What is the relationship between God and justice? Is something just because God wills it, or does God will it because it is just? This is the essence of what has been termed Euthyphro’s dilemma. I introduced this in my previous post 64 in the context of Socrates questioning a young, arrogant man, named Euthyphro, […]
Category Archives: Socrates
63. Plato’s Dialogues: Alcibiades and the Challenge of Self-Examination
Alcibiades was a young man in Athens who seemingly had everything: looks, noble birth, friends and connections in high places, and intense ambition to go with it all. He was a proud young man who elicited envy from his peers. One person who wasn’t envious, but instead, deeply concerned, was none other than Socrates himself. […]
58. Plato – The Greatest Philosopher 2
After publishing the previous post, not surprisingly I received some email inquiries concerning the virgin birth of Plato. I will comment on that later, but first I would like to finish the dialogue-story about the life of Plato that I started in Post 57. Please see that post if you wish to read this story […]
56. The Hope of Resurrection and the Hopelessness of Reincarnation
In the West, we have three main beliefs concerning the afterlife – materialistic annihilation, reincarnation, and resurrection. Before continuing with this post, stop briefly for a moment and consider what your view is of the afterlife, if indeed you have given it much thought. Please leave your comments below.
54. Protagoras – The First Sophist and Philosophical Revolutionary
“Man is the measure of all things.” This famous dictum is familiar to most of us, yet I imagine that most people have no idea who uttered those words. You can probably guess by the title of this post that it was none other than the philosopher Protagoras. But what did he mean by it […]
53. The Greek Sophists – Authentic Philosophers or Purveyors of Deception?
For those familiar with philosophy, the word “Sophist” brings to mind a highly articulate snake oil salesman who, through eloquence and smoothness of speech, is able to manipulate people into doing what he wants. In the ancient world, it was said that the Sophists could convince people it was night when it was day. This […]
9. Socrates and Jesus Compared
As we examine the life and impact of Socrates, we can see that there are many similarities between Jesus and Socrates. However, it’s important to note that the two men were not on an equal plane. According to Christian […]
8. Socrates and the Unexamined Life
“The unexamined life is not worth living.”1 -Plato’s Apology, 38a This now famous line, which Socrates spoke at his trial, has rippled throughout Western Civilization. If I could sum up Socrates’ legacy in one maxim, it would be […]
7. Socrates a Philosopher of Virtue and Truth
What is the legacy of Socrates? For not leaving any writings behind, he had a tremendous impact on those who followed him1.
6. Socrates, Martyr for the Truth
The Presocratic Philosophers and Socrates Socrates died for his beliefs and this set him apart from all other Presocratic philosophers that preceded him. He changed the course of Greek philosophy1.