The purpose of this thesis is to defend Athenian democracy against a long-established suspicion that the Athenian government, with its radical form of popular participation, was not only incompetent but also dangerous. There are two serious misunderstandings in this traditional view; one is the myth of the decline of Athens after the death of Pericles, the other being the outright denial of Athenian democracy by its philosophers, Xenophon and Plato. These two common presumptions about Athenian history and philosophy are therefore examined. The historical examination focuses on three important events: the law reform, the reconciliation and the trial of Socrates. All of them were conducted by Athenian democracy at the end of the fifth century B.C., a period of time that is often cited for the failure of democracy. However, it is found that the democracy demonstrated its excellent ability to manage political conflicts through the laws and the reconciliation. As to the infamous trial of Socrates, there were reasons for the popular suspicion of the Philosopher’s way of life. Following what we have learnt in the historical survey, we search for responses to the three events in the works of Xenophon and Plato. There are passages, though often dismissed by scholars, which indicate remarkable recognition of the democratic achievements in domestic politics. As regards the trial of Socrates, there are also signs of second thoughts in their works that reveal understandings of the democracy’s condemnation of philosophy. The works of Socrates’ pupils show mixed evaluation rather than outright denial of Athenian democracy. The traditional suspicion of Athenian democracy is therefore problematic due to its misconception of Athenian history and philosophy.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The history of Western civilisation is generally demarcated into three broad epochs: ancient, Christian and modern. These eras are usually defined in political terms, but they may also be differentiated in terms of fundamental differences in the nature of the organisations that constitute civil society in each age, how they defined the public good, and even what they consider philanthropic. In the nineteenth century, for instance, 'Scientific philanthropy' displaced 'Christian charity' as the dominant model for charitable giving; a development accompanied by a number of other secularising trends in Western civil society, generally understood as a broad cultural shift in conceptions of public good, from religious to scientific. From the fourth to the sixth century CE, by comparison, another broad cultural shift, from paganism to Christianity, also led to fundamental changes in the nature and composition of ancient civil society. A central premise of this dissertation is that fundamental historical transformations in Western civilisation – from pagan to Christian, to modern, to post-modern – may be traced to the influence of some of the most important philosophers in the Western philosophical tradition, among them: Protagoras, Socrates, Plato, Francis Bacon and Friedrich Nietzsche. Each of these philosophers may be seen to have promulgated their teachings in a consciously Promethean manner; as gifts of fire, understood as philosophical teachings intended to be promulgated for the wider benefit of humankind. In Greek myth, Prometheus, whose name is traditionally thought to have literally meant 'forethought', is the one who steals fire from the gods and gives it to humans. Prometheus is also the first figure in history to be described as "philanthropic" (Prometheus Bound, 11 & 28). Plato, Bacon and Nietzsche all employ significant variants of the Promethean mũthos in their philosophical works, and may be seen to personally identify with the figure of Prometheus, as an allegorical figure depicting the situation of the wise, particularly in relation to political power. This dissertation thus closely analyses the Promethean mũthos in order to cast light on the philosophical philanthrôpía and Promethean ambitions of Protagoras, Socrates and Plato, and to provide the basis for consideration of the same in Bacon and Nietzsche.

Cette thèse a pour objectif de s'intéresser aux deux questions suivantes : le socratisme en Chine depuis le tournant du XXe siècle et la comparaison entre la philosophie morale de Socrate et celle de Confucius. Nous entamons notre étude en exposant d'abord laconiquement les échanges sino-occidentaux dont le socratisme en Chine fait partie. Dans les chapitres suivants de la première partie, nous étudions systématiquement quatre aspects de ce problème sous un angle historique : l'introduction, la traduction, la réception et l'influence parmi lesquelles la dernière joue un rôle primordial. Ensuite, nous faisons une recherche comparative sur les philosophies morales de ces deux maîtres, surtout sur les notions clefs de leurs doctrines : le Bien et le ren. Après avoir présenté les contextes historiques où sont nés le socratisme et le confucianisme, nous explorons de manière approfondie l'essence et le point de départ de leur philosophie morale ainsi que la voie pour accéder à l'humanité. De ce que nous analysons, on peut déduire que ce sont l'humanité et la vertu que Socrate et Confucius s'efforcent de poursuivre pendant toute leur vie. / This thesis aims to be interested in the following two questions : the socratism in China since the twentieth century and the comparison between the moral philosophy of Socrates and that of Confucius. We begin the research at first in presenting laconically the sino-occidental exchanges, of which the socratism forms a part. In the following chapters of Part One, we systematically study the four aspects of the problem from a historical perspective : introduction, translation, reception and influence, among which the last one plays a primordial role. Subsequently, we make a comparative research on the moral philosophies of the two masters, in particular the key concepts of their doctrines : the Good and the ren. After presenting the historical contexts where the socratism and the confucianism have been established, we explore in depth the essence and the starting point of their moral philosophy as well as the way toward achievement of the humanity. Based on ouranalyses, we can deduce that the humanity and the virtue are what Socrates and Confucius endeavoured to pursue throughout their lives.

Cette thèse se rapporte à la notion de contradiction, entendue en son sens logique ou formel. Plus précisément, elle vise à dégager une conception de la contradiction chez un philosophe qui, du point de vue chronologique, précède l’avènement de la syllogistique et de la logique : Platon. À partir de l’examen des dialogues réfutatifs de Platon, il s’agira de mettre en lumière la forme des propositions contradictoires, de déterminer la terminologie et les métaphores utilisées par Platon pour nommer et décrire la contradiction et d’évaluer le contexte dans lequel avait lieu la réflexion platonicienne. L’analyse révélera que Platon se faisait une idée somme toute assez précise de la contradiction logique et qu’il a même eu une influence sur Aristote lorsque ce dernier élabora son célèbre principe de non-contradiction. / This thesis examines the notion of contradiction understood in its logical or formal sense. Specifically, it seeks to study that notion in a philosopher who, chronologically speaking, precedes the advent of syllogistic or logic: Plato. Based on an analysis of Plato’s refutative dialogues, this thesis will determine the form given by Plato to contradictory propositions, unveil the terminology and metaphors used by Plato to name and describe contradictions and evaluate the context in which Plato reflected upon contradiction. The analysis will reveal that Plato had a very clear idea of what is a logical contradiction and that he even had an influence on Aristotle when the latter defined his famous principle of non-contradiction.

La philosophie de Socrate selon Platon se structure autour de six termes : la Forme, l'âme, l'ignorance, la science, la vertu et la dialectique. En effet, l'âme, immortelle, est la source de tous les biens et de tous les maux, parce qu'elle est le principe du mouvement spontané et par conséquent la cause première de tous les mouvements aussi bien intellectifs que sensitifs et physiques. Cela étant, rendre justes la cité et les citoyens, c'est avant tout rendre juste leur âme. Or, comment rendre meilleure une âme, si l'on ne connaît pas la cause même des biens et celle des maux ? Dans les premiers dialogues, Socrate philosophe contre l'ignorance qui est la cause du vice, lequel prive l'âme de la vertu. Dans les dialogues tardifs, Socrate philosophe pour la science, c'est-à-dire la connaissance de ce qui est, qui est la source même de la vertu. Or comment connaître ce qui est, si la réalité ou l'être ne cesse de changer? De là vient la nécessité de l'existence des réalités intelligibles qui sont universelles et immuables auxquelles participent les réalités sensibles qui sont particulières et changeantes. Une question se pose : si la réfutation est le moyen, à travers le dialogue, de faire apparaître l'ignorance, quel est le moyen de connaître ce qui est ? Ce moyen, c'est la dialectique qui permet, à travers le dialogue, de se remémorer des réalités véritables que l'âme eut jadis contemplées. / According to Plata, the philosophy of Socrates is structured around six terms: Form, soul, ignorance, knowledge, virtue, and dialectics. The soul, which is immortal, is the source of all goods and all evils, since it is the principle of spontaneous movement, and consequently the first cause of all movements, whether intellective, sensitive, or physical. Therefore, to make the city and its citizens just means, above all, making their soul just. Yet how can a soul be made better if one does not know the very cause of what is good and what is bad? ln the first dialogues, Socrates philosophizes against ignorance as the cause of vice, which deprives the soul of virtue. ln the late dialogues, Socrates philosophizes in favor of knowledge, that is, the knowledge of that which is, which is the very source of virtue. Yet how can one know that which is, if reality or being never cease changing? Hence the need for the existence of intelligible realities that are universal and immutable, in which sensible realities, which are particular and changing, participate. A question arises: if refutation is the means of revealing ignorance through dialogue, what is the means for knowing that which is? The answer is dialectic, which, through dialogue, allows one to recall the genuine realities which the soul once contemplated.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T20:21:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Carlos Jose Favaro Carrasco.pdf: 635662 bytes, checksum: 665cff577b4ab5d224f911f3a01d761a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-05-16 / This essay explains, in short, the Socratic thought left as a legacy to the world by the great philosopher Socrates (Athens, 470 or 469 BC - 399 BC), who, throughout his life, sacrificed his personal ambitions for the sake of their fellow citizens. Know thyself and I just know that I know nothing demonstrate his relentless yearning for wisdom, the greatest virtue, and being fair, the greatest happiness. This work makes us reflect about his own method in the search for truth/knowledge. We will see his influence in current police investigation methodologies, regarding the peculiarities applicable to each case and the terms of a criminal offense, in relation to the relevance of the work of the Judicial Police to identify authorship, circumstances of the crime, as well as its motivation, in order to enable the prosecution of the offenders / A presente dissertação explicita, em síntese, o pensamento socrático deixado como legado ao mundo pelo grande filósofo Sócrates (Atenas, 470 ou 469 a.C. 399 a.C.), o qual, ao longo de sua vida, sacrificou suas ambições pessoais pelo interesse de seus concidadãos. Conhece-te a ti mesmo e Somente sei que nada sei demonstram seu anseio incansável pela sabedoria que, para ele, era a maior virtude e, ser justo, a maior felicidade. A leitura do presente trabalho nos faz refletir acerca de seu método próprio na busca da verdade/conhecimento. Veremos sua influência nas metodologias de investigação policial atuais, respeitando-se as peculiaridades cabíveis a cada caso e as modalidades de infração penal, no que tange à relevância do trabalho da Polícia Judiciária para a identificação de autoria, condições do crime, bem como da sua motivação, a fim de possibilitar a condenação dos infratores

Le monde grec antique nous a transmis l'image d'une civilisation imprégnée de beauté à travers ses œuvres artistiques, cette image étant renforcée par la richesse et la qualité de ses productions littéraires. La quête de la beauté suprême atteint son apogée durant la période classique, et dans ce contexte où tout semble tendre vers cet idéal, la laideur d'apparence est très peu évocatrice; les quelques personnages grecs laids ou difformes auxquels nous pouvons penser, Thersite, Socrate ou Héphaïstos, semblent constituer la minorité d'exceptions qui confirme la règle tellement ils sont présentés comme des cas à part. Cette image que nous avons des Grecs est évidemment trompeuse: les maladies, les difformités et les différentes formes de laideur devaient naturellement faire partie de leur vie quotidienne. Travailler sur ce sujet encore peu exploré nous a paru fort intéressant; pour tenter de saisir ce que les Grecs eux-mêmes ont peu exprimé, nous avons couvert le plus d'aspects possibles en ayant recours à l'ensemble des textes de la période classique sans oublier l'iconographie, indispensable pour une étude sur l'esthétique. / The ancient Greek world passed on to us the image of a civilization filled with beauty through its artistic works, this image being strengthened by the richness and quality of its literary productions. The quest for supreme beauty reached its peak during the classical period, and in this context where everything seems to tend towards this ideal, physical ugliness is not something we generally equate with Greek thought; a few ugly or deformed Greek characters of whom we can think, Thersite, Socrates or Hephæstus, are so isolated that they seem to be the exception rather than the rule. Thus, this image is clearly incorrect since sickness, deformity, and other kinds of ugliness were natural parts of their lives. This little investigated subject is full of interest to us. In our efforts to seize what the Greeks themselves failed to express, we covered every relevent aspect possible by using all the texts of the classical period, not leaving the iconography behind, which is indispensable for a study on aesthetics.

No description available.

[pt] Protagonista de boa parte dos diálogos de Platão, Sócrates está presente também na filosofia de Friedrich Nietzsche, desde a primeira fase desta. Em ambos os casos, a figura do filósofo ateniense estabelece alguma relação com a música. Tendo como fio condutor uma célebre passagem do Fédon, buscaremos promover um confronto entre a imagem de Sócrates que Platão nos transmitiu e aquela criada pelo jovem Nietzsche, a fim de estabelecer pontos de contato e de afastamento entre esses dois personagens. Mais do que isso, buscaremos demonstrar o caráter decisivo de Sócrates nas filosofias de Platão e do jovem Nietzsche, perguntando, para tanto, de que maneira o personagem Sócrates veicula e encarna o pensamento de cada um desses filósofos no que diz respeito à música. / [fr] Protagoniste d une bonne partie des dialogues de Platon, Socrate est présent aussi dans la philosophie de Friedrich Nietzsche, depuis la première phase de celle-ci. Dans tous les deux cas, la figure du philosophe athénien a un certain rapport avec la musique. Ayant comme fil conducteur un célèbre passage du Phédon, nous essayerons de faire une confrontation entre l image de Socrate que Platon nous a transmise et celle créée par le jeune Nietzsche, afin d établir des points de contact et d éloignement entre ces deux personnages. En outre, nous essayerons de démontrer le caractère décisif de Socrate chez Platon et chez le jeune Nietzsche, en demandant de quelle manière le personnage Socrate véhicule et incarne la pensée de chacun de ces philosophes en ce qui concerne la musique.

The purpose of this study was to define Philosophical Counselling (PC) or, more specifically, PC as practised in South Africa. This was done through allowing South African philosophical counsellors to tell their stories about PC. The epistemological framework was that of social constructionism. The study involved a series of in-depth interviews with three South African philosophical counsellors. The major themes that emerged from the participants’ stories seemed to centre around: the existential need for the other; the conceptual need for the other; engaging with the other methodically; and caring for the other. While their stories largely resonate with current and overwhelmingly European and North American conceptions of PC, they also seem to provide a uniquely South African impetus to revise these conceptions. Moreover, the findings of this study may facilitate a dialogue between philosophical counsellors and their colleagues in related professions, especially psychotherapists. / M.A. (Clinical Psychology)