Socrates and Plato's Philosophical Concepts

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts from Socrates and Plato, including ideal state conditions, the Ship Parable, Sophists, the Simile of the Sun, and the Divided Line.

Socrates' ideal state

A state where those with the spirit and power of philosophy, political greatness, and wisdom are combined in leadership.

Philosopher Kings

The ideal rulers of a state, envisioned by Socrates, who possess philosophical knowledge and political wisdom necessary to navigate the state correctly.

Ship Parable

An analogy used by Socrates to illustrate a state governed by incompetent individuals (sailors) who quarrel over control, likening them to those who lack the wisdom of Philosopher Kings.

Sophists

Itinerant teachers in ancient Greece who traveled between city-states, claiming to teach young men how to succeed in politics and rhetoric, often considered 'bad philosophers' by Socrates.

Thrasymachus

A Sophist mentioned by Socrates, known for asserting that justice is merely the interest of the stronger.

Simile of the Sun

Plato's analogy that uses the sun to represent the Form of the Good, explaining how the Good illuminates intelligible objects for the mind, similar to how the sun lights up visible objects for the eye.

Visible World

The physical world of familiar objects that can be perceived through the senses.

Intelligible World

The non-physical realm of ideas and forms that can only be understood by the mind, not perceived by the senses.

Form of the Good

The ultimate principle, analogous to the sun, that sheds truth and enables the mind to comprehend intelligible objects; a concept that cannot be sensed but represents ultimate reality and knowledge in philosophy.

The Divided Line

Plato's epistemological scheme that divides reality and corresponding levels of knowledge into two main parts—the visible world and the intelligible world—each with further subdivisions.