The Philosophers

Socrates, a classical Greek philosopher based in Athens, is an enigmatic figure about whom we only know through the works of his students such as Xenophon and Plato and through the works of the philosophers who came long after his death. Despite the enigma that surrounds his life and his teachings, Socrates is today considered by many scholars to be one of the fathers of Western philosophy. Most of his thoughts and ideas that have been put down in writing have been done by his student, Plato, because there is no record of his thought ever being written down during his lifetime. Based on this, it is very difficult to distinguish between the thought that was of Socrates and what was Plato’s because it can be suspected that Plato may have put some of his ideas into the mouth of Socrates to make them seem more credible to his audience due to Socrates’ reputation.

The dialectic method of enquiry can be considered to be Socrates’ most lasting contribution to Western philosophy which tended mostly to be applied when dealing with moral matters such as what was good and just within the society. The dialectic method which Socrates used was first described by Plato when he stated that in order to solve a problem; this problem would be split into a series of questions the answers to which would eventually create a logical solution (McCall, C, 1935 – 1936) . The scientific method that is used today is heavily influenced by Socrates’ dialectic method of enquiry because a hypothesis for the solution of a problem is often the first stage in the scientific method. Socrates’ development and practicing of the dialectic method is what has earned him his place as one of the fathers of Western philosophy as well as the creator of the study of political philosophy, and moral philosophy.

Plato was a classical Greek philosopher who was based in Athens and was a student of Socrates, and is often considered to be the greatest of Socrates’ students. He was not only the founder of the first institution of higher learning in the Western world, the Academy of Athens, but his work has, throughout the ages since his time, been used to teach a wide range of subjects including philosophy and logic. Plato has made a lot of contributions to Western philosophy in matters ranging from political philosophy to those theories dealing with the metaphysical, and his theories and thoughts in these matters have occupied the minds of philosophers for the last two millennia.

Through his Dialogues, Plato advanced some of his ideas as well as those of his teacher Socrates and it is through them that we get to know of the teachings of the father of Western philosophy. Plato also had a great influence in the setting up of and the evolution of the modern government as it is manifested today through his famous political work, The Republic. It is the theories from this work that are today used as a framework for the definition of democracy and not only that, but most of the constitutions of the current states in the world today are based on the work of Plato (Colmo, C, 1781). It is therefore a fact that Plato’s influence can be felt all over the world, and most especially in the Western world, which is the main receptor and beneficiary of Plato’s work.

Aristotle was a student of Plato and a teacher of the Macedonian king Alexander the Great, and his works covered almost every aspect that affects human life from government to biology. He is considered, along with Socrates and Plato to be among the founding fathers of Western philosophy. His views on the physical sciences greatly influenced the scholars of the middle ages and his views were paramount until they were later replaced by the views of Isaac Newton. His thoughts also influenced the study of ethics due to his belief that ethics did not exist just to be studied but they were also to be practiced in our day to day lives.

According to Busch, P (120) Aristotle’s influence on the realm of politics can also be seen today in some ideologies which accept the world the way it is and have no space for reason that is not based on experience. The thoughts and theories of Aristotle are still considered relevant today in a wide range of subjects other than ethics and politics, especially in the biological sciences where he made a great contribution in the area of the classification of different living organisms. It can be said that Aristotle was a well-rounded philosopher whose opinions on many subjects bordered on the genius not only during his time but they have lasted for over two millennia to the modern age, remaining relevant throughout most of that time. The Aristotelian thought is one of the greatest foundations upon which Western philosophy is based most especially because his work was well recorded, despite a lot of it having been lost over time.