How Did Socrates Influence Modern Day Philosophy

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There were three great philosophers in classical Greece, each had an influence on modern-day philosophy. The first was Socrates, he was known for his questioning of all things (Osborne, 2018). The information we have referenced the philosophy of Socrates came from Plato, his student, who wrote things down because Socrates did not. Socrates was known as “the most revolutionary thinker of the entire ancient world” (Matthews et. al., 2014, p. 67). The focus of his study revolved around the human aspect of life rather than nature, moreover, Socrates felt knowledge was power placing a high importance on the psyche. This method of building the psyche was reached through challenging debates as well as stimulating conversations, Socrates felt was the key to obtaining a powerful psyche. This thought process led Socrates to believe the more one knew the more moral they would be, meaning knowledgeable individuals were less likely to be immoral compared to those with little knowledge. The Athenians did not like all the questions Socrates asked, they felt he was undermining their …show more content…

The influence of Socrates’ work lived on through Plato as he continued his work focusing on the mind of humans (Matthews et. al., 2014). The knowledge a person gained was thought to be immortal, unlike the physical body by both Socrates and Plato. Plato envisioned a world of higher intellect, in which the rulers were philosophers with great wisdom. The philosophy of Plato became popular in the West following his completion of the book “The Republic.” It was in this book that Plato introduced his dream world of philosophical reign, depicting ignorance as the cause of all evil. This again was a thought process shared between both Socrates and Plato. In this idealistic world, Plato had created all classes of society played a vital role in keeping the order as well as maintaining a functioning