Plato and the Platonic dialogues - Essay Example

Plato and the Platonic dialogues Introduction Plato and his writings through the Platonic dialogues constitute some of the foundational elements of the Western philosophic tradition. Over the course of Plato’s career his works span an enormous array of subjects. In one of the early dialogues, Euthyphro, Plato demonstrates the importance of living the examined life in his discussion with Euthyphro. Similarly, Plato’s Apology considers Socrates trial in front of the Greek lawmakers. The Apology then represents the entirety of Socrates’ argument to the court to prove his innocence and demonstrate the absurdity of Meletus claims against him. In this effort Socrates bravely presents arguments relating to the need to life the examined life, as without living a life of purpose and meaning he believes there is no purpose in existence. Conversely, philosopher Robert Nozick in his book the Examined Life revisits this question of living a life of examination, yet considers it from a slightly different perspective than the one Plato advances through Socrates. This essay considers Plato’s characterization of the examined life through his dialogues Euthyphro and the Apology, examines Nozick’s conceptualization in the Examined Life, and contrasts the two philosophers views on the subject. Apology One of the most seminal of Plato’s dialogues, the Apology constitutes Socrates’ argument to the Athenian court for his innocence. In considering this line of reasoning it’s important to consider the broader implications of Socrates argument. It seems that Socrates is indicating that in Meletus and the Athenian counsel harming Socrates they are doing so in a sort of bad faith. Socrates believes that in being a better person than Meletus he has chosen to live his life virtuously. In living his life virtuously Socrates has contributed to society and lived his life in productive ways. He has also worked towards achieving his own sense of purpose and meaning; in Socrates’ instance, it seems that he believes this to be living honestly and spreading his wisdom and intellect to the Athenian youth. If Meletus were to have Socrates killed, which he is attempting to do, it would not harm Socrates has lived his life in accord with the principles set out before him and done so in a virtuous and just way; therefore, in dying Socrates has simply realized the potential his life had for him. Socrates is indicating then that he would rather die than not engage in seeking and spreading truth and wisdom. This leads him to state, “it is the greatest good for a man to discuss virtue every day and those other things about which you hear me conversing and testing myself and others, for the unexamined life is not worth living for men” (Plato 33). In these regards, Socrates is indicating that in not living his life purpose of spreading and examining wisdom then life is not worth living. Euthyphro While in the Apology Socrates’ trial is explored in great depth, events that are supplementary to its occurrence are addressed in Euthyphro. In this dialogue, typical of much of Plato’s writings, Socrates encounters Euthyphro and tells him that the reason he has come to the court is because he has been called there because Meletus has accused him of corrupting the Athenian youth. Socrates then engages Euthphro in a dialogue about the nature of holiness. While this dialogue never directly states, like the Apology does, that the unexamined life is not worth living, in Socrates’ discussion with Euthyphro he demonstrates the need for living an examined life through showing how Euthyphro has not examined sufficiently the prosecution of his own father. While Euthyphro argues that his father should be prosecuted because he committed an unholy act, Socrates argues that Euthyphro has not properly examined what constitutes holiness. Euthyphro responds that what is holy or pious is determined by the gods and Socrates sets out showing how this mode of thinking demands more inspection. Socrates states, “Then according to your argument, my good Euthyphro, different gods consider different things to be just, ugly, beautiful, good, and bad, for they would not be at odds with one another unless they differed about these subjects, would they?” (Plato 7). In these regards, through Socrates Plato is indicating that since the gods disagree on a number of subjects they cannot be used to unequivocally determine what’s pious, therefore Euthyphro is mistaken. This dialogue demonstrates that in not examining one’s assumptions and not considering life from a more thorough perspective one can believe in harmful, erroneous beliefs. Robert Nozick the Examined Life While Robert Nozick has explored a variety of issues in his philosophical writings, his 1989 text the Examined Life considered an issue that had concerned philosophers for millennia; namely, Nozick explores the need for an individual to live a life of reflection. While Plato seminally explored the concept through Socrates in his Apology and Euthyphro, Nozick’s conceptualization considers it from a slightly different perspective. For Nozick to live an examined life is to create a philosophical self-portrait, not a theory. In these regards, Nozick establishes a number of metaphors to demonstrate the means to which he is referring. For instance, Nozick offers a comparison between a photograph and a Rembrandt portrait and argues that the portrait captures the individual in greater depth and meaning. This is because in the portrait the artist must spend considerable time in creation, considering the varying aspects of the contours of the individual’s face and the life that must have contributed to their creation. He then extends this metaphor to represent a way of living. For Nozick, individuals should live their lives just as an artist constructs a portrait. He goes on to offer similar examples, such as comparing the depth of focus a novel contains over that of a film. This all leads to his statement that encapsulates a great degree of his perspective on the examined life, namely, “when all other things are equal, the more concentrated thought goes into making something, the more it is shaped, enriched, and laden with significance. So too with living a life” (Nozick 14). That is, while the photograph or film is able to be appreciated, they lack the wonder and depth that can only be infused into an individuals’ life through examination. Plato and Nozick While there are a number of similarities between Plato’s characterization of the examined life and Robert Nozick’s characterization of the examined life, there also exist a number of fundamental differences. Perhaps the most central difference between the two philosopher’s theories is the relative importance they place on following these tenants therein. For Socrates, life is not worth pursuing if it is not also the examined life. Conversely, while Nozick indicates that living a life that is unexamined is not as ultimately fulfilling as the examined life, he doesn’t go as far as Socrates in indicating that it is entirely worthless. In another regard, Nozick indicates, “My concern in writing here is the whole of our being” (Nozick 17). He even mentions Plato, who argued that the individual was a collection of three parts, of which the best types of individuals were predominated by rationality. This is a method of examining the examined life that goes beyond simply considering the need for individual reflection, but considers the innate structure of human mind or soul. It follows that Nozick ultimately disagrees with Plato on the centrality of the examined life to existence as the overriding nature of the individual’s rational qualities is left for question. At another part in his book Nozick even goes as far as to indicate a general percentage that the individual can generally place the importance of examining life. He states, “A part, then, of philosophy's advice about the discretionary part of life, the possible 10 percent left, would be to send some of it focusing upon and appreciating the 90 percent that is already present. Such advice evidences a grasp of life's magnitude and helps with the remaining 10 percent too” (Nozick 299). While certainly Nozick would state that these numbers were approximations, they demonstrate the central difference between his outlook and the Platonic one. Namely, that while Socrates would as soon the Athenian counsel put him to death than disallow his to spread his wisdom and live his life in accord with his principles, Nozick sees the examined life as infusing the individual with a wonderful, yet slightly supplementary sort of purpose. Conclusion In conclusion, while philosophers have considered the examined life since the Platonic dialogues, it’s clear that there are variations in their characterization. Through Socrates Plato indicates that living the examined life is so central to an individual’s existence that a life that does not consider this as a central aspect is not worth living. While this statement is made in the Apology, it is demonstrated in the dialogue of Euthyphro. Conversely, Robert Nozick indicates that the examined life should function as a sort of self-portrait. In these regards, it is a holistic approach to life that infuses it with more worth and understanding. While Nozick’s characterization has much in common with Plato’s, he doesn’t goes as far as to indicate that an unexamined life is not worth living. References Nozick, Robert. The Examined Life: Philosophical Meditations. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1990. Print. Plato. Euthyphro. New York: Kessinger Publishing, 2010. Print. Plato. Apology. New York: Kessinger Publishing, 2010. Print. Read More