The Greek philosopher Plato depicts the unclear relationship between physical and ideal beauty through the analogy of madness. ... In From Phaedrus written by Plato, the philosopher has not succumbed to madness but is instead misunderstood by the unenlightened. According to Plato, physical beauty is a mechanism in which ideal beauty is able to temporarily be expressed and becomes a mirror to the soul. ... The "madness," as defined by Plato, is in actuality analogous of an innate impassioned desire freeing the soul. ... Madness is utilized as an analogy for the ambiguous relationship...

• Word Count: 795
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

DENIAL OF PLATO'S THEORY OF FORMS I deny Plato's Theory of Forms on three basic grounds: that the existence of Forms contradicts itself by denying the possibility of negations; that his illustrations of Forms are merely empty metaphors; and that the theory uses impermanent abstractions to create examples of perception. ... Forms, Plato believes, are permanent, self-contained absolutes, that answer to each item of exact knowledge attained through human thought. ... This contradicts Plato's own belief that only natural objects could serve as standards of knowledge. ...

• Word Count: 494
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

For instance, Plato's theory of forms does not, to me, seem to jibe with modern physics and cosmology. ... Sartre, although he developed some of his ideas from Nietzsche and Kierkegaard, probably could not have expounded those same ideas of existentialism in their times; Nietzsche, who popularized the idea that "God is dead;" could not have been written in the time of Descartes; and Descartes could not have expressed his radically individualist ideas during the time of Plato. ... After notable minds of the Ancient World such as Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, by modernist standards, o...

• Word Count: 2227
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

In their discussions and explorations of what it is that makes a person a good human being, Socrates and Confucius value many of the same traits. Primarily, they both value the pursuit of learning as key to the development of their model of an enlightened person. However, there are a few important d...

• Word Count: 1371
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

The argument of empiricism versus rationalism, in other words one can draw on the thoughts and theories of Locke in opposition to the beliefs of Descartes. The argument between empiricism and rationalism can be broken down to the simple form of Locke's imperialism being that all knowledge derives from the senses, against Descartes" belief that information can be known in advance of experience through innate ideas. Locke is considered to be the founder of British empiricism, while Descartes is considered to be the father of modern philosophy. They both have two distinct epistemic syste...

• Word Count: 2949
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: Undergraduate