anything, so I do not fancy I do.”
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This therefore shows that because they all claimed they were wise this made them not so wise, whereas Socrates never claimed to be wise as he was aware of his own ignorance and therefore was wise.
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Socrates was very pessimistic about democracy.This would then influences Plato and eventually Aristotle on their stance with democracy.
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He argued that imagine there was a ship, who would you want deciding who would be in charge of the ship? People who are experts and knowledgeable about the sea or just anyone? The former of course.
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So then he compared, why do we let just anyone decide who would be in charge of a country? Socrates wanted to say that voting is a skill and therefore should be taught sistematically.
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Another example he gave was that imagine there was a presidential debate.
One is a doctor while the other one was a candy shop owner.
Now the candy shop owner would argue that the doctor is evil, he gives people bitter pills and tells them what they can and cannot eat.
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One is a doctor while the other one was a candy shop owner.
Now the candy shop owner would argue that the doctor is evil, he gives people bitter pills and tells them what they can and cannot eat.
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Now what would the people think?
Obviously they would hate the doctor and elect the candy shop owner.
The truth is the doctor gives the people pills and tells them what to eat was so that they could heal.The candy shop owner’s candy would in return make people sick.
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Obviously they would hate the doctor and elect the candy shop owner.
The truth is the doctor gives the people pills and tells them what to eat was so that they could heal.The candy shop owner’s candy would in return make people sick.
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His act of proving that people don’t actually know what they’re talking about made him hated by a lot of people.
Eventually, he was brought to trial for “Corrupting the youth of Athens and Impiety against the Pantheon of Athens” which is a story for another day.
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Eventually, he was brought to trial for “Corrupting the youth of Athens and Impiety against the Pantheon of Athens” which is a story for another day.
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I’ll end this thread with a quote from Socrates,
“He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature.”
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“He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature.”
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