Socrates, Plato, And Aristotle

Three Athenian philosophers flourished in Ancient Greece from 470 BC until 322 BC. They were Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. These philosophers were famous for their "schools of thought." They questioned basic and widely accepted ideas. The works of these three men were the foundation for great western philosophy and still play a vital role in our evolution today. The lives they led influence the modern world greatly.

The first of these three men is Socrates who lived from 470 BC until 399 BC. He was born in Athens to a poor family of stone carvers. He did not leave behind any writings therefore, we know about his ways of thinking from those of whom he taught. However, many did not agree with his teachings and he was accused of blasphemy and executed by drinking hemlock. Plato was born in Athens and lived from 427 BC to 347 BC. His father was a wealthy politician. He used his father's money to buy land and built the first university, The Academy. He died from a heart attack. Aristotle was born in Stagira to wealthy parents in 384 BC. He also opened up a school called Lyceum. He taught Alexander the Great but when Alexander died, he was charged with blasphemy. He ran away and died of sickness at the age of 62 in 322 BC.

Socrates believed that people should question all motives. This is called the Socratic method and it is still used today. He is known to have said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." His entire life had been dedicated to self-examination and the questioning of others. Plato believed in a balance between the mind and the body. He searched for the ideal government, which he believed was a government in which the king was a philosopher. The reason for this is because he felt the masses would become ignorant which causes democracies to fail. Aristotle believed in logic and rational questions and answers. Reality, to him, existed in a concrete fashion. His teachings were based on morality and he believed