Socrates - The Greatest Philosopher Of All Time Research Paper

Socrates - The Greatest Philosopher Of All Time - Research Paper Example Such was his influence on the philosophical world that the era before him has been named the pre Socrates era. Socrates set the standard for all the western philosophers to come. His methods were employed by all the great philosophers later including Plato and Aristotle to name a few which makes a case in itself for him being the greatest. A thorough analysis of his life, teachings and philosophical viewpoints will further establish my claim for him being the greatest philosopher of all time. Life Born to Sophroniscus a sculptor by profession in 469 BC, Socrates was both short and unattractive (socrates a closer look at the greatest thinker). Though little is known about his early life it is reported that he was educated in literature, music, gymnastic and sculpture which were the integral constituents of elementary education at that time in Athens. Socrates had many teachers. Socrates mentioned that he was taught â€Å"love† by diotima of mintineia. Socrates also mentioned th at he learned rhetoric from Aspasia and music from Connus. However, others argue that his principal teacher was Anaxagorean Archelaus. Despite having so many teachers his undying lust of knowledge lead him to develop his own method of inquiry known as the Socrates method of questioning. Despite being short and unattractive, Socrates was married to Xanthippe, a much younger woman than himself. Several sources claim that he had a second wife as well whose name was Myrto. It is known that his wife was an ill tempered and rude woman. According to various theories Socrates inherited stone masonry as a profession from his father and used it for a living. In his dialogues Plato has also discussed the military life of Socrates. He reported that Socrates when he was young was a brave soldier of the Athenian army and fought valiantly in the battles of Potidaea, Amphipolis and  Delium (socrates a closer look at the greatest thinker). His valour in the battle of delium was even acknowledged b y the general of that time. Later on however, he completely devoted himself to philosophy by refraining from the pursuits of the physical world. He spent most of his life in Athens roaming around and questioning the moral and ethical beliefs of the young men of the city. He used to teach people without demanding any financial gain which was perhaps the reason why he had an ardent sense of loyalty among his students. Aristophanes a contemporary playwright wrote a comic play in 423 BC called clouds (socrates a closer look at the greatest thinker). The play portrayed him as a clown. In the play Socrates used to worship scientific wonders and clouds instead of the gods worshipped in Greece. The play spread a very austere view of Socrates among the Athenians. In the following years, a wave of hatred and disapproval against Socrates ran around the city. Athenian began to dislike Socrates because of his criticism of popular beliefs and the ways of the current government. He used to approac h the wise men of Athens at that time and questioned them in ways which made them look foolish. His influence on the youth began to grow which along with all the other reasons became the main subject of his trials. Hence in 399 BC Socrates was held on trial and was charged for being responsible for disobeying the gods of the state and corrupting the minds of the youth (Kemerling, 2006).

Internet and the Issues It Gave Birth to Assignment

Internet and the Issues It Gave Birth to - Assignment Example The present paper has identified that  the internet has a profound impact on culture, both good and bad. A culture can be defined in the simplest possible terms as the sum total of the ideologies, customs, rituals, language, and lifestyle of a people that sets them apart from other people. In fact, the world is filled with diverse cultures which have their roots reaching even the Stone Age. The first impact the internet has in this field is the assimilation of these cultures resulting in the creation of a world uniform culture. To elaborate, the coming of the internet hugely helped the spread of western culture throughout the world. As most Asian and African countries look westward for technology and development, they inadvertently take up the lifestyle of western civilization that is highly liberal in nature. Yet another terrible blow is the disappearance of regional languages and the dominance of English. As English is the language that is mostly used in higher researches and as it is the main language in use on the net, it becomes necessary for other people to adopt English as a means of communication, thus leading to the erosion and gradual demise of their regional languages. As stated in Forbes and Mahan, (Eds.) (135), since the primary language of the internet is English, it would transmit the elements of Western values including an emphasis on material goods, entertainment, sex, and romance. The way the dressing sense of the modern youth has changed is the most effective example of this influence. If one can see young people wearing jeans and t-shirts in all countries and cultures and if they are seen eating pizza and hotdogs forgetting their traditional food items, as everybody knows, it is the internet to be blamed. However, the other side of the argument, though quite feeble, is that the internet does not necessarily eliminate the values of indigenous cultures. As Nakamura (88-89) states, the internet has the potential for challenging western influe nce; and moreover, it can turn to be an effective device for non-western users. The author points out the example of New Media Center Sarai New Delhi which has developed software for indigenous non-literates. According to Lessig (10), people around the world have the opportunity to build and cultivate a culture; perhaps a cyber-culture that would reach beyond the local boundaries. Unfortunately, the internet offers people the opportunity to destruct their cultures too. Ethical issues associated with the use of internet Though the accurate meaning of ethics vary from culture to culture and people to people, there are certain universally accepted norms of ethics that distinguish humans from other animate and inanimate beings. One can undoubtedly say that the security and freedom provided by internet lure many people into forgetting their ethics and morality to enjoy the unlimited chances of enjoyment available on the net. The first one in this row is the adoption of pseudo-identity on the internet to cheat people. As everybody knows, it is possible to hide one's real identity and this provides people immeasurable chances of carnal pleasure, monetary frauds, and other innumerable ways of cheating. To be precise, the availability of porn sites which often impart biased views on sex is responsible for the increasing sexual atrocities or crimes against females throughout the world.