Greek Philosophers Socrates, Plato, Aristotle

by Taylor, C. C. W.; Hare, R. M.; Barnes, Jonathan; Thomas, Keith

• ISBN13: 9780192854223
• ISBN10: 0192854224
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-05-31
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Greek Philosophers contains essays on three of the most important figures in the history of Western philosophy: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Socrates wrote nothing himself, and our knowledge of his philosophical opinions and method is derived mainly from the engaging and infuriating figure who appears in Plato's dialogues. The philosophy of Socrates and Plato is therefore closely interconnected, and the most powerful elements of Plato's mature thought form the basis of an interpretation of knowledge, reality, and morality which is still held and debated by philosophers today. Aristotle's scientific explorations and systematic philosophical investigation have been instrumental in the development of Western philosophy. Each of this book's three authors provides a thorough section on a single philosopher, and the confluence of these studies will help readers understand these great thinkers both individually and in the context of each other.

Author Biography

Jonathan Barnes is Professor of Ancient Philosophy at the University of Geneva. R. M. Hare is Professor Emeritus of Moral Philosophy at Oxford University, Fellow of Corpus Christi College, and Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at the University of Florida. C. C. W. Taylor is a Fellow of Corpus Christi College and a Reader in Philosophy at Oxford University.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Life

Socratic literature and the Socratic problem

Plato's Socrates

Socrates and later philosophy

Conclusion

Life and Times

Plato's forebears

How Plato became a philosopher

Understanding Plato

Knowing things

Definition, dialectic, and the good

Education and the good life

The divided mind

The authoritarian State

Plato's achievement

The man and his work

A public figure

Zoological researches

Collecting facts

The philosophical background

The structure of the science

Logic

Knowledge

Ideal and achievement

Reality

Change

Causes

Empiricism

Aristotle's world-picture

Psychology

Evidence and theory

Teleology

Practical philosophy

The arts

Afterlife

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