Monday, November 19, 2007

Plato's Biograhy




Plato live from 428BC to 347BC. He had many influences in his early life. He was educated by Socrates and is known for his accomplishments. Plato was also significant for many reasons.


Plato was born to an upper class family (Stone 122) in 428BC. Although his original name was Aristocles his body's large form earned him the name Platon. His father died before he grew into manhood and his mother was married again to a man by the name of Pyrilampes. Although his parents and stepfather had early influences on his life Socrates was the most influential. Plato was not only a student of Socrates, but one his friends. In 407BC Plato became one of Socrates' students. Plato was a very devoted student of Socrates, who couldn't ignore his teachings.


One of Plato's accomplishments was founding the Academy in Athens in 387 BC. Plato would teach there when he was not on one of his journeys(Grant Michael 94). The academy was used to study philosophy and science. Plato also wrote twenty-six dialogs, and of these was The Republic, which the most significant.


Plato was made significant by many things. Two of these things were, recorded ideas from Socrates for the following generations and the fact that Aristotle was his student. Interestingly, Alexander the Great was the student of Aristotle. Plato also founded a lot of the western thoughts in logic, politics, philosophy, psychology.


Plato live from 428BC to 347BC. Although he had many influences in his early life Socrates was the biggest influence. Plato his known for his many accomplishments. He is also significant for many reasons.


Stone I.F. The Trial of Socrates. Boston: Little, Brown & Company, 1988.

Grant Michael. The Founders of the Western World: A History of Greece and Rome. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1991.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

The Life of Socrates



Socrates lived from 470BC to 399BC. During his time Socrates was a philosopher.


Socrates grew up in Athens. The father of this man was a stone mason and the mother a midwife. While Socrates was growing up, Athens shifted to its Golden Age.


One of the things Socrates was and is still known for is the Socratic method. The Socratic method is used when one is trying to dissect an idea with another and the other person keeps on asking questions about the idea.


Eventually people started to get annoyed with Socrates' questions and he earned the nickname "The Gadfly." Eventually, the Athenians became tired of Socrates' questions. Socrates' charges were worshiping false gods and corrupting the youth of Athens. Socrates was sentenced to drink hemlock poisoning.


Socrates was a philosopher. He lived from 470BC to 399BC. The political view of Socrates is what really got him into trouble (Stone 138-139). Socrates was put to death with hemlock poisoning. Ironically, through his death, Socrates created his own legend (Grant 93).

Stone I.F. The trial of Socrates. Canada: Little Brown and Company, 1988.

Grant Michael. The Founders of the Western World: AHistory of Greece and Rome. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1991.



Saturday, November 10, 2007

Information on Socrates and Plato's Meno




The first well known logical person in Greece was Socrates. Socrates would ask questions like what is right, wisdom, beauty, or he would question people about piety. In Plato's Meno Socrates asks Meno, "Virtue then, as a whole or in part, is a matter of mindfulness?"source. However, Socrates' teachings and his questions eventually led to his demise. Plato's Meno was not about Plato himself. Rather, it was about Socrates and a man named Meno. The dialog between Socrates and Plato is on virtue. Socrates is continually asking Meno questions throughout the dialog. When Meno told Socrates, "I think so, Socrates, for justice is a virtue." source Socrates asked him, "Is it a virtue, Meno, or is it a virtue?-What do you mean?" sorce. What Socrates is using here is called the Socratic method, that is asking questions relating to the subject at hand. Interestingly enough, we don't have any writings from Socrates. The only reason we know about Socrates is that Plato and Xenophon wrote down Socrates' life, teachings and what he believed. However, even though Plato was one of Socrates' students he added his own ideas to Socrates' ideas (Source).


Throughout Plato's Meno Socrates asks questions as, "Virtue then, as a whole or in part, is a matter of mindfulness?"(Source) or, "Then, if that is how it is, the good are so by nature?"
(Source) The method Socrates used is now called the Socratic method, that is when somebody constantly is questioning another about question at hand. This method will make the person listening to the questions think a little harder than they usually would about it if one did not use the Socratic method.(source)


In Athens people could speak with freedom. Socrates, however, took advantage of this
(Stone 134). Socrates would ask the aristocratic youth of Athens questions about their belief of the truth of the popular opinions in Athens. The parents of these children, however, did not like the fact that Socrates was changing their childrens' views of life and other things in life. Socrates was soon accused of corrupting the younger people of Athens and disagreeing with the city's religion. Socrates was put to death by hemlock poisoning (Source).


The first well known logical person in Greece was Socrates. Socrates would ask questions like what is right, wisdom, beauty, or he would question the people about piety. In the end Socrates was sentenced to death by hemlock poisoning. Socrates believed that the Greek gods could only do good for human beings and their fellow gods (Phillips 280).


Stone, I.F. The Trials of Socrates.
Boston : Little, Brown and Company, 1988.

Phillips, Christopher. Six Questions of Socrates. New York: W.W.
Norton and Company, 2004.


Saturday, November 3, 2007

Greek Architecture


The Greeks were influenced by the surrounding eastern countries in their art, literature, religion and philosophy, as well as their architecture (Grant 11). Three types of architecture the Greeks used were Doric, Ionic and the Corinthian.


The first of the stone temples were built in the Doric stile in Corinth (Grant 13). A temple was not regularly used as a place of worship for the Greeks, rather it served as a house for the god of the area the temple is in. The Greeks worshiped many different gods and goddesses. Different gods or goddesses were worshiped in different cities (Malam 14).

The Ionic temples stand on small base instead of directly on the floor. This style originated in the mid-16th century BC in Iona. In the mainland of Greece th Ionic order was being practiced in the 5th century BC. The temple of Hera on Samos, was the first of the Ionic temples. It was built by the architect Rhoikos in about 570 through 560 BC source.


The most ornate the three styles was the Corinthian style. This style was named after the city, Corinth. This was also the least used style of the Greek peoples. This style was the third style of architecture used.


The Greeks were greatly influenced by the surrounding eastern cities. They were especially influenced by their architecture
(Grant 11). Three of the styles they used were the Doric, the Ionic and the Corinthian.




Grant, Michael. The Founders of the Western World: A History of Greece and Rome. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1991.

Malam, John. Ancient Greece.
New York: Enchanted Lion Books, 2004.