Plato and Imperialism

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the events of World War II in light of Plato's philosophical and ethical works. In particular, the author considers the incidence of imperialism during the conflict and how Plato might have viewed this. The paper first explores Plato's philosophical outlook and that of other philosophers who influenced him and then highlights and analyzes Plato's works "The Republic" and "The Allegory of the Cave." The philosophies of different scholars from different time periods are also analyzed in terms of Plato's outlooks. Additionally, the paper examines Plato's theory of forms and shows its link with Socrates. The paper concludes with an overview of three modern philosophers which include Emanuel Wallerstein, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Eli Wiesel.

From the Paper:

"Plato deals with ethics in many of his writings. In particular, his informative dialogues about 'The Republic' and 'The Allegory of the Cave' deal with ethics in a rather abstract sense. Both of these writings will be mentioned here, and used to explain how Plato sees human ethics and behaviors. However, much of what Plato worked with and where his philosophy came from involved three other philosophers - Pythagorus, Heraclitus, and Parmenides. These three individuals will be addressed here, and after they have been discussed Plato's philosophy will be addressed in order to show how the work that they did was taken up by Plato and used in the philosophy that he discussed."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bethge, Eberhard. (2000). Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Theologian, Christian, Man for His Times: A Biography Rev. ed. Minneapolis, Fortress Press.
• Fine, Ellen S.(1982). Legacy of Night: The Literary Universe of Elie Wiesel. State University of New York Press.
• Giardina, Denise. (1999). Saints and Villains. Ballantine Books.
• Guthrie, W.K.C. (1986). A History of Greek Philosophy: Volume 4, Plato: The Man and His Dialogues: Earlier Period. Cambridge University Press.
• Haynes, Stephen R. (2006). The Bonhoeffer Legacy: Post-Holocaust Perspectives. Fortress Press.

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