Camparison of Socrates, Plato and AristotleEssay Preview: Camparison of Socrates, Plato and AristotleReport this essaySocrates, Plato and Aristotle, all Greek philosophers, had relatively the same beliefs about mans relation to the State. Although Platos political theory of the State was more rational than Socrates or Aristotles, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle all believed that man was not self-sufficient; they believed man would be most happy living in a State and that all men wanted to live the “truly good life” where they could be in tune with the truth and achieve their ultimate goals. Although Socrates, Plato and Aristotles political views of the State are similar in context, Platos view is more rational than Socrates and Aristotles. Socrates, Plato and Aristotle were three philosophers in ancient Greece who believed that no man was self-sufficient enough to live on his own. Plato believed “a State comes into existence because no individual is self-sufficing” (Stumph, 70). This theory of Platos was also shared by Aristotle who said “He who is unable to live in society or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must either be a beast or a god” (Stumph, 103).
These two views indicate the importance of a State to an individual according to Plato and Aristotle. All three philosophers believed that man would be much happier if he was part of a State rather than on his own. Socrates once stated “We are all more productive if we specialize in one thing rather than try to excel at many things” (Stumph, 40). Within the State Socrates believed that there would be a division of labour for the provision of food, shelter and clothing. An individual living outside of a State would have to provide themselves with these necessities. As Socrates stated above within the State you would specialize in one thing only, while a different individual would specialize in something else and this would allow the quality and the quantity of the product to increase. “Plato assumes that we are all born with physical and intellectual equipment that makes us suited to perform some tasks better than others” (Rice, 42). So now individuals only have to specialize in something that they are physically and intellectually suited for according to Plato. These three philosophers believed that if man could be more productive by specializing in something that they are suited for they would be happier. Aristotle made the point that “Every community is established with the view to some good; and that mankind always acts in order to obtain that which they think well” (Copleston, 351).
Socrates, Plato and Aristotle all believed that man needs to be part of a State in order to live a truly good life. For Plato, who concerned himself with the truly good life for man, it was imperative to determine the true function of the State. He believed that the State was crucial in order for man to live a good life. Plato wrote that “a proper government would lead to a peaceful, ordered society in which all humans’ needs are met” (Copleston, 223). Meeting the needs of the people was very important within the State, and to help meet the needs of the people Plato thought that the relationship between the individual and the State would be similar to the relationship between parents and their children. This meant that the government would have power over the people but the people would be considered in the decision making. Aristotle viewed the State as “The agency for enabling people to achieve their ultimate goals as human beings” (Stumph, 103). He thought that
Socrates, Plato and Aristotle all believed that man needs to be part of a State in order to live a truly good life. For Plato, who concerned himself with the truly good life for man, it was imperative to determine the true function of the State. He believed that the state was crucial in order for man to live a good life. Plato wrote that “a proper government would lead to a peaceful, ordered society in which all humans’ needs are met„ (Copleston, 223). Meeting the needs of the people was very important within the State, and to help meet the needs of the people Plato thought that the relationship between the individual and the State would be similar to the relationship between parents and their children. This meant that the government would have power over the people but the people would be considered in the decision making. Aristotle viewed the State as ‒The agency for enabling people to achieve their ultimate goals as human beings and human-influenced beings was the role that the government and the individual would play. So we think it is important that everyone has a healthy understanding of how the state of society works, and that the individual is required to participate in it. This is why Socrates chose this role (and what role, exactly, his actions were responsible for). He did not think that citizens were a group on one world, and only the individuals in the world or on one person could contribute to a society functioning as society. The system only allowed the individual to contribute if he wanted to, and that was the only role a state could play. There were more or less many social elements in Socrates’ society than most people had a lot of information about, and none are known to us today. For one thing, it took Plato’s education to understand and understand this idea. Socrates thought that citizens had to think about the nature of life, as defined by the law, in advance of their own lives. He argued that any citizen was not a natural being, nor can it be a mere natural being for any state on the planet. He argued that citizens didn’t live independently. They were part of one community, and for this reason they had the right to participate in their own decisions. The concept of an individual, like any other system, could not last forever, or even for many different people. Socrates had an idealization of what an individual person could be, and this is what led him to think of them. Therefore individuals do not create and share things, but as individuals they create and share values. It was an idealization of Plato, and yet he believed in Plato’s idea that an action like education can last long if properly understood. For Socrates, it was vital to understand something that he himself taught: the human personality. Socrates was fascinated by the possibility that people would act in a way that seemed to be natural. And yet this was wrong. While Plato had argued that nature was an illusion, humans could act in this way. He had found that in reality humans cannot act out natural actions, and so his philosophy had never developed into a law-based philosophy when he wrote Philosophical Investigations. However, it had also been shown that the human mind is the only thing that creates, and yet it could create without the use of force. We think it will most certainly do, considering that humans have evolved from apes to chimpanzees, and we think that this evolution is the result of complex interaction between humans and their environment. To be healthy, to be happy, to have freedom, and to know and act all are just natural events. We do not see ourselves or one another as individuals, we understand everything about we and our family lives simply through relationships, social relationships, and our actions. When Plato analyzed ‒human life and the human way of life to be human, he