Plato at the Googleplex summary

Given that we have access to more contemporary works on the wonders of natural science, physics and sociology, why should we read Plato if we want to learn more about the world?

First, Plato helps us teach others by asking questions that allow people to arrive at answers on their own. Also called the Socratic method, his method involves asking questions to a conversation partner in order to learn more about the subject under consideration and simultaneously prompt the conversation partner to develop her own conclusions.

We’re all affected by our specific cultural and historical contexts and Plato was no exception to the rule. However, he didn’t simply accept the values and ways of his society; instead, he chose to question and transform the things he didn’t agree with.

In his dialogues, Plato tried to understand, problematize and transform the ancient Athenian values that he saw as complicated. For instance, Plato lived during a time that the author calls the Ethos of the Extraordinary, where individuals were expected to continually strive for extraordinariness. Plato didn’t question this habit, but he did challenge the definition of extraordinariness.

Where’s the first place you go whenever you need a quick answer to a burning question? Chances are you pull out your smartphone and google it. That certainly works for most questions, but what about humanity’s deeper questions? Can we google things like answers to ethical or moral dilemmas?

Plato would be very skeptical that this is possible, as he drew distinct lines between expert knowledge and mass information.

What’s the best way to raise and educate children? Should we be strict, accepting nothing less than perfection, forbidding all extracurricular activities that don’t immediately serve their education? Or is it better to be more lenient, allowing them to discover for themselves with fewer constraints?

According to Plato, our education should be strict and disciplined, highlighting mathematics, music, athletics and philosophy. However, this discipline should take our individual needs into consideration, and thus can’t be applied universally.

What comes to mind when you imagine “love”? Is it merely sweet whispers and romance or do you think it’s something greater?

Plato believed that love was a multitudinous concept. For example, you’ve probably heard the term platonic love at some point, traditionally understood to describe the non-sexual love between friends. Plato’s intention, however, was actually to expand the notion of love rather than divide it into categories, by showing how love, friendship and sex are intimately intertwined with one another.

What is the best way for us to live our lives? Which values should we aspire to live by? No matter how we answer these questions, Plato would argue that reason should be our guiding principle.

For Plato, a life left unexamined is not a life worth living, and it is reason that makes this examination possible. In his Apology, he writes, again through the voice of Socrates, that we can only justify our lives once we understand who we are and why we behave the way we do.

Bold headlines in science journals report the latest discovery: We are nothing but a bundle of well-organized neurons and electrical charges. Surely you’ve seen something similar in the news.

In fact, some neuroscientists assert that chemical reactions of our various organs – with the help of our environment – completely determine our behavior, and thus conclude that personal identity and free will are mere illusions.