"Wise men speak only when they have something worth saying, fools speak because they need something to say." ~Plato Via Brea Lombard

The world will not become right till Philosophers become kings or Kings become Philosophers ! - Plato

The Symposium by Plato. “According to Greek mythology, humans were originally created with four arms, four legs and a head with two faces. ... “Love is born into every human being; it calls back the halves of our original nature together; it tries to make one out of two and heal the wound of human nature.”

Socrates, 399 BC On a day in 399 BC the philosopher Socrates stood before a jury of 500 of his fellow Athenians accused of "refusing to recognize the gods recognized by the state" and of "corrupting the youth." If found guilty; his penalty could be death. The trial took place in the heart of the city, the jurors seated on wooden benches surrounded by a crowd of spectators. Socrates' accusers (three Athenian citizens) were allotted three hours to present their case, after which, the philosopher would have three hours to defend himself. Socrates Socrates was 70 years old and familiar to most Athenians. His anti-democratic views had turned many in the city against him. Two of his students, Alcibiades and Critias, had twice briefly overthrown the democratic government of the city, instituting a reign of terror in which thousands of citizens were deprived of their property and either banished from the city or executed. After hearing the arguments of both Socrates and his accusers, the jury was asked to vote on his guilt. Under Athenian law the jurors did not deliberate the point. Instead, each juror registered his judgment by placing a small disk into an urn marked either "guilty" or "not guilty." Socrates was found guilty by a vote of 280 to 220. The jurors were next asked to determine Socrates' penalty. His accusers argued for the death penalty. Socrates was given the opportunity to suggest his own punishment and could probably have avoided death by recommending exile. Instead, the philosopher initially offered the sarcastic recommendation that he be rewarded for his actions. When pressed for a realistic punishment, he proposed that he be fined a modest sum of money. Faced with the two choices, the jury selected death for Socrates. The philosopher was taken to the near-by jail where his sentence would be carried out. Athenian law prescribed death by drinking a cup of poison hemlock. Socrates would be his own executioner. "What must I do?" Plato was Socrates' most famous student. Although he was not present at his mentor's death, he did know those who were there. Plato describes the scene through the narrative voice of the fictional character Phaedo. "When Crito heard, he signaled to the slave who was standing by. The boy went out, and returned after a few moments with the man who was to administer the poison which he brought ready mixed in a cup. When Socrates saw him, he said, 'Now, good sir, you understand these things. What must I do?' 'Just drink it and walk around until your legs begin to feel heavy, then lie down. It will soon act.' With that he offered Socrates the cup. The latter took it quite cheerfully without a tremor, with no change of color or expression. He just gave the man his stolid look, and asked, 'How say you, is it permissible to pledge this drink to anyone? May I?' The answer came, 'We allow reasonable time in which to drink it.' 'I understand', he said, 'we can and must pray to the gods that our sojourn on earth will continue happy beyond the grave. This is my prayer, and may it come to pass.' With these words, he stoically drank the potion, quite readily and cheerfully. Up till this moment most of us were able with some decency to hold back our tears, but when we saw him drinking the poison to the last drop, we could restrain ourselves no longer. In spite of myself, the tears came in floods, so that I covered my face and wept - not for him, but at my own misfortune at losing such a man as my friend. Crito, even before me, rose and went out when he could check his tears no longer. Apollodorus was already steadily weeping, and by drying his eyes, crying again and sobbing, he affected everyone present except for Socrates himself. He said, 'You are strange fellows; what is wrong with you? I sent the women away for this very purpose, to stop their creating such a scene. I have heard that one should die in silence. So please be quiet and keep control of yourselves.' These words made us ashamed, and we stopped crying. Jacques-Louis David, 1787 The Death of Socrates Socrates walked around until he said that his legs were becoming heavy, when he lay on his back, as the attendant instructed. This fellow felt him, and then a moment later examined his feet and legs again. Squeezing a foot hard, he asked him if he felt anything. Socrates said that he did not. He did the same to his calves and, going higher, showed us that he was becoming cold and stiff. Then he felt him a last time and said that when the poison reached the heart he would be gone. As the chill sensation got to his waist, Socrates uncovered his head (he had put something over it) and said his last words: 'Crito, we owe a cock to Asclepius. Do pay it. Don't forget.' 'Of course', said Crito. 'Do you want to say anything else?' 'There was no reply to this question, but after a while he gave a slight stir, and the attendant uncovered him and examined his eyes. Then Crito saw that he was dead, he closed his mouth and eyelids. This was the end of our friend, the best, wisest and most upright man of any that I have ever known" References: Plato's description appears in: Tredennick, Hugh (translator)The last days of Socrates : Euthyphro, The apology, Crito, Phaedo / Plato (1959); Freeman, Charles, The Greek Achievement (1999); Stone, I.F., The Trial of Socrates (1988).

Why aren’t their any #movies on lives of #plato and #socrates ?

The "Allegory of the Cave" is a story written by the Greek philosopher Plato, and is featured in his work "The Republic." The exact date of when "The Republic" was written is not known, but it is estimated to have been composed in 380 BCE. The story describes the journey of a person from a state of ignorance to a state of knowledge 💡. In the story, there are prisoners in a cave who have been tied up so that they can only look straight ahead and see the shadows of objects passing by on the wall in front of them 🔗. These shadows are all that the prisoners know of reality 🙈. One day, one of the prisoners is freed 🙌 and is able to leave the cave 🚶‍♂️. He sees the real objects for the first time 🤯 and eventually realizes that the shadows in the cave were only an imitation of reality 💡. He comes to understand that the objects in the world are more real 🌎 and that his previous understanding was limited and incomplete 🤔. The allegory is often interpreted as a representation of the journey from ignorance to knowledge 🧠 and the limitations of sensory perception 👀. It is also seen as a commentary on the role of education in shaping our understanding of the world 📚.

Plato visited his teacher Socrates and said, "You have been spreading false information about me in the market place." Socrates asked, "What have you been telling people?" Plato answered, "You have been telling people about me." Socrates stopped him and told him to think about the situation, analyze it, and then decide if he should tell him the information or not. He asked Plato to consider three criteria, the truthfulness of the information, the morality of the information, and the usefulness of the information. If the information met all three criteria, then he could tell him, but if it did not, then he should keep quiet. Plato argued that the information was true but Socrates pointed out that it may not be useful or moral to spread it. This conversation highlights the importance of considering the truth, morality, and usefulness of information before spreading it.

Here is the full story of the Men of Caves allegory from Plato's "The Republic": Once upon a time, there was a group of men who lived in a cave. They were born in the cave and had never seen the outside world. They were chained to the wall of the cave and could only look straight ahead at the shadows that were cast on the wall by objects passing by in front of a fire outside the cave. The shadows were the only reality they knew and they believed that this was the real world. One day, a man managed to escape from the cave and see the outside world. He was amazed by what he saw and realized that the shadows on the wall of the cave were just an illusion. He saw the sun, the stars, and all the natural beauty of the world outside the cave. He saw that his previous understanding of reality was limited and that there was a much greater reality beyond what he had previously known. He went back to the cave to tell the others what he had seen, but they didn't believe him and thought he was crazy. They thought that the shadows on the wall of the cave were the only reality that existed and that the man who had escaped was delusional. The man persisted in trying to convince the others, and eventually, one of the men in the cave agreed to follow him to the outside world. When he saw the real world, he was amazed and realized that the shadows on the wall of the cave were just a small part of reality. He saw that there was a much greater world beyond what he had previously known. He then went back to the cave to try to convince the others, but they still didn't believe him. They were afraid to leave the cave, as they were comfortable with what they knew and feared the unknown. This story is often interpreted as an allegory for the journey of the soul from ignorance to knowledge and the limitations of our perception. The cave represents the world of appearances, where we are trapped by our limited knowledge and understanding. The journey to the outside world represents the journey of the soul from ignorance to knowledge and the realization that there is a greater reality beyond what we can see and understand. Plato used this allegory to illustrate the importance of philosophy and the pursuit of truth, and to show how our limited perceptions can prevent us from seeing the truth. He believed that true reality exists beyond the physical world and can only be apprehended through reason and the pursuit of knowledge.

Who started teaching ? The practice of teaching, or passing down knowledge from one generation to the next, is likely as old as human history itself. However, formal education systems, where an individual or group specifically tasked with teaching imparts knowledge to learners, date back to ancient civilizations. In Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) around 3500 B.C., the earliest known form of schools was established, where scribes taught boys reading, writing, and arithmetic, mostly for administrative purposes. Similarly, ancient Egyptians had education systems focused on preparing boys for roles in the bureaucracy or priesthood. In Ancient Greece, around 500 B.C., the Sophists were among the first known paid teachers. They taught a range of skills and knowledge, including rhetoric, which was vital for participation in democracy. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were significant figures in education during this period. In ancient China, Confucius (551–479 B.C.) was a pivotal educator and thinker who emphasized moral education and familial respect, laying down the foundation for Confucianism which profoundly influenced Chinese society and other East Asian cultures. But remember, informal teaching and learning processes were part of human societies long before these structured educational systems emerged.

Who started teaching ? The practice of teaching, or passing down knowledge from one generation to the next, is likely as old as human history itself. However, formal education systems, where an individual or group specifically tasked with teaching imparts knowledge to learners, date back to ancient civilizations. In Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) around 3500 B.C., the earliest known form of schools was established, where scribes taught boys reading, writing, and arithmetic, mostly for administrative purposes. Similarly, ancient Egyptians had education systems focused on preparing boys for roles in the bureaucracy or priesthood. In Ancient Greece, around 500 B.C., the Sophists were among the first known paid teachers. They taught a range of skills and knowledge, including rhetoric, which was vital for participation in democracy. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle were significant figures in education during this period. In ancient China, Confucius (551–479 B.C.) was a pivotal educator and thinker who emphasized moral education and familial respect, laying down the foundation for Confucianism which profoundly influenced Chinese society and other East Asian cultures. But remember, informal teaching and learning processes were part of human societies long before these structured educational systems emerged.