Socrates - Socratic method. See main article: Socratic method Perhaps his most important contribution to Western thought is his dialectic method of inquiry, known as the Socratic Method or method of elenchos, which he largely applied to the examination of key moral concepts such as the Good and Justice, concepts used constantly without any real definition. It was first described by Plato in the Socratic Dialogues. For this, Socrates is customarily regarded as the father of political philosophy and ethics or moral philosophy, and as a fountainhead of all the main t ...

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Socrates, Socrates - His character, Socrates - Trial and Death, Socrates - Philosophy, Socrates - Socratic method, Socrates - Philosophical beliefs, Socrates - Satirical playwrights, Socrates - Prose sources, Socrates - The Socratic Dialogues

Read more here: » Socrates: Encyclopedia II - Socrates - Philosophy

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Greek philosophy, Greek philosophy - Pre-Socratic Philosophers, Greek philosophy - Socrates, Greek philosophy - Plato and Aristotle, Greek philosophy - Later Classical philosophers, Greek philosophy - The Neo-Platonists, Greek philosophy - Schools of thought in the Hellenistic period

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Plato, Xenophon, and Aristotle are the main sources for the historical Socrates; however, Xenophon and Plato, were direct disciples of Socrates, and presumably, they idealize him; however, they wrote the only continuous descriptions of Socrates that have come down to us. Aristotle refers frequently, but in passing, to Socrates in his writings. Socrates - The Socratic Dialogues. The Socratic dialogues are a series of dialogues written by Plato and Xenophon in the form of discussions between Socrates ...

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Socrates, Socrates - His character, Socrates - Trial and Death, Socrates - Philosophy, Socrates - Socratic method, Socrates - Philosophical beliefs, Socrates - Satirical playwrights, Socrates - Prose sources, Socrates - The Socratic Dialogues

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Socrates (June 4, ca. 470 BC – May 7, 399 BC) (Greek Σωκράτης Sōkrátēs; invariably anglicized as IPA: /'sɒkɹətiːz/ Sǒcratēs) was a Greek (Athenian) philosopher. Socrates - His character. The character of Socrates provides an illustration of a historical conundrum. If Socrates ever wrote a single word, it has not survived. As such, the entirety of modern knowledge concerning Socra ...

Including:

• Socrates - His character
• Socrates - Trial and Death
• Socrates - Philosophy
• Socrates - Socratic method
• Socrates - Philosophical beliefs
• Socrates - Satirical playwrights
• Socrates - Prose sources
• Socrates - The Socratic Dialogues

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All other religions also lay stress on Dharma. Buddhism, Jainism, Christianity, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, Islam are all remarkably alive to its value. Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, Kant, Swedenborg and Spinoza are all striking examples in the interesting history of Western philosophy for the high pedestal on which they have placed morality, duty and righteousness, and adored them all as the only means to the attainment of the goal of life. Each religion lays greater stress on certain aspects of Dharma.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

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Broadly defined, Dialectic (Greek: διαλεκτική) is an exchange of propositions (theses) and counter-propositions (antitheses) resulting in a synthesis of the opposing assertions, or at least a qualitative transformation in the direction of the dialogue. It is one of the three original liberal arts or trivium (the other members are rhetoric and grammar) in Western culture. In ancient and medieval times, both rhetoric and dialectic were understood to aim at being persuasive (through dialogue). The ai ...

Including:

• Dialectic - In philosophy
• Dialectic - Socratic dialectic
• Dialectic - Hegelian dialectic
• Dialectic - Marxist dialectics
• Dialectic - Critiques of dialectic
• Dialectic - Dialectical biology
• Dialectic - Footnotes
• Dialectic - Sources

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Cosmology is the branch of philosophy and metaphysics that deals with the world as the totality of all phenomena in space and time. Presocratic philosophers from the Ionian School are sometimes called cosmologists. There are nine basic cosmological positions that form the foundation of virtually all philosophies and religions. These are: Naturism: The universe is all that exists. Any God or gods are a product (derived) of the universe. (Western atheism) Negationism: God does not exist, but is a mere illusion. The universe does not exist; it too is a ...

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Aristippus (c. 435-366 B.C.) was a Greek philosopher born in Cyrene in Africa. He was a pupil of Socrates at Athens, before teaching philosophy at Syracuse at the court of Dionysius. The doctrine of his school, the Cyrenaics, promoted hedonism and egoism. Other related archivesAfrica, Athens, Cyrenaics, Cyrene, Dionysius, Socrates, Syracuse, c. 435-366 B.C., egoism, hedonism, philosopher

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This page lists some links to ancient philosophy. In Europe, the spread of Christianity through the Roman world marked the end of Hellenistic philosophy and ushered in the beginnings of Medieval philosophy. Ancient philosophy - Classical. Ancient philosophy - Greek. Pericles (495-429) Aspasia (469-406) Socrates(469-399) Euclid of Megara (450-380) Antisthenes (445-360) Aristippus (435-356) Plato (429-347)Including:

• Ancient philosophy - Classical
• Ancient philosophy - Greek
• Ancient philosophy - Roman
• Ancient philosophy - Schools of thought in the Hellenistic period
• Ancient philosophy - Vedic philosophy
• Ancient philosophy - Classical Indian philosophy
• Ancient philosophy - Old Iranian philosophy
• Ancient philosophy - Chinese philosophy

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Universal Science is a branch of Metaphysics. Originally, the idea of Universal Science comes from Plato's system of idealism, as Plato formulated using the teachings of Socrates. Universal science - External Sources. Heading 6, Philosophy as the Theological Science ...

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• Universal science - External Sources

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Antisthenes (c. 444-365 BC), the founder of the Cynic school of philosophy, was born at Athens of a Thracian mother. In his youth he studied rhetoric under Gorgias, perhaps also under Hippias and Prodicus. Some suggest that he was originally in good circumstances, but was reduced to poverty. However this may be, he came under the influence of Socrates, and became a devoted pupil. So eager was he to hear the words of Socrates that he used to walk daily from Peiraeus to Athens, and persuaded his friends accompany him. Fill ...

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The Greek word λόγος or logos is a word with various meanings. It is often translated into English as "Word" but can also mean thought, speech, reason, principle, standard, or logic among other things. It has varied use in the fields of philosophy, analytical psychology, rhetoric and religion. Logos - Use in ancient philosophy. In ancient philosophy, Logos was used by Heraclitus, one of the more eminent Pre-Socratic Greek philosophers, to describe human knowledge and the inherent order in ...

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• Logos - Use in ancient philosophy
• Logos - Use in rhetoric
• Logos - Use in Christianity
• Logos - Similar concepts

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Anamnesis (Greek:αναμνησις; “recollection”, “reminiscence”) is a term used in philosophy and religion. Anamnesis - Philosophy. Plato uses "anamnesis" in the epistemological theory that he develops in his dialogues Meno and Phaedo. In Meno, Plato's character (and old teacher) Socrates is challenged by Meno with what has become known as the sophistic paradox, or the paradox of knowledge: Meno: And how are you going to search for [the nature of virtue] when y ...

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• Anamnesis - Philosophy
• Anamnesis - Phaedo
• Anamnesis - Religious use
• Anamnesis - Sources and references

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Diotima plays an important role in Plato's Symposium. In it, Socrates says that Diotima was a Mantinean seer and priestess that had, in his youth, taught him "the philosophy of love". He said that she had also succeeded in convincing the gods to postpone the pestilence that besieged Athens by ten years. Although many of the figures in Plato's writings are known to be historical figures, there is no compelling reason to believe that any of them are fictitious except for Diotima. There are no o ...

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• Diotima - The name Diotima
• Diotima - Another Diotima

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Anaxagoras (c. 500 BCE–428 BCE) was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher who was likely born about 500 BCE (Apollodorus ap. Diog. Laert. ii. 7.). He was as a member of what is now often called the Ionian School of philosophy. At his native town of Clazomenae in Asia Minor, he appears to have had some amount of property and prospects of political influence; he supposedly surrendered both of these out of a fear that they would hinder his search for knowledge. Although a Greek, he was probably a Persian citizen, perhaps even a soldi ...

Including:

• Anaxagoras - Cosmological theory

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Pythagoras (approximately 569 BCE – 475 BCE, Greek: Πυθαγόρας) was an Ionian mathematician and philosopher, founder of the mysterious religious and scientific society called Pythagoreans, known best for the Pythagorean theorem which bears his name. Known as "the father of numbers", Pythagoras made influential contributions to philosophy and religious teaching in the late 6th century BC. Because legend and obfuscation cloud his work even more than with the other pre-Socratics, one can say little with confidence ...

Including:

• Pythagoras - Biography
• Pythagoras - Pythagoreans
• Pythagoras - Literary works
• Pythagoras - Scientific contributions

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Democritus was a pre-Socratic Greek philosopher (born at Abdera in Thrace around 460 BC; died in 370 BC). Democritus was a student of Leucippus, and co-originator of the belief that all matter is made up of various imperishable indivisible elements which he called "atomos", from which we get the English word atom. It is virtually impossible to tell which of these ideas were unique to Democritus, and which are attributable to Leucippus. Much of his work in mathematics was in the area of geometry. He was among the first to observe that a prism or pyramid has one third the volume of a c ...

Including:

• Democritus - Democritus' philosophy
• Democritus - The world
• Democritus - The soul
• Democritus - How to live

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Aristotle (Greek: Αριστοτέλης Aristotelēs 384 BC – March 7, 322 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher, student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. He wrote many books about physics, poetry, zoology, logic, rhetoric, government, and biology. Aristotle, along with Plato and Socrates, is generally considered one of the most influential ancient Greek philosophers in Western thought. They transformed Presocratic Greek philosophy into the foundations of Western philosophy as we know it. The writings of Plato an ...

Including:

• Aristotle - Biography
• Aristotle - Early life and studies at the Academy
• Aristotle - Aristotle as philosopher and tutor
• Aristotle - Founder and master of the Lyceum
• Aristotle - Methodology
• Aristotle - Aristotle's epistemology
• Aristotle - Logic
• Aristotle - Science
• Aristotle - Aristotle's metaphysics
• Aristotle - Aristotle's four causes
• Aristotle - The difference between natural objects and artifacts
• Aristotle - Modes of causation
• Aristotle - Chance
• Aristotle - The Five Elements
• Aristotle - Aristotle's ethics
• Aristotle - Nicomachean ethics
• Aristotle - Aristotle's critics
• Aristotle - Aristotle's mistake
• Aristotle - Bibliography
• Aristotle - Major works
• Aristotle - Specific editions
• Aristotle - Named after Aristotle

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(The) Apology (of Socrates) is Plato's version of the speech given by Socrates as he defends himself against the charges of being a man "who corrupted the young, did not believe in the gods, and created new deities". "Apology" here has its earlier meaning (now usually expressed by the word "apologia") of a formal defence of a cause or of one's beliefs or actions (from the Latin apologia, from the Greek "apo" and "logos"). Apology Plato - Introduction. Socrates begins by saying he does not know ...

Including:

• Apology Plato - Introduction
• Apology Plato - Socrates' accusers
• Apology Plato - The charges against Socrates
• Apology Plato - Part one
• Apology Plato - The verdict
• Apology Plato - Part two
• Apology Plato - Part three
• Apology Plato - Modes of interpretation

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Philosophers sometimes distinguish classes from types and kinds. We can talk about the class of human beings, just as we can talk about the type (or natural kind), human being, or humanity. How, then, might classes differ from types? One might well think they are not actually different categories of being, but typically, while both are treated as abstract objects, classes are not usually treated as universals, whereas types usually are. Whether natural kinds ough ...

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