Essays and Research Papers on Classic Greek Philosophy

This 8 page paper examines both the teleological proof as well as the cosmological argument for God's existence. Furthermore, this paper examines the problem of evil, which has long been a stumbling block for many philosophers and theologians in terms of "proving" the existence of God. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A paper which considers in detail Socrates' assertion that the 'unexamined life is not worth living', with reference to the Apologia, Crito, Gorgias and Euthyphro. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This is a 4 page paper discussing what Aristotle meant by claiming that pride is the crown of the virtues. Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC) discusses in Nicomachean Ethics (350 BC) the virtue of pride. In fact he notes that “Pride, then, seems to be a sort of crown of the virtues; for it ...

This 5 page paper compares and contrasts the ideas of Machiavelli and Plato as it respects the highest type of human being. Original works of these two philosophers are used and several quotes are included. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

4 pages in length. Plato's perspective of his own life and the world around him inspired what is said to be some of the most enduring of all images throughout Republic. Looking at the underlying meanings of puppets, shadows and light finds one contemplating the questionable state of human existence, which is fortified ...

This is a 4 page paper discussing Socrates’ dialogues within Plato’s Gorgias in showing that to live a good life one must have the proper concept of human nature. Throughout the dialogues of Socrates documented by Plato, Socrates argues about the “good” within man. For Socrates, the “good” in man is not necessarily what people ...

This 4 page paper looks at the theories of Socrates and Plato and how eros and knowledge are important in respect to human fulfillment. The theory of forms is discussed as is the Socratic method. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 7 page overview of ancient Greek medicine. The author traces the evolution of the Greek approach to medicine from the days of superstition to the days of Hippocrates and subsequent Greeks who would propel the discipline from the darkness into the sciences. The contention is presented that despite the many misperceptions and ...

This 5 page paper contemplates the idea of a just society by looking at Plato's Republic and Marxian theory. The ideas of each author are compared and contrasted. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

This 4 page paper gives an overview of the various Forms which Plato believes lies at the foundation of all knoweldge. Examples given. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 4 page paper seeking to distinguish between knowledge and belief. Plato is the first of the philosophers to offer the view that there is really nothing new, insisting that the process we call “learning” in reality is nothing more than mere recollection. In the Platonic view, belief can be characterized as a ...

A 5 page paper which examines Euthyphro’s attempts to answer Socrates’ question, “What is the pious and what the impious, considers why Socrates finds each response unsatisfactory, explains how the “Euthyphro question” figures in the dialogue, how Euthyphro answers it, and discusses whether or not Euthyphro gives a correct answer to this question. No ...

This 5 page paper compares Plato's Allegory of the Cave to the movie, The Matrix. Emphasis is placed on the question: Do noble likes enchain the soul? Specific examples given from The Matrix and Plato's Cave. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 4 page paper which examines how philosophers are often the gift of the god and yet people ignore them as well as examining how people need philosophers and thinkers to stir them up. The paper uses Plato’s Republic and Apology. No additional sources cited.

A 4 page paper which examines Book I and II of the Republic as it relates to the idea of justice. No additional sources cited.

A 3 page research paper that examines what Freud, Socrates and Plato thought concerning the connection between reason and "what is good," that is the nature of good and evil. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 5 page paper which summarizes the Greek philosopher’s argument, considers a criticism of the soundness of Parmenides’ reasoning, explaining the position of agreement or disagreement, compares this view with the atomism of Democritus, and explains if Democritus could accept Parmenides’ argument and its conclusion. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 5 page paper which examines Plato and Aristotle’s criticism as it applies to Andrew Marvell’s poem “The Garden.” Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A paper which looks at the different perspectives of love which are given in the course of the discussion in Plato's Symposium, and the conclusions regarding love and philosophy which are drawn by Diotima. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 4 page essay that takes the form of an imaginary dialogue between Socrates and Senator Jesse Helms, who recently retired from public life and was a staunch foe of the National Endowment for the Arts during the 1990s because he did not consider that what the NEA funded was "art." In 1997, Helms ...

This 5 page paper examines the philosophies of Plato and Hobbes on issues of knowledge, nature, politics and justice. This paper explores the inherent rationalist nature of Plato while also exploring the inherent empiracist nature of Hobbes. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 5 page paper discusses and explains Plato's metaphor of the ship of state. Opinion and discussion on the metaphors given. Quotes cited from the text. Bibliography lists 1 source.

This 4 page paper compares the play Oedipus Rex to the tragedian form of Aristotle. Examples given, quotes cited from texts. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 6 page paper discusses the issue of the nation-state, censorship and rulers. Examples and quotes inlcuded. Bibliography lists 1 source.

A 4 page essay that analyzes Socrates' argument concerning recollection and the theory of forms in Plato's Phaedo. This discussion largely concerns the topic of the immortality of the soul, however, in broaching this topic, Plato shows Socrates as leading the conversation into a discussion of his theory of forms. In so doing, Plato offers ...