... young man of the ruling class. However, a pair of events turned Plato away from politics entirely. The first was the assumption of power by the Four Hundred and the Thirty, groups of powerful, wealthy citizens who seized control at the end of the Pelopennesian War and ... the young Plato's intellectual development. It is a measure of the reverence that Plato felt for his former teacher that he kept Socrates central in all of his work, even after his philosophy had extended far beyond the scope of his mentor's. Probably the most important element of Socratic philosophy was the Socratic e...

• Word Count: 1839
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... the young Plato's intellectual development. It is a measure of the reverence that Plato felt for his former teacher that he kept Socrates central in all of his work, even after his philosophy had extended far beyond the scope of his mentor's. Probably the most important element of Socratic philosophy was the Socratic elenchus. Sometimes called the dialectic, the elenchus is a cross-examination with the intention of amending or improving the ... the Euthyphro dialogue--comes up. Socrates asks for a definition of piety, Euthyphro confidently gives one. Socrates points out the ways in which ...

• Word Count: 2965
• Approx Pages: 12
• Grade Level: Undergraduate