Plato 's View of Wisdom and Virtue in The Dialogues Term Paper

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document

Total Length: 982 words ( 3 double-spaced pages)

Total Sources: 3

Page 1 of 3

Socrates and the Spiritual ThingsSocrates certainly believed in spiritual things and in God. He professes in the Apology that he only did what he did (teach the youth) so as to be in union with the will of God. Socrates also believed that true virtue could only be obtained through union with God. And as we know from his dialogue with Euthyphro God cannot be in contradiction with Himself—yet all the gods and goddesses endlessly fighting presuppose contradiction. It is clear that Socrates believed in God as the source of all truth, all goodness, and all virtue—and since the Greek gods were gods of contradiction it stands to reason that Socrates believed in a God only vaguely reflected in the stories of the Greek gods and goddesses. He was, therefore, “guilty” of not believing in the Greek gods—for he had pierced the veil of Heaven to some extent through the sheer light of reason and discovered certain truths about God that could not be denied. Thus, the accusation of not believing in the Greek gods but instead in some other spiritual things is to some extent accurate.Based on “Apology,” “Euthyphro” and “Meno” it is clear that Socrates is his own man when it comes to thinking about spiritual things—i.e., he is not just going to accept whatever someone else tells him about the spiritual life. He is going to think about it, consider it deeply, analyze it from multiple sides, and try to make a decision about it after discussing it with others, as he does with Euthyphro and Meno. In “Euthyphro,” Socrates wants to know what it means to be pious and pleasing to the gods, and he acts as though Euthyphro must know what this means since Euthyphro is willing to prosecute his own father without fear of offending the gods. Yet Euthyphro cannot answer the question to Socrates’ satisfaction, and the dialogue ends with Socrates expression his vexation at being left without an answer.

Stuck Writing Your "Plato 's View of Wisdom and Virtue in The Dialogues" Term Paper?

View All Our Example Plato 's View of Wisdom and Virtue in The Dialogues Term Paper

Have A Custom Example Essay Written

…

[…… parts of this paper are missing, click here to view the entire document ]

…believe that the stories of the gods could necessarily be used to teach men knowledge or virtue. He believed in God in the sense that all wisdom and grace must have a source—a spring—a fountain, since it is from this place only that any man acquires the gift of virtue, as it is defined in “Meno.” What Socrates believes is that wisdom is not something man obtains through his own skill or learning or knowledge. It is not a trade like carpentry that can be taught. A carpenter can teach another to be a carpenter. That is obvious. But can a man teach another wisdom? Socrates argues that wisdom comes from God alone—a “gift from the gods” as it is said in “Meno.”Therefore, while Socrates might defy the stories of the warring gods in “Euthyphro” he does not discount the idea of God or “spiritual things”—for he knows that wisdom cannot have any other source in life but that source which is from above—whether one….....

Show More ⇣

     Open the full completed essay and source list


OR

     Order a one-of-a-kind custom essay on this topic


sample essay writing service

Cite This Resource:

Latest APA Format (6th edition)

Copy Reference
"Plato 's View Of Wisdom And Virtue In The Dialogues" (2022, March 02) Retrieved June 30, 2025, from
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/plato-view-wisdom-virtue-dialogues-2177140

Latest MLA Format (8th edition)

Copy Reference
"Plato 's View Of Wisdom And Virtue In The Dialogues" 02 March 2022. Web.30 June. 2025. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/plato-view-wisdom-virtue-dialogues-2177140>

Latest Chicago Format (16th edition)

Copy Reference
"Plato 's View Of Wisdom And Virtue In The Dialogues", 02 March 2022, Accessed.30 June. 2025,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/plato-view-wisdom-virtue-dialogues-2177140
   

Open, View, and/or
Download this Document
order custom essay example