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Essay on Aristotle and Plato's Philosophy
Plato is often called "The Prince of Philosophy." There are two reasons for this title. First because he asks many of the fundamental philosophical questions, questions that are still being asked by philosophers today. These are questions such as: What is truth? What is justice? What is reality? Modern philosophers might not answer these questions in the way the Plato answered them, but it is significant that, in any case, they are giving their modern solutions to his problems. No modern composer writes music like that of Bach, but no important composer can ignore him. The teachings that Aristotle ascribed to Plato but which are not contained in the latter's work are discussed. The 'Metaphysics' and 'Parmenides' of Plato are analyzed in detail to establish a link between Aristotle's assertions and the Platonic texts which commonly involve a dialogue between Plato himself and an unnamed apprentice-philosopher such as Socrates to clarify abstract concepts such as goodness and unity.The second reason for Plato's right to be called "The Prince of Philosophy" is, I think, that many of his answers have been continuously meaningful, and are still meaningful for us today. To his fundamental questions, Plato gives some of the best answers ever given. Each age rediscovers for itself Plato's persistent value.
Many of our contemporary advances in logic and the theoretical side of mathematics, for example, can be traced back to Plato. Alfred N. Whitehead, a famous mathematician and logician, as well as a deep thinker on the theory of the cosmos, can say something like, "Wherever I go in my mind, I always meet Plato coming back." Even if we disagree with Plato, as some great philosophers do, his ideas are so profound and so persuasively argued for that his opponents always have to be able to refute him.................
