... order to explain the known unknown, we invented a system of supernatural deities that delegated authority to a certain class of people. Philosophy needed play a different role other than examining the unknown. Religion and man's moral code of ethics needed examination in order to find out if it were truly the best way to live. Socrates said that the "unexamined life is ... a tool to examine the basic and fundamental beliefs of their society. Socrates paid the highest price for philosophizing. After a receiving a guilty verdict, Socrates was executed. Philosophy is more than examining re...

• Word Count: 984
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

Plato is considered one of the greatest philosophers in history. His "Allegory of the Cave" gives us great insight into the human condition. Allegory is a type of symbolism in which there is a direct one-to-one relationship between a ... represent humanity. The chains that hold the prisoners represent humanity's inability to become enlightened, either because of internal forces such as stubbornness, laziness, or external forces such as government or religion. So therefore, Plato is saying that we are all trapped in our own ignorance, both because of our own disabilities and those of the soci...

• Word Count: 615
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School