Western History 29: What was the contribution of the Athenian trio?

Perhaps no single group of philosophers have influenced Western Thought more than Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. In fact one could argue that the foundation of our education system rides on the bedrock of this trio of Athenian intellects.

Socrates, who words are primarily portrayed in external sources (such as Plato’s dialogue), stressed the importance of ethics in philosophy, questioning arguments to elucidate their strength and challenging one’s assumptions.

Plato, like his mentor Socrates focused on several themes that included justice, friendship and piety. His work on government outlined in the Republic serves as the bedrock for any study of political philosophy and his outlining of the ideal is still central to most thought.

In Aristotle we witness a methodical breakdown of academics into its component parts, a formalization of logic (through syllogisms) and a greater focus on relativism in both the abstract and the here and now.