Socrates and Plato

Socrates •  ca. 470 – 399 BC. • Son of Sophroniscus and Phainarete • Potidaea (432); Delium (424) • Not an aristocrat: mother was a midwife, father a stone

mason • Self taught • Sought wisdom through examination •  Cross-examined those who claimed wisdom

• Already well known by 423 (Arist. Clouds)

Doctrines

• Knowledge is innate • Learning is remembering • Aletheia •  The soul is the true self: •  Nourish the soul not the body

•  The path to knowledge is the acceptance of ignorance •  The unexamined life is not worth living •  It is better to suffer wrong than to do wrong

The Trial of Socrates

• 399: • Meletus and Anytus •  Corrupting the youth of Athens •  Introducing new gods •  “Men of Athens, either do as Anytus tells you, or not, and

either acquit me, or not, knowing that I shall not change my conduct even if I am to die many times over.” (Plat.Apol.30.b)

• 280 to convict; 221 to acquit (Plato Apol.) • Or 391 to convict 110 to acquit (Diogenes L.)

Suicide by Jury? •  “Since I am convinced that I never wronged anyone, I

am certainly not going to wrong myself and say of myself that I deserve anything bad.” •  “What then does such a man as I deserve? Some good

thing, men of Athens.” • Second vote: 360 to 140

•  “... human beings for whom it is better to die cannot, without impiety, do good to themselves, but must wait for some other benefactor.” (Plat.Phaed.62.a)

Death of Socrates

Plato

• 429(?) – 347 BC • Aristocrat • Student of Socrates •  Socrates never wrote •  Plato reproduced the ‘Dialogues’ •  Demonstrating principles through refutation, the dissoi logoi. •  Founded the Academy ca. 386 BC •  Aristotle studied under Plato

Doctrines

• The empirical is illusion • Only the ‘idea’ (Form) is real and unchanging • Good • Beauty • Truth (materialist presupposition?) • Soul • The job of the philosopher is to distinguish the one true

form from the many illusory facsimiles.

Plato, Protagoras

• The Philosophy Virus:

• You have virus protection on your computer… • What about protection for your bio-computer? • Philosophy is virus protection for your soul: •  Understanding the fundamental principles – the Forms •  Recognising false use of the names of the Forms •  Refusing to be seduced by apparent reason.

Experts and Statesmen

• Protagoras 319a ff. • You trust your health to a medical doctor. • Why do you trust your State to amateurs?

• The Honourable Doug Horner •  Former Minister of Finance, President of the Treasury

Board •  2 year diploma in Business, SAIT

• The Honourable Thomas Lukaszuk •  Former Minister of Enterprise and Advanced Education •  B. Ed, University of Alberta.

• The Honourable Don Scott •  Minister of Innovation and Advanced Education •  Degrees from New Brunswick and Cambridge •  But they won’t say what degrees •  Lawyer in Ft. McMurray.