Are the Classical Philosophers Still Relevant?

 

Many modern philosophers cite the Classical Philosophers as influences; but are the philosophies of Socrates and his students Plato and Aristotle still relevant? For me personally, I would not hesitate in answering “yes.”

Socrates, who is termed as “the father of philosophy” is incredibly important in the growth of classical philosophy. Not much of his life is known and we only know of his “philosophies” through the writings of Plato, arguably his most devoted and well-known student. The most interesting aspect of Socrates’ life, for me at least, is his death. He was sentenced to death by the Athenian government for his controversial ideas and died by drinking hemlock. Plato writes in his Phaedo that Socrates’ last words were "Crito [one of Socrates’ closest friends], we owe a rooster to Asclepius. Please, don't forget to pay the debt." I find this interesting and yet conflicting on the surface. Asclepius was the god of healing. Why I find this so conflicting is Socrates was sentenced to death supposedly for his outspoken atheism and for “corrupting young minds.” However, many interpretations of this are that Socrates was referring to death – death is freedom for the soul and for the mind; in death the soul is heading for an idyllic place where it is free from society’s constraints. Fast forward two thousand five hundred years later and many people believe in the same sort of concept; albeit in a religion of some kind.

We are much more knowledgeable about Platonic and Aristotelian Philosophy, because unlike Socrates, they wrote down their philosophies. The most famous concept of Platonism is the Theory of Forms. This theory suggests that the world was far from perfect, but that there is a perfect world in which people were once acquainted with. Plato believed that we were somehow damaged by living in the imperfect world in which we live; but we could get reacquainted with the perfect world by listening to our own human reasoning. This is similar to the Augustinian Theodicy and this is because Augustine, like many of Early Christian philosophers was heavily influenced by Platonism.

Aristotle is more concerned with ethics as opposed to philosophy and is especially concerned with humankind’s ability to be virtuous. He believed that studying philosophy and being contemplative was the best way of reaching eudaimonia; a Greek word meaning the maximum wellbeing. Alasdair McIntyre, a Scottish philosopher, famous for his work in Virtue Ethics is a modern day Aristotelian. His belief that with good character comes good judgement stems from Aristotle’s work.

 I think it is very clear that the Classical Philosophers are fundamental still. However, why are they still paramount to philosophy and ethics today? I think the answer is simple. Although they lived thousands of years ago; the issues that were problematic for philosophy and ethics then are still causing problems for philosophers now. 5^th Century Athens was a place that was a cultural hot spot so to speak; the tragic playwrights were the “celebrities” of the day and they were becoming more daring and began asking questions about the Greek gods in their plays. An example of this is Euripides’ “The Bacchae,” a play in which the hero not only questions the god Dionysus’ existence, but the god himself and his all-female followers are shown to be moral deviants. Philosophy was thriving in an age in which the citizens were discovering agnosticism and becoming more aware of the world around them; and it is my belief that unless either religion or atheism become extinct; in another two thousand years’ time there will be another philosophy student making the same point about the Classical Philosophers as I have.

 

By L.L.

 

 

Human Understanding

 

“A philosopher knows that in reality he knows very little. That is why he constantly strives to achieve true insight. Socrates was one of these rare people. He knew that he knew nothing about life and about the world. And now comes the important part: it troubled him that he knew so little.”  ― Jostein Gaarder, Sophie's World

Whilst reading 'Sophie's World', I was especially struck by the thinking of Socrates. Being one of the most influential Greek philosophers, Socrates was ultimately concerned will helping others to realise true insight; to view the universe as he did. Socrates wanted to show everyone how completely oblivious they are to the wonders around them. Even though Socrates was writing before Christ and therefore before science, when we really think about what we know about the world, even today, we realise we know very little. We are able to explain how things happen in nature; how the tides are controlled by the moon, how plants use photosynthesis to produce food and how different species adapt to survive in their environments. However, in reality, we know very little of why these things happen. Socrates in particular was especially concerned with how little we know of the universe. He therefore is widely known for his constant need and want of knowledge.

What we truly know and what we perceive about the universe and its existence are, in fact, very different. One can believe that there is a higher being that is eternal and created the universe in His own image whereas someone else may believe in science, the Big Bang Theory and that when we die, we just cease to exist. However, neither can really know how correct they are in their beliefs, the universe may have begun as a result of the Big Bang but we may also find that there is indeed life after death. This is what Socrates was ultimately concerned with; our lack of true knowledge. The idea of the human soul is a subject that has created a lot of scepticism in modern society, the idea of is one of the main ideas within Christianity and therefore it is widely believed. However, what if the idea of life after death is just believed because it is a comfort to us? The idea that we just cease to exist after death is much harder for us to accept as it does not bring comfort for those we have lost. The atheistic view would state that there is no eternal soul and therefore cannot be life after death, however, neither view can ever really know which idea is correct.

If we take away the moral part of the world; God, then there is no real reason why humans should strive to be good. Therefore, maybe religion is used as more of a way to order and control society rather than as a comfort to us. Obviously there are people who oppose this view, they believe that faith is ones' true connection to God and through that connection they are able to learn how they should live their lives. However, if there were no morals or principles as a result of religious belief, would society still function adequately? Would individuals feel a need to show compassion, love and respect for others? Some would argue that our human reason would help us to act correctly towards society, but what if our human reason stems from religion and without it, humans have no understanding of the difference between right and wrong? It is therefore evident that, although we as humans have developed greatly, we are still to learn a lot about life, the universe and ourselves.

E.A.C

Time To Take Action

Mayhem. Absolutely mayhem. Just when we thought the destruction and barbaric killing of thousands of Syrians in the Ghouta chemical attack wasn’t enough, we were proven wrong. Men and women who have dedicated years to save the lives of others are now being threatened to leave Syria as hospitals have been destroyed or wrecked in attacks. There is no question at this stage that Syria is at ‘breaking point’ and yet it appears that this horrific situation is simply being dismissed as another story on top of all the other 'unfortunate' current affairs happening during this period. It makes me think how an international community can allow this evil and suffering to happen.

It has been confirmed by the Council on Foreign Relations that over 15,000 doctors have left Syria due to the conflict and threat of imprisonment if they continue to aid causalities. In turn, there are shocking injuries going unattended; women giving birth without the support of a medical team; people who are undergoing life-saving surgery and amputations without anaesthetic; and victims of sexual violence having nowhere to turn to.

David Cameron has linked the devastations happening in Syria to the Holocaust.

Edmund Burke famous quote: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing” is a perfect example which highlights Britain's failure to take action and support Syrians. This is why evil occurs in today’s society. The signatories to the letter in The Lancet say it is "arguably one of the world's worst humanitarian crises since the end of the Cold War".

Don’t get me wrong, I am completely aware of the issues and necessary procedures that we must put to attention before finalising on an idea that will impact the country as a whole but we should surely start considering the two primary guidelines of the Just War Theory. This theory outlines ‘when is it right to fight?’ and ‘how should a war be fought?’ Just war is the standard method of assessing the morality of war. This is a basic moral guide for religious believers today.

Jeremy Bentham developed a theory that states an act should be done for ‘the greatest good for the greatest number’. Therefore, an act will be moral if it benefits the majority rather than the minority. As Christians it is our moral duty to “not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good”. In other words, if we decide as a country to intervene and help Syrians, we should ensure that there will be a reasonable proportion between the injustice being fought and the suffering inflicted by war. This includes the use of weapons that must be proportional to the threat and only minimum force should be used and civilians should be protected as far as possible.

Studying RE at A level has really helped me to see life in a new prospective. Honestly, I love it. It is not just because it allows me to gain a deeper understanding of my faith, the creation of laws or taking part in ethical and philosophical debates but it enables me to grow with the changing nature of religion in Britain today which could impact the attitude of millions, urging us to help those who need it most.

Picture from BBC News website - used for educational purposes

Community

As we begin a new school year, our focus shifts towards our school community. We are lucky enough at Sacred Heart that we belong to a loving and understanding community of faith, however I feel that this unity that lives in our school is not replicated in the wider community. Religion means something unique to each individual and that is what makes it such a powerful and diverse topic in our modern society. Living in a multicultural society such as the U.K, I would have thought that we would become much more understanding and open-minded, yet what has actually developed among some is deep rooted misunderstanding leading to many conflicts we see in the world today. Religion is unfortunately now seen as a ‘taboo’ subject as we may be afraid to upset or offend others around us. However I believe these differences should be celebrated and we should all seek to fully understand others in their own journeys of faith.

‘The greatest evil in the world is ignorance.’-Albert Camus.

This quote truly speaks to me in reference to this subject as not wanting to immerse ourselves in different cultures and religion leads to ignorance, and not fully understanding other religions can lead to the troubles we witness today such as the recent anniversary of the tragic events of 9/11.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jYwrgHONSc

This video clip shows how despite Ricky Gervais being a well-known atheist, he feels we are all entitled to our right to the freedom of speech and believes that we should all have the right to believe what we feel is right for us. We are extremely lucky in the U.K to have the freedom of speech, where our opinion can be voiced and these differences in society can exist without fear of the consequences. I feel that as we begin our new school year we should attempt to replicate the respect and consideration we have for others at Sacred Heart, in the local area and begin to see a change for the better.

By E.D