Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle: The Big Three in Greek Philosophy Much of Western philosophy finds its basis

in the thoughts and teachings of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. ou can!t begin a study of "orld philosophy "ithout talking about these guys: the Big Three ancient Greek philosophers. Socrates: Athens! street#corner philosopher Socrates "as the big#city philosopher in ancient Athens. Accused and con$icted of corrupting the youth, his only real cri%e "as e%barrassing and irritating a nu%ber of i%portant people. &is punish%ent "as death. 'a%ous (uote: )The une*a%ined life is not "orth li$ing.) Socrates didn!t "rite books+ he ,ust liked to ask probing and so%eti%es hu%iliating (uestions, "hich ga$e rise to the fa%ous Socratic Method of Teaching. This street#corner philosopher %ade a career of deflating po%pous "indbags. Plato: The philosopher "ho "ould be king An aristocratic %an "ith plenty of %oney and a superb physi(ue, Plato at one ti%e "on t"o pri-es as a cha%pionship "restler. Actually, the %an!s real .and little kno"n/ na%e "as Aristocles+ Plato "as ,ust a nickna%e gi$en to hi% by his friends, "hose original connotation %ade reference to his broad shoulders. Plato beca%e an enthusiastic and talented student of Socrates and "rote fa%ous dialogues featuring his teacher $erbally grappling "ith opponents. 0ur "restler belie$ed in the pre#e*istence and i%%ortality of the soul, holding that life is nothing %ore than the i%prison%ent of the soul in a body. 1n addition to the physical "orld, there is a hea$enly real% of greater reality consisting in 'or%s, 1deals, or 1deas .such as 2(uality, 3ustice, &u%anity, and so on/. As his cro"ning achie$e%ent: &e "rote a fa%ous treatise .The 4epublic/ on the ideal society, in "hich he e*pressed the thought that a philosopher, of all people, "ho should be king .big surprise5/. Aristotle: A long "alk to the Golden Mean Aristotle "as Plato!s best student. &e "ent on to beco%e the $ery "ell#paid tutor of Ale*ander the Great 6 probably the highest paid philosopher in history. Aristotle started his o"n philosophical school "hen he "as 78 years old. Although he li$ed only ten %ore years, he produced nearly a thousand books and pa%phlets, only a fe" of "hich ha$e sur$i$ed. This great thinker "as called a peripatetic philosopher .peripateo 9 )to "alk around)/ because he liked to lecture to his students "hile taking a "alk. Another group of philosophers "ere called stoics because they preferred sitting around on porches .stoa/ "hen they shot the bree-e. A key the%e in Aristotle!s thought is that happiness is the goal of life. Aristotle "as a good deal less other#"orldly than Plato. &e $oluntarily "ent into e*ile fro% Athens "hen conditions beca%e a bit politically dangerous for hi%, in his "ords, )lest Athens sin t"ice against philosophy.)

The founder of logical theory, Aristotle belie$ed that the greatest hu%an endea$or is the use of reason in theoretical acti$ity. 0ne of his best kno"n ideas "as his conception of )The Golden Mean) 6 )a$oid e*tre%es,) the counsel of %oderation in all things.