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Philosophy 1

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Philosophy 2

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Socrates used the words of Plato upon his death because he embraced and understood the

viewpoint. Plato and Socrates both realized before their deaths that life is not about being the

most beautiful or the wealthiest person but is instead is about seeking knowledge and leading a

just life. Beauty cannot be truly discovered if it is masked by a looks based culture that is

focused on sending a sexual message and defining beauty based on standards the average citizen

cannot possibly reach. According to Socrates the body and soul are two parts with the body

focused on seeking pleasure and the soul is focused on the search for knowledge. The body is

imperfect and only perfection can be found in the reality of the soul.

Socrates spent his life searching for truths and believed in the immortality of the soul. His

theory of forms finds there exists real entities such things as Beauty in itself, Goodness in itself,

and Largeness in itself (Mason, 2012). Socrates finds beauty is not an object but is beautiful

because it participates in the Form of Beauty. In other words a person must have the attributes of

beauty to be truly beautiful. In the 21st

Century beauty is not defined by the actual beauty of a

person but in the portrayed beauty that is provided through a media image. The media displays

attractive people that are airbrushed to perfection giving a false sense of beauty for people that

are not truly beautiful in form.

Socrates found a person may appear beautiful when dressed nicely but this does not mean

they are truly beautiful (Cookson, 2009). In the 21

st

Century beauty is determined by

advertisements that display an extremely thin male or female with flawless skin and gorgeous

hair and clothing. In truth this person probably looks quite average in reality so they are not truly

beautiful in form. Socrates also found that ultimate beauty would in fact not contain


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Philosophy 3

contradicting elements that are beyond the earthly experience. Socrates saw beauty as a heavenly

form and not a form that could be created in the body.

Socrates did not see beauty as something that brings enjoyment. He found that just because

the object is perceived to be beautiful because of its form does not in fact make it beautiful

because the inside of the objet could be ugly or evil. The limitations of Socrates view is that

what people find beautiful does indeed bring them pleasure and because of the pleasure it brings

the media uses this beauty to attract consumers. The result has been a world focused on an idea

of beauty that has been defined by the fashion and advertising industries. This definition of

beauty has become a part of the culture and has created society of people constantly trying to

meet the high standards established by advertisers.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but the culture and environment of the individual also

plays a significant role in how beauty is defined. In the past more full figured women were

considered beautiful by the media and therefore by society. In modern society beauty is still

subjective but becomes a creation of the mind when enforced in society. An object can also be

beautiful without any influence from the media or society, such as a mountain or ocean view, but

according to Socrates beauty is not a quality of the object but instead a heavenly form.

As society become more materialistic and focused on selling a product a distorted view of

beauty the less likely that non-celebrities, will be able to meet this high and unrealistic standard.

Beauty has become about enhancing a commercial product instead of teaching members of

society that beauty comes from within. While Socrates recognized that the soul and the amount

of knowledge gained by the individual were more important than the beauty of an object the

same recognition has not been developed in the advertising industry.


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References

Cookson, P. (2009). What Would Socrates Say? Retrieved October 12, 2012 from

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept09/vol67/num01/

Mason, M. (2012). Socrates, the Senses and Knowledge: Is there Any Connection? Retrieved

October 11, 2012 fromhttp://www.moyak.com/papers/socrates-truth.html
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept09/vol67/num01/http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept09/vol67/num01/http://www.moyak.com/papers/socrates-truth.htmlhttp://www.moyak.com/papers/socrates-truth.htmlhttp://www.moyak.com/papers/socrates-truth.htmlhttp://www.moyak.com/papers/socrates-truth.htmlhttp://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/sept09/vol67/num01/

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