In the Name of Allah
One aspect of the teachings of Esteemed Philosopher, Professor Mosavi is to explain the lives of philosophers and researches, who lived before Christ, so that those who are eager to learn philosophy and metaphysics become familiar with a philosopher's thought, scientific delicacy and path in life.We have previously discussed the life of Socrates in the site and are now going to discuss the paths of Aristotle and Plato which are all gathered in the School of Masha:
'Plato' was the son of 'Ariston' and studied with students of Pythagoras for some time. He was born in 427 BC. He had one sister and two brothers. His father appears to have died in Plato's childhood. His mother then married another person who was her relative. He had a wide forehead. His education included music and sports. (At that time people said music makes you soft from within and sports from without. Professor Mosavi: However using unchastity in music is not at all acceptable.)
Plato learned music at the highest level. At the age of twenty he started studying poetry but when he was admitted to the philosophical school of Socrates, he burned whatever poems he had written and became one of the most prominent philosophy students of Socrates.
After the death of his professor, he started travelling around the world.
He believed societies had to be ruled by sages.
At the age of eighteen he started studying the Philosophy of the Sophists. Sophists disputed and distrusted the results of the preceding thinkers. They said, "There is no other principal in the world but man."
Plato burned whatever he had of poems and music and turned to philosophy. He first joined the School of the Sophists and found it to be in vain. He then turned to the philosophy which made a man out of him and gave him greatness and high status until he became a great thinker in philosophy.
Plato acquired a garden from one of his students and built a house in it which was used as a school. It later became known as 'Academy'. The following words were inscribed over the entrance of Plato's Academy, "Let no one enter here who does not know geometry".
He had engraved the following words on a tree in this garden:
God Almighty Grants His Favor. The first magnificence which receives the Blessings of God is the godly spirit of man and then this is passed on to the heart, brain and other organs of his body.
Whoever entered would stay with him for a few hours to understand the reality of these words and would then become overwhelmed and tranquilized.
Plato's Philosophy of Ethics
He sees ethics in three things: 1) Justice, 2) Beauty and 3) Truth
Plato says: Whatever has a face has wisdom. He says, "The sun, moon, a sea, an inanimate object, an animal, a human being, etc all have wisdom." He considers the sounds a mosquito makes to be from the mosquito's wisdom and the waves of a sea from the sea's wisdom and the growth of plants out of soil, the flying of birds and the sense of smell of a four-footed animal all from their wisdom.
A few wise quotes from Plato:
· Elements are created by God and their existence depends on God. Therefore, all elements are eternal and hence the world does not get destroyed.
· Ignorance should die. He considered ignorant people to be among the dead.
· Virtues are in philosophy and metaphysics. He said, "A philosopher will certainly and compulsorily be good."
· He who is a philosopher will not be devoid of good morals.
· The spirit of a divine human being is immersed in philosophy.
· A preacher should first himself be free of impurities.
Resource: Derived from teachings of esteemed philosopher, Dr. Mosavi