History of Philosophy

Philosophy is a vast field. It examines and probes many different fields. Virtue, morality,

immortality, death, and the difference between the psyche (soul) and the soma (body) are just a few of the

many different topics which can be covered under the umbrella of philosophy. Philosophers are supposed

to be experts on all these subjects. The have well thought out opinions, and they are very learned people.

Among the most revered philosophers of all time was Socrates. Living around the 5th century B.C.,

Socrates was among the first philosophers who wasn't a sophist, meaning that he never felt that he was

wise for he was always in the pursuit of knowledge. Unfortunately, Socrates was put to death late in his

life. One of his best students, Plato, however, recorded what had occurred on that last day of Socrates'

life. On that last day of his life, Socrates made a quite powerful claim. He claimed that philosophy was

merely practice for getting used to death and dying.

At first, the connection between philosophy and death is not clear. However, as we unravel

Socrates' argument backing up his claim, the statement makes a lot of sense. In order for Philosophers to

examine their world accurately and learn the truth accurately, they must remove them selves of all

distractions. These not only include physical distractions, but they include mental distractions and bodily

distractions as well. Philosophers must get used to viewing and examining the world with out any senses.

Senses merely hinder and obscure the truth. Sight for example can be fooled easily with optical illusions

which occur normally in nature. Sound can be very distracting as well when a philosopher is trying to

concentrate. All of these cloud the judgement, and must therefore be detached from the soul. Socrates

argues that philosophers must view the world around them with their souls in order to accurately learn

about it. However, by detaching their souls from all bodily functions, philosophers may as well be in an

induced state of death. In mortem,