Although there are various definitions of the word "rhetoric," we can say that it is the art of persuasion. This includes written as well as spoken persuasion, and would include propaganda, advertising, etc. Originally, however, it referred to spoken persuasion. By "classical" it is meant the time...

Socratic philosophy has two divine sources because it questions the meaning of a conventional Athenian god. This questioning makes two opposing sides, the diamonic voice vs. Apollo's oracle. Socrates begins his defense speech justifying the fact that he will tell the truth "by Zeus...

Response II: The Crito As I read The Crito it seems to me a confusing and somewhat muddled dialogue. The difficulty Plato faced in composing the dialogue was to somehow justify Socrates' decision to stay in prison rather than try to escape after his wrongful conviction. Plato had to draw out a d...

In the beginning of Plato's work entitled Gorgias, he writes of a dialog between Socrates and Gorgias. In this dialog, philosopher Socrates meets with rhetorician Gorgias to discuss the true meaning of the art of rhetoric. Rhetoric is a term that is defined strongly on whom you are asking to de...

Some of the best sources of information about Socrates' philosophical views are the early dialogues of his student Plato, who tried to provide a faithful picture of the methods and teachings of the great master. The Apology is one of the many-recorded dialogues about Socrates. It is about ...

In my opinion, Socrates seems to display two strategies when he is engaged in discussions within his dialogues. The first is to show that he interlocutor has contradictory beliefs and the second is for the other to appear ignorant. These methods cause two dilemmas, the first being one of ignoran...

Rene Descartes asserts that our most fundamental beliefs are uncertain, and consequently, all beliefs resting on these basics are also uncertain. In his First Mediation, he sets out to determine which beliefs are certain and which are doubtful. Descartes applied illusion argument, dreaming argument,...

In what sense and how far is the genius master of his madness? For it goes without saying that to a certain degree he is master of it, since otherwise he would be actually a madman. For such observations, however, ingenuity in a high degree is requisite, and love; for to make observation u...

The methods of argument used by Socrates in the works of Plato focused on actual knowledge. This method, known as the Socratic Method, is unconventional. It is not a means of argument through persuasion or opinion, but rather a tool of view through question and challenge. The method considers knowl...

A Man of Honor? Socrates was an incredible man of mystery. He was one of the first philosophers who had strange but knowledgeable beliefs. He was ridiculed for his thoughts and was taken to court by Meletus on account for not believing in the Gods, which the city believed in, and for corruptin...

Socrates in 399 B.C. is in court to defend himself against two accusations brought by three prosecutors: Meletus, Lycon, and Anytus. The first was that he does not believe in the Gods of the city but in others. The second was that he corrupts the youth. He was judged by 501 men chosen at random in ...

Many of Plato's exchanges in Gorgias are full of anger, misunderstanding, and cutting rhetoric. The intent of these exchanges are to distinguish rhetoric from philosophy. According to Socrates, the difference between the two is that rhetoric is a verbal performance meant to create praise or blame, v...

I do not believe the practices of our current public education reflect the aims of "Philosophy on education" from Plato to Dewey because of the Context Statement and questions Rorty ask in The Ruling History of Education. What are the directions and limits of public education in a liberal...