Salamasina Fitisemanu

Professor Israelsen
Philosophy 1000-10
December 5, 2016
Above all the other time periods and their various ideas and contributions, I was moved
most by that of the Ancient philosophers and their focus in cosmology, ontology and metaphysics.
Among the philosophers of this time, I was most fascinated by Plato and Socrates, and specifically
their contributions respectively of Socratic ignorance as well as the theory of Forms.
In my opinion, Socrates was differentiated most distinctly from the other philosophers and
thinkers of his time and area, specifically because he had no fundamental to derive and establish
truth on his own, or by his own merits. He went a rather divergent route in seeking truth, on account
of his own, hence Socratic, ignorance. Clearly and openly, he admitted to his own faults and the fact
that he truly did not know anything from the very beginning. Thus, Socrates sought other
individuals who claimed to know something, in hopes that he might learn something of truth, as
well. However, much to his dismay, in all of his encounters with individuals with initial claims to
know even a relatively small amount of truth, he concluded that not only was he subject to this
ignorance, but just about everyone else was subject to such, as well. When confronted by the
analytical and profound questions that Socrates posed, Not one individual, whether a religious
leader, a highly-regarded or influential person in society, a thinker of the same caliber, or a peer
could support or independently and completely justify their claims to understanding the truth. In
contrast to all of these seemingly high and mighty individuals, with claims to perspectives and
insights far beyond the common people, Socrates does not boast in his own knowledge, for he
acknowledges that he has none. It is because of Socratic ignorance that we now have processes like
scientific inquiry and other related or similarly-derived ways of thinking that do not allow for
complacency in what is already known, but rather focuses in asking and seeking to answer
questions regarding what we do not know and thus, desire to. The advances and expansions of
knowledge in our world today that have been made due to these foundational thought processes are
nothing short of immense and incredible.
In addition, Platos claims to the existence and purpose of Forms presented another
intriguing set of ideas. Among such implications, the idea that posed distinct impact from all the rest
was the idea that objects or entities can exist in capacities beyond that of the physical. Plato
introduced and contributed the fundamental claim that things exist, in a more transcendent state, as
Forms, which are, indeed, more real than their physical or corporal manifestations. Forms, or the
essence or nature of a given object or entity, exist in the mind. Essentially, these Forms are mental
or ideological manifestations that can exist in the mind without the confines of physicality. For
example, a man owns a dog; said dog dies. The Form of the dog continues to exist in the mind of
the man despite the fact that the physical manifestation of the dog no longer exists. The concept of
Forms has an especially profound impact in examining the ideals of individuals. Everyone holds
some ideal concept of every object or entity, of which they are aware, in their minds. The
acknowledgement and efforts to understand these ideals, which are very transcendent in nature is
something of great use in trying to understand other individuals. When we come to understand other
individuals in greater capacities and in greater depths, we are able to work more efficiently and
towards greater goals and advances.
Through the contributions of Socrates and Plato, I believe there is an improvement in the
facilitation of greater understanding both of the world in which we live, as well as the people we
interact with on a daily basis. Their works indeed emphasize concepts that are very overlooked and
disregarded, but certainly present a broadened perspective with an absolutely profound impact.