What have you learned about the Ancients from your videos, readings, podcasts, and discussions? Are their questions still relevant? What's the value of studying the Ancient philosophers?
Initial post from the podcasts due Sunday 21 Feb; concluding wrap-up post due by Friday 26 Feb.
Attack of the Philosophers
ReplyDeleteFrom the beginning of the podcast, I learned that the philosophers, Antisthenes and Socrates, advocated for a simple life/asceticism that led to virtue, the greatest quality of life. Antisthenes was also a critic of decadence and a greedy society, believing that the rulers could not tell apart a worthless citizen, from a virtuous citizen. Plato, student of Socrates, also commented on society, ultimately saying that people are wrongfully gluttonous (greedy) about things, such as food and sex. I agree with these philosophers that greed is corrupting, but nonetheless, it still is very much apparent in today’s society. If people did live simpler lives, I believe that the world would be a better place. But, however, I do think that it is impossible for people to not be money-driven. It is apart of the American roots and I can't imagine it being any different. Next the podcast, spoke about Aristotle, who unlike his teacher Plato, who advocated for gender equality, Aristotle believed female character to be deficient and inferior, even believing women to have more teeth than men??? Here is where I disagree with Aristotle. I wonder if more people with power supported Plato and Socrates’ ideas of gender equality and passed it on to further generations, would gender equality and women’s rights been more accepted throughout history? Also I don’t even know what he was talking about when he said women have less teeth than men. I think there are parts of the ancient philosophers that we definitely should incorporate into today’s world, such as not being as greedy, but certain things, like gender inequality, need to be left in the past.
Socrates, the Ancient World’s Teaching Superstar
In this second podcast, the podcaster went to a school to see if Socrates was still apparent in the world today. At this particular school, students are encouraged to question the teacher and each other, just like Socrates wanted people to critically think about facts, not just opinions. In order for people to speak, they have to be engaged and debate, picking sides. Although the student might not know the truth, they will know all the possibilities for the truth. Socrates’ method encourages people to be educated and to ask questions about what’s important, before picking a side or committing to an opinion. I think Socrates should be more incorporated into everyday life, because I believe critical thinking is something that is vital to making it far in the world. People should continually ask questions and not just blindly follow others.
In listening to the pod cast I learned that Plato was born into death. He was very athletic and created a school or public park like environment that was math based, but welcomed many. I like in the pod cast when they started talking about democracy. It stated that wealthy people would have poor people fight for them but would not give them armor to defend themselves for fear that they would retaliate and use it against them. It also stated that this type of war, was soon lost because the poor eventually said heck with this and wanted freedom. During this time adults would be considered equal to younger children and children would be equal to elderly adults. I also like the comparison that was made between Aristotle and Plato. Plato's idea of a circle that is drawn on paper is not the same idea most of us think of when we think about a circle. He explained it by stating the circle we draw is not the same perfect circle that we might think of if drawn on paper due to the imperfections we draw. Aristotle on the other hand thinks of this in science terms. He thinks if it looks like a duck, acts like a duck, swims like a duck, then its a duck. Aristotle is more of a sciences based philosopher who has many different ideas. One example is women, he said women are weaker than men and have less teeth. I am not sure how he has this idea but clearly if he would have counted a few the picture would be much more clear.
ReplyDeleteThe second pod cast was really interesting. I liked the idea of student having to think out loud and know what they are talking about by doing research to back up their opinion. I think our class is like this in a way that we actually listen to each other and dispute our own opinions while taking each opinion into consideration. I like the idea of questioning the teacher and having a chance to respond with out being disrespectful.
Attack of the Philosophers.
ReplyDeleteThis podcast discusses briefly Socrates, and antiphonies and discusses much about Plato and Aristotle. I learned that the philosophers believed in a simple life, and this lifestyle will find virtue. I find it interesting that they believed this when they were from an area of such greed, and decadence. However I agree with this, I think we today as a society should live without greed, I don't necessarily agree that it should be so simple that we don't have technology or objects like that, but I think we should strive to be happy with what we have and not be greedy. However I don't think that will ever happen in todays society not with all of the money hungry people in the world. I also learned that Plato was once auctioned off as a slave, and one of his followers bought his freedom, which ultimately helped create the academy I found that interesting. This podcast also discussed the differences in Aristotle and Plato's views which is interesting to see that they are so different. I agree with Plato in most of these theories, especially the physical objects are a reality, if it looks like a duck acts like a duck it probably is a duck. Its crazy to me the way that Aristotle views women, thinking that we are weaker, colder, and a natural deficiency, and since we are so inferior we come sooner to perfection. I honestly don't understand how he got two wives, but that's just me, it is also strange that he believes women have less teeth then men, I just don't really understand what that has to do with anything and find it weird that he just counted women's teeth. I think that these philosophers have a lot of good theories and some are relevant today, but I also think some of these theories should definitely stay in the past.
50 Great Teachers: Socrates, The Ancient World's Teaching Superstar
In this second podcast the narrator goes to a school to see if Socrates is still apparent in learning today. I enjoy that in this class the students are encouraged to question the teacher and the other students which is the heart of Socrates teaching. I enjoy that the students not only have the opportunity to speak out but are encouraged to do so. It forces the student to actually think about their ideas, and be challenged by other views, so they can form their opinion and back them up with facts. This actually reminds me of our class. I think that this Socratic method should be used more often, and it really does reflect good teaching. In this aspect I think Socrates is present in society today.
From the podcast I learned many things. I learned that Socrates never wrote down any of his teachings. I learned that Antiphonies was a follower of Socrates and he liked him because of his dedication to his simple life. Antiphonies was a critic to how society was. He didn’t like how greedy and decadent everyone was. I thought that it was interesting that Plato was a wrestler. Plato was super athletic and was good at grammar and school. Plato took a year to travel after Socrates died. Plato created the Academy and said that all were welcome if they could pass a math exam even women were welcome. Socrates would have been very proud of that. Plato became a political scientist and said that the best form of government was ruled by a philosopher and would choose what is best for everyone. He said that a democracy doesn’t care about the society they just want a lot of stuff and that leads to an oligarchy. He said that there are few powerful and there are a lot of poor. I thought that it was cool how Plato let women in the Academy. I also thought his views on government were very interesting. Aristotle was a son of a physician and he had a background in biology. Aristotle loved concrete evidence and put more value in what you can see. Aristotle thought that physical objects are reality. If it looks like a duck, swim likes a duck, sounds like a duck then it’s a duck. Aristotle developed weird ideas about women and thought that females were weaker and thought that being a female was a natural deficiency.
ReplyDeleteFrom the second podcast I learned that Socrates helped define what a great teacher means. The man in the podcast went to a school to see if Socrates style teachings were in schools. At this school students were encouraged to question and expected to question the teacher which is the heart of Socrates method. I like this method because the students are able to talk and ask questions and be involved in the lecture. I think that it is good because instead of people just believing whatever they are told they can question what they are told. The students have to speak and be engaged so they learn better.
Attack of the Philosophers
ReplyDeleteFrom this podcast I learned that Socrates was a great philosopher but didn't write any of his teachings down. Everything we know about him comes from his colleagues, friends, and students. Socrates inspired a few people in his life. Antisthenes was one of the people who was a follower of Socrates. In the podcast it mentioned that Antisthenes was struck by Socrates dedication to the simple life. In this lifestyle it mentioned that you will find virtue which is the greatest quality of life. Antisthenes was also a critic of society and greed and misguided principles where generals are not elected out of merit and achievement but nobility and birth. Cities are then ruined when you are unable to distinguish worthless from citizens from virtuous ones. I agree and also can understand that the simple life is the greatest quality of life because for me i feel like the simpler your life is the happier one will be overall. Later on in the podcast it compared Plato and Aristotle. Plato was one of Socrates greatest students, who was athletic and gifted in poetry. He even created the great center of learning known as The Academy. It was a place where all could gather as long as they could pass a math test. He also went from being a philosopher to being a political scientist as he discusses justice, society, and forms of government. Plato believed that the greatest form of government was lead by a philosopher. In the podcast it then talked about Aristotle, who put more value on things that you could see rather than what you could feel. He believed that physical objects are reality. Furthermore, Plato and Aristotle had different views on a variety of topics including women and society itself.
50 Great Teachers: Socrates, The Ancient World's
The second podcast discussed having Socrates teaching style in today's society. It was quite interesting to hear about it all. It talked about how students are encouraged students to listen to one another as they discussed political topics and to dig deeper through discussion. Socrates valued reasoned, logical, oral arguments that sought truth. This podcast showed that teaching programs today display this teaching style. In a way I thought that this whole teaching style overall kinda resembled our own class as we discuss topics and listen to each others thoughts and ideas.
With the podcast, the first one helped enhance the information that the reading had given about the philosophers. The podcast talked more about how Socrates was very good at what he did, but did not like writing it down. This showed that he felt teaching was more powerful orally than simply having someone read what he knows and to try to interpret it. Also the podcast mentioned another follower of Socrates that I believe the text didn't mention, which was Anthisthenes. Anthisthenes followed many of the beliefs that Socrates had taught and this just showed me how much Socrates influenced people with his teaching, that he had many that wanted to learn from him. Also this podcast gave more detail about Plato's personal life that I thought was interesting, like that his real name wasn't Plato that that was name his sports coach gave to him for being to broad shouldered. This was interesting to here because we all know he was a great philosopher but it kinda lets you see him as a simple person when it talks about things he did like that. Then the podcast goes into democracy and they bring up some interesting points about it and its in a way shocking to listen to since that is the type of government we live by. Then also they compare Aristotle and Plato, which is interesting to see how the disagreed with each other on different topics.
ReplyDeleteThe second podcast I found very interesting on how they used Socrates style of teaching in school. I really think the student that it was a great was to learn by. Also listening to the podcast was helpful to listen to Socrates teaching style in a more relatable terms. It was a great example of his work. Also I agree with the student talking about how it is a great way to learn because it gets you ready for the real world and makes you think instead of just preparing for a test or paper. I feel this would have been a great way to learn when I was in high school. I think this podcast really shows us how some student that enter the world after school really are not prepared to think for their own.
The first podcast about the Attack of the Philosophers, talked about how Socrates students and his teachings. He was not one to write down any of his teachings, but was very well talked about by his friends and families. Socrates inspired many people, one in particular, Anthisthenes who became a follower of his due to the fact that he liked his dedication to the simple life. Anthisthenes became famous for his stench criticism of decadence. One of Socrates most famous students was Plato, how was very athletic and a very talented poet. Plato believed that the greatest form of government was lead by a philosopher. The podcast also talked about Aristotle, who put more emphasis on things you could see, verse tangible objects. Plato and Aristotle differed when it came to their opinions about society and women as well.
ReplyDeleteThe second podcast, talks about one of Socrates most famous teachings, which is allowing students to question their teacher. I enjoy this teaching a lot and am glad that we practice this teaching in our class because it really does give the students more freedom, and helps them really interact on a more personal level with their teachers.
Attack of the Philosophers:
ReplyDeleteThis podcasts briefly discussed the students of Socrates and some of his teachings. It more focused on his students rather than Socrates himself. Socrates never wrote anything down. What we learned about him is from what we have learned from his students. In the podcast it talks about one of his students Antisthenes. Antisthenes is very intrigued by Socrates idea of living the simple life and dedicated himself to the simple life. It also talked about Socrates student Plato. Being born wealthy, athletic, and smart, Plato became a philosopher. He built The Academy which was a building for learning. Students were accepted as long as they passed a test and were knowledgeable in mathematics. Plato had a passion for mathematics. Here he wrote the Dialogue of Socrates. He was very negative toward Democracy because Democracy killed his mentor. Plato believed that the best type of government is one ruled by a Philosophical king. The podcast then goes in to talking about Aristotle. Aristotle was the student of Plato but the two were polar opposites. Aristotle believed more that the physical object is more real than the idea of an object. Aristotle did not get to be the head of The Academy after Plato's death because they were so opposite and he didn't see the importance of mathematics and didn't view women the same as Plato.
50 Great Teachers: This podcast focused more on Socrates rather than his students. The podcast focuses on Socrates teaching of allowing students to question their teachers. He believed that dialogue and deliberation were an important aspect in learning. I think that this teaching really applies to our classroom setting in Death and Dying because we do a lot of back and forth discussions and deliberations. Our class is set up as an environment that we are allowed to question what our professor is saying and talk it out in the middle of class to gain a deeper understanding.
Attack of the Philosophers:
ReplyDeleteThis podcast gave a brief understanding of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. It broke down the connection between each of them. I starts with Socrates and some of his teachings. It discuss the connection to Plato in that Socrates never wrote down any of his teachings but Plato Wrote it down for him. This is the only way we are able to know Socrates' teachings. Plato was his student but believed a little differently than Socrates. He had Five Sages of government; Starting with One ruled by a Philosopher King. Then a Timocracy where only property owners may participate in government. Then he had Oligarchy then Democracy and finally a Tyrant. Plato had a student at The Academy that he took as his own student. He was Aristotle who saw things differently. He wanted concrete evidence and believed that physical objects are reality.
50 Great Teachers: Socrates
During this podcast they start off by giving a little background on Socrates by saying that he has been dead over 2400 years and that his teaching are still being used in today’s teachings. During this podcast they go to a school in Oakland where a teacher believes in Socratic Method: open conversations on Ideas and facts. This allows students to be more active and involved in class unlike the traditional lecture style. This style of teaching is useful because it helps the student with everyday skills such as communication. The skills are lost in today’s normal teaching which either focused on a test or a planned curriculum that doesn’t help with everyday life. This method is used in all levels of teaching but not used as often as it should be.
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ReplyDeleteAttack of the Philosophers:
ReplyDeleteFrom the beginning of the podcast, I learned that Antisthenes and Socrates truly focused on virtue, as it is the greatest quality of life. Antisthenes believed that rulers were unable to tell apart a worthless citizen from a virtuous one. Then the podcast goes on to talk about Plato, who was a student of Socrates. Plato stated that society and the people who are in it, are greedy and focus on things such as food and sex. I agree that these philosophers of greed are corrupting. The society today would be a very different place is people were to focus on simpler things and not just material things. The society would be a better place. I do believe that the United States is money-driven and it will be very difficult to change those ways of living. The majority of things in the United States are driven by money. The podcast goes on to describe Aristotle and his view on women. He believed that women are a form of weakness and even have less teeth than women. Plato, however, had a different view towards women and advocated for gender equality. I don't understand where Aristotle believed that women had less teeth than men. It would be very simple to open a women's mouth and count her teeth. I believe that we should incorporate some views from the ancient philosophers into today's society such as not being greedy. However, views on gender equality should not be incorporated because they are negatively spoken.
50 Great Teachers: Socrates, The Ancient World's Teaching Superstar
In the second podcast, the speaker visits a school to see if the Socratic method was being used. The Socratic method is a teaching method where the goal is used to focus on ideas and facts, rather than just opinion. These ideas and facts are then discussed, preferably through an open conversation. The Socratic method is not used to define things as for or against. It is used to take a step back and to question the reasoning behind it. What makes us do this? What makes us think that? Many students enjoy this method and believe that good teaching styles should incorporate the Socratic method. This method allows students to think critically and use it in real world scenarios. I do like this method because it forces students to think about their ideas and be challenge. It forces the students to back up their opinions. This method relates to our class because this is what we actually do.
Attack of the Philosophers:
ReplyDeleteAfter watching the podcast I realized I had just been on an incredibly detailed and deep biography for Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. I felt like it was interestingly detailed podcast. I thought the narrator was somewhat cynical but I was still thought the information provided was helpful and somewhat new to me. It was a total revealing of each philosopher, their writings, biography, and ideas. When Socrates was in prison Plato did everything he could to get him out even trying to convince him to escape or simply accepting bail money and then fleeing. The reluctant Socrates did not do either. It goes to show that how to two great philosophical thinkers dealt with certain situations and how they disagreed. One theme of the podcast was based around how a philosopher can gain the trust of tyrants and get them to listen to him. Plato tried this but was imprisoned himself. He got out an used to bail money he was going to pay back in order to build his school. It was an incredible investment at the time and one that would shape philosophical thinking in that time. The school was prestigious and had an emphasis on mathematics. There he wrote and his Dialogues and Allegory of the Cave. Plato the philosopher became Plato the scientist. He spent much of his time thinking about society in general and he despised a democracy when it came to government. He hated the idea of one person getting too much power. At the school he argued with his student Aristotle. Aristotle's father was a doctor so he grew up rooted in a biological world. Aristotle thought physical objects are reality. Through anatomy, biology and zoology he classified animals and their characteristics. He made statements and philosophy based on the natural world. Aristotle was not for gender equality. “They are weaker and colder in nature”. Took time touch on politics and believe the masses of people are stupid. Believed in personal contribution the overall common good. However, not everyone should be involved in politics. He is Plato’s prized pupil. Many disagreements between the two. He did not fulfill Plato’s job when he died. Aristotle left Athens angrily to pursue studies in Macedonia. There, he tutored Alexander the Great. He tried to make amends with his hometown. Philip II created an empire.
50 Great Teachers:
A group of people Went to local high school to observe a 12th grade AP government class. Students there are expected to question teacher. Dialogue based critical inquiry. They are encouraged to dig deeper through discussion. Tons of political topics debated. The Socratic method sparks discussion and involvement, a lot like our Philosophy class. It allows students to listen to each and all possibilities. It’s a teaching method that requires students get involved and speak up for what they believe is right and should be defended. It requires pulling information together to formulate good back up. The Socratic method is a great way to run class. It helps students articulate their views and develop ways to critically think and interact socially. Students seem to like it too. I see a class teaching method like this being effective at most ages when it comes to thinking about abstract thoughts. Why do we ask questions? The Socratic method requires digging deeper and becoming inquisitive. The process never really end and those skills are always able to be redefined.
Attack of the Philosophers:
ReplyDeleteFrom the podcast we learn that Socrates never wrote down any of his teachings, everything we know about him was from his students, friends, and colleagues. Socrates inspired many people. The podcast talks about one of those people in particular, Antisthenes. Antisthenes is very interested in Socrates idea of living a simple life. Next, the podcast goes on to talk about Plato and his personal life. Plato was athletic, smart, and wealthy. I thought it was interesting that the podcast mentioned that Plato got his name from athletics. Plato eventually became a philosopher and built The Academy, a building constructed for students to learn. Plato focused heavily on mathematics. In fact, students were accepted into his academy as long as they could pass a mathematics test. At the academy Plato wrote his Dialogues and Allegory of the Cave. In addition, aside from being a philosopher, Plato was also a political scientist. He discussed forms of government and society. The podcast then mentions democracy. Plato did not like democracy because he felt democracy is what killed his mentor. Plato felt that democracy does not care about society and will eventually lead to an Oligarchy. In Plato’s eyes, a philosophical king rules the best type of government. Finally, the podcast talks about Aristotle, a student of Plato. It was so interesting to see the contrast of personalities between Plato and Aristotle. Aristotle emphasized the physical part of an object rather than things that you can see. He believed that if it looks like a duck, acts like a duck, than it probably is a duck. I also agree with this because I liked to have concrete evidence rather than things I can just see. Aristotle clearly was not in favor of gender equality because he that that women are weaker and that they have less teeth than men.
50 Great Teachers:
The socratic method helps get students involved in discussion. (like our philosophy and theology classes) .For example, a quote from the podcast says: "Maybe we won't find exact truths in this class," she says. "But we will at least look at all possibilities, and they will have a truth right at that moment." This is just like our philosophy class, we typically don't have a solid answer but we also have to look at all the different perspectives of issues and this sparks our debates. In the podcast, the AP government students are supposed to question the teachers and dig deeper into the facts, not just the opinions to form their beliefs and find what they believe in. I think practicing the socratic method is a great way to challenge students to think critically. This style of teaching makes us fight for our beliefs but also makes us question our own beliefs, which I think is very important to know why we believe what we believe.
Attack of the Philosophers:
ReplyDeleteI found this podcast to be very interesting. I learned that Socrates never wrote any of his teachings down, everything we know about him came from his students, colleagues, and friends. Because of this, we know there could very well be some discrepancy of what actually happened and what we know. Regardless, Socrates was very inspiring and influential. Antisthenes was one individual who was particularly influenced/inspired by Socrates, he came a dedicated follower and supporter and advised his students to be as well. Socrates, and Antisthenes, were known for their dedication to living a simple life and therefore living with virtue, the “greatest quality of life”. Socrates describes that cities are ruined when they are unable to distinguish worthless citizens from virtuous ones. The Philosopher Plato was Socrates most famous student. Plato was known for his athletics, specifically wrestling. After the execution of his mentor, Plato left the city to travel. Eventually, Plato came to create an Academy where all were welcome, even women, and admittance depended on passing a math exam. Plato produced his most famous works at the Academy and became to be known not as a philosopher but as a political scientist. Plato believed that the best form of government was one led by a philosopher, who would better choose what was best for everyone in comparison to a democracy which doesn’t care as much about the needs of the society. I thought it was very interesting how Plato allowed even women into his Academy, and how even though Socrates was Plato’s teacher, Plato went on to spread teachings and ideas very different than Socrates’, especially regarding women. I was also interested in the way of life Socrates supported and agree that it is a good way to live, and I also agree with Plato’s theory regarding physical objects being reality.
50 Great Teachers:
This podcast was also very interesting. I think it was neat how they conducted research to see how prevalent Socrates’ teachings are in schools today. The students were encouraged to question the teacher and their fellow classmates. This mirrored how Socrates wanted people to think critically about the facts they are given and not just their opinions. I found this to be particularly interesting and enjoyed reading about students being encouraged to speak out and question things and not to just go along with everything they are taught without really understanding it. I think this is a lot like how our Death & Dying class is set up. I feel like this way of teaching gives students more freedom and the ability to understand things in a way unique to them.
I have learned a lot about the philosophers through all of the studies we have done. I have learned how ideas have changed about death, the human, and soul from their time period to ours. Also I have learned a lot about where they are coming from and their backgrounds from the podcast. Also the podcast help me see how their ideas teachings have been put into effect in our lives. I do think that their questions are still valuable, because they still pertain to things that we have to think about to day. The questions they ask or have still are things we should be thinking about and considering. I do think it is valuable to study the philosophers, they teach us a lot of great things about life and concepts that we may not have considered before. Learning them makes us think of things in different ways. Also their teaches can play into the way we study and learn about topics which is essential for some topics. I feel learning about these philosophers help advance us in different ways of learning and studying. They are essential to allowing us to study ideas of life and death in a way we don't but should.
ReplyDeleteAttack of the Ancient Philosophers:
ReplyDeleteIn this podcast Socrates is studied as an ancient philosopher who never wrote down any of his teachings or ideas. He lived and believed in the simply life. Socrates' most famous student was Plato. Plato was born into wealth and was very gifted in athletics and scholarly subjects. He eventually took up philosophy and took a liking to Socrates. Plato traveled around the Mediterranean and became a tutor to the Warlord's son. Plato started off his career well but grew sour of Sicily, and eventually found himself sold. However he was sold to a fan and was set free and returned to Athens. To pay back his debt he bought a plot of land and this is where the first center of learning was created, The Academy. His only test was a mathematical test which was open to all. This lasted for about 900 years. Here Plato published much of his ideas and teachings. Plato states there are 5 forms of government and the best form would be a government run by a philosopher and his colleagues. The worst form of government is a tyranny. Aristotle was a student at the Academy and was ready to learn by collecting data based on observations.
50 Great Teachers
Socrates is defined as the first great teacher. Even though he has been dead for thousands of years his teachings and styles still live on around the world. The heart of his method is a dialogue based way of thinking that involves the questioning of the teacher and the students.
In the first pod cast I learned that Socrates never wrote any of his teachings down. Everything we know about him was from his students and friends. Antitheses was a dedicated follower of Socrates, loving the view of living a simple life. It then goes onto talking about Plato. I learned that he was super athletic when he was child, he was also wealthy and he has a love for math. Plato also tried to free Socrates from jail, but Socrates wouldn't have it. Plato also tried to get close to tyrants like Socrates did, but got arrested, he got out though. The money he was going to pay the bail with, he used to build a school, that changed the world forever. This is where he created all of his famous works and was known as a political scientist. Aristotle was Plato's student. He loved collecting data through observations. He liked touching and feeling instead of just thinking.
ReplyDeleteStudents went to a high school to an AP government class. They used what was called a Socratic method. Which gives students the chance to get involved in discussion (like our Class). This allows for a deeper conversation because when the whole class gets talking, it opens doors that weren't there before. It lets students think in ways they never thought before. It also allows for students to see how everybody else sees things. Political topics are commonly used in these types of discussion. It challenges students to think critically, and fight for what they believe in.
Attack of the philosophers:
ReplyDeleteI learned a lot from the podcasts. First, that nothing that we know of Socrates teachings is directly from him because he never wrote anything down. It is all second hand from those who he taught. Antiphonies was a follower of Socrates and a critic of decadence, who did not believe that the rulers of society could decipher between good and bad citizens and that people were mostly greedy. Socrates most notable student was, Plato who was born into wealth and was originally interested in studying politics before switching to philosophy per Socrates’ teachings. Like Antiphonies, Plato also became a critic of society pointing out as well that people are genuinely greedy by nature. He disliked democracy attributing it to be the reason his mentor and teacher; Socrates was killed so he came up with his own system of government. Plato also attempted to teach Aristotle his knowledge at the academy but Aristotle seemed to take on a different view in some ways. Plato valued education for all, including and especially women, Aristotle on the other hand saw women as inferior and did not think they deserved to be as enlightened as men. Aristotle seemed to have a very different take on the teachings he obtained from Plato.
In the second podcast it is investigated whether Socrates teachings are still apparent in today’s classrooms. I really enjoyed that students are encouraged to speak up and question/challenge the teacher and their classmates allowing people to form their own opinions and challenge others opinions so that they can evolve their own. Sounds exactly like our discussions in class!
Wrap-up post:
ReplyDeleteI felt like I actually learned a lot about Plato and Aristotle, especially with having to find videos and by listening to the podcasts. From what I've learned, I must say that I definitely agree with and support Plato's theory more than Aristotle. This is mainly do to the fact that Plato was a "feminist" compared to Aristotle, who thought women were just defective men. I also liked how Plato broke the soul up into three parts, "Appetite", "Reason", and "Spirit". One's "Appetite" is their thirst, hunger, and sexual desires. "Reason" is the ability for someone to make moral and ethical judgements. "Spirit" is the emotions that come with being human. Plato used this "tripartite" soul to show that sometimes in life we have internal struggles between these three parts, on what decisions to make or what direction we want our life to go in. I also thought that Plato's Allegory of the Cave was very insightful and really made me think that there are somethings in the world that are flawed reflections of ideal forms, such as beauty or happiness. Happiness to one person is not the same to another and Plato wants people to think about their opinions and try to educate themselves on the truth, whether that be their opinion or not.
Wrap up:
ReplyDeleteThis week I learned a lot about the ancient philosophers, specifically Aristotle and Plato. However learning this week was interesting because it involved a lot of reading and comprehension, which is not my strong suit. I enjoyed those videos people posted about these philosophers because they were put into simpler terms and easier to comprehend when our book didn't make a whole lot of sense. While Socrates didn't write a lot of his ideas and theories down, he paved the way for famous philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle. From these two great philosophers we gained many different ideas about human nature and the meaning of life. According to Plato humans are rational social animals comprised of a body and soul, and who we are depends on what kind of soul we have. Aristotle agrees that we are rational social creatures but both our body and soul are responsible for the kind of person we are. However, Aristotle believes in the betterment of society whether or not it infringes on individual rights. Aristotle believed that the purpose of life was to reach "eudainmonia", or fulfillment, by working towards the perfection of society as a whole. Throughout this week and this learning process I concluded that I prefer an in class discussion.
Wrap up post:
ReplyDeleteThe videos and readings on Plato and Aristotle helped me learn so much about their lives. I think it is interesting how we still used the Socratic teaching method in schools today. The concept that interested me the most was Plato's theory of human nature: the tripartite structure of the soul. The soul consists of three different parts: appetite, reason, and soul. Each of these components of the tripartite soul contributes to a dualism, like the struggle between right/wrong and desire/rationality. This dualism demonstrates our internal struggles that impact our decisions. In addition, I also was intrigued by Plato's theory of Forms. The one I found most interesting was the moral application theory of Forms. Plato believed that ethical forms set standards of values for us. This tells us how we should live our lives.
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ReplyDeleteThis week I have learned a lot about the philosophers Aristotle and Plato. Through the videos, podcasts, and readings along with our class discussions it has helped me realize their believes and actually develop an interest in them. I really enjoyed Plato's theory of the human condition and actually agree with him that their is a lot of ignorance within the human condition. I also find it extremely interesting that he believes there are three parts of our souls; appetite, reason and spirit that is present in a degree in every person. The fact that any of these can dominate in one person, makes the reason why people are the way they are more clear to me. I agree with Plato much more then I agree with Aristotle, honestly I think it is because I cant get the men having more teeth then woman nonsense out of my head. I also learned about the Socratic teaching method is still used today, and I believe it is the best teaching method out there. To allow students to speak their minds and discuss issues with peers and the professor really helps form an opinion and understand material better. I did however like Aristotle's 11 virtues I thought it was a good way to come to happiness. Overall this week I feel I have learned a lot and really enjoyed learning about Aristotle and Plato. I think their questions are still relevant today and we can learn a lot from them. I think their is a value from learning about them, personally it really opened my eyes about the nature of humans and made human personalities make more since to me. I think we can also learn how to be better people from them, and their prescriptions. They have a lot to teach us, which we haven't even began to learn.
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ReplyDeleteAfter all the videos and readings we have done this week on Ancient Philosophers, I think we all have a pretty good understanding of Plato, Aristotle, and even Socrates. It is amazing how much we learned about Socrates just from Plato's writings. I think it was very interesting learning about Plato's Tripartite soul. This is the idea that the soul is separate from the body and it is separated between Spirit, Reason, and Appetite. Plato believes that although is some way all three parts are present in everyone, that one of the three is the most prevalent. He also believes that Reason should be in control of the other two parts because having Reason as the most prevalent allows for a more well minded person. I think it is an interesting concept that I really got into while reading. With Aristotle I found his idea of Eudaimonia very interesting. I think that it is something we could all learn from. Even though it is an ancient philosophy, it holds valuable life lessons that can be applied today. Finding human fulfillment and living a good life to reach the ultimate good is truly how people should live. I think that its really cool to think that even concepts that date back that far can still apply to us today. My favorite part of all the things I learned about Plato and Aristotle is Aristotle's 11 virtues. I think that it was interesting that he actually put together a list of both extreme cases of a virtue and the right balance virtue in the middle. That way you can see how the perfect balance is gained and how those 11 balanced virtues help lead to a better life and reach human fulfillment. I think that the questions raised by Plato and Aristotle are sill relevant today because even though many philosophers throughout the years have tried to answer these questions, there are no right answers in philosophy. So, I believe that it is important to still decipher the questions of these two amazing philosophers. I think that the value of studying ancient philosophers is that it makes us all more aware of human nature and why things are the way they are. It helps us with understanding and helps to explain why we believe the certain things that we do.
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ReplyDeleteI thought that i learned a lot about Plato and Aristotle from the videos, podcasts, and the reading. I thought that the podcasts and videos helped better explain some aspects about Plato and Aristotle than the book did. But overall, I did take a lot from all of the sources. I did find it interesting that Socrates had such a big influence on Plato and Aristotle with his teachings. But I thought it was really interesting that Socrates style of teaching can still be seen today in the classroom. I also liked learning about The Allegory of the cave from Plato and how it can relate to today's world and society.
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ReplyDeleteThrough all of the videos, readings, quizzes, and comments from my fellow classmates this week, I feel that I have learned a great amount about ancient Philosophers, especially Plato and Aristotle. I find it interesting how Socrates never wrote any of this teachings or ideas down, but he was a good teacher and mentor, paving the way for Plato and Aristotle. I enjoyed learning about Plato’s idea of the three parts of our souls- appetite, reason, and spirit and how any one of these aspects can be more or less dominant in a person, but ideally there is a balance. One aspect of Plato’s teachings I found to be most interesting was his Allegory of the Cave. I particularly enjoyed learning about that. I enjoyed reading about Socrates teaching methods and how they are still used today. This method I feel is similar to how our class set up and I feel it is a good way to learn. I found Aristotle’s idea of Eudaimonia to be very interesting, as well as his 11 virtues. Between the two philosopher’s, I think I would have to support Plato more than Aristotle- one reason for this being their opinion on women.
I learned that every ancient philosopher had different beliefs and values on death. Some beliefs were more elaborate than others, but each were different in their opinions. I believe that their questions are still relevant because there will always be death and there will never be a real understand of what actually happens after we die. The value of studying ancient philosophers is that we have an idea of the beliefs of that civilization at the time and what they thought to be important to living and dying.
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