Metaphysics and Socrates

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Metaphysics and Socrates
According to Silverman, this branch of philosophy concerns ‘what exists’ or what is there. It offers a detailed account of the actuality of situations, their thoughts, and their utterances (77). It does not seek to establish why biological, physical, and natural things came to be the way they are but only looks at the unaltered. In effect, the philosopher Socrates, through the voice of Plato, concludes that to be is to be something and that every item that exists has the uniquely distinguishing features that make it immortal. For instance, when describing the soul, the one form that we should consider is that it is never-ending and that it cannot fail to be so.
Socrates philosophical view of ontology as portrayed in his dialogues with Plato
The philosopher asserted that learners usually have absurd perceptions towards ‘being’ and that the only way to comprehend it is through the theory of forms. The form is what is real, and we should consider it to be indestructible, and that what ‘is the same as itself.’ To start with, he argues that matters are never what they seem to be seeing as the ultimate reality cannot be in the material form. He says that, ‘if an item has never been experienced, then the actual form or goal of it must have always been there independently’ (Robert 40). For instance, while the concept of circles exists, it would be misguided for a teacher to argue that the circlet that he or she draws is better than the preliminary theory of that particular figure.

Any idea that regards the initial subject cannot be a better version of it. He also argues that knowledge is lifelong and its basis is unchangeable. He notes the orderliness in the world is controlled by a power that wants things to flow in such a manner. While this principality can be factual seeing as it cannot be unaltered, the happenings of life are not, since they change. For instance, we expect objects to come down as concerns the law of gravity. While we do not quite understand how that occurrence inclined, we follow the pattern. He concludes that forms are the umbrellas that group items with particular characteristics. We can only deem such items as so when we have prior knowledge regarding them. The virtue of having characteristics that make you a member qualifies you as so.
In comparison, Aristotle argues that the causes of instances are the beginnings and that to know a thing’s existence is to cognize its reason for existing. He thus bases his philosophy on the causal relationship of matters. For instance, the material cause argues that a thing is formed by a collection of its pieces. It idealizes the truth as elements, ingredients, and features, which form a complex. The formal tenet, on the other hand, establishes what things are and leaves them in that manner. Lastly, the final causation defines the form that materials take at the very end.
Arguably, Socrates has the most rational arguments in support of his arguments. For example, when he deems knowledge as the form that is unalterable, we can relate to the rationality argued seeing as creation is way above our imaginations. One can also vouch for his arguments that a higher force manipulates the material into existing orderly because as humans, we believe so too (Brandwood 6).
Conclusion
Socrates in his past dialogues with Plato, uses the form theory to prove that indeed, we are not in control of the real. In essence, he points out that, we hold suppositions regarding things because the concepts of these things already exist. He also resolves that changing the original disqualify it from acting as the original. Aristotle, on the other hand, deems existence in causal arguments of material, final, and efficient. That said, Socrates work is more reasonable as it views life in retrospect, prompting humanity to consider how and why they came into being.
Works Cited
BIBLIOGRAPHY Angelo, Robert. “Socrates, The Master of Those who don’t Know.” 31 December 2012. 18 February 2018 <https://www.roangelo.net/logwitt/master-socrates.html>.
Brandwood, L. The Chronology of Plato’s Dialogues. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990.
Silverman, Allan. “Plato’s Middle Period Metaphysics and Epistemology.” 14 July 2014. 18 Feb 2018 <https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plato-metaphysics/>.