Life Choices: Important tips from Socrates, Plato and Aristotle (Socrates 4 Today Book 3)

2,400 years ago, the Greek philosopher Socrates asked his student Phaedrus: ‘Where have you come from and where are you going?’, and although this sounds like just a friendly greeting; these two simple questions are really the basis of most ‘real’ Greek philosophy. We all want to know how it is we got here (where did the universe come from and what is our place in it); and we all want to choose the best and happiest life for ourselves in the years ahead if we can. Whether we like it or not, we all have important Life Choices to make; and these choices are largely ‘philosophical’ in nature.

‘What goals and aims should I have, and what are the most important criteria when making my own life choices?’ These are the sorts of questions discussed in this book; and to help answer them we will look at some important tips from Socrates, Plato and Aristotle who are without doubt three of the best known philosophers and thinkers from ancient Greece or indeed any other time and place in history including our own. These important tips will provide just a starting point for us to agree or dis-agree with.

WARNING – This book does not tell you how to live your life. What it does offer you is a wider perspective on life, and encourages you to investigate various important questions; helping you to make better, more informed life choices for your own unique life and path in the years ahead.

This eBook combines two earlier eBooks ‘Essential Tips’ and ‘More Tips’ into one volume of six essays; the first of which looks at the Delphi Maxim of ‘Know Thyself’ and Plato’s book The First Alcibiades. The second essay: ‘The Nuts and Bolts of Plato’ looks at some important ideas and regular themes in Plato’s writings and gives readers a good ‘general idea’ of what Socrates and Plato were all about.

The third essay discusses Plato’s book The Phaedrus which can be read simply as a description of what it means to fall hopelessly in love with someone; or it can be read as a road map to philosophical enlightenment. As described at the start of this essay, this is one of the many important life choices we all have to make for ourselves.

While The Phaedrus leaves us with Plato’s mythical charioteer driving his chariot high up through the clouds, the fourth essay starts with our feet firmly back on the ground and discusses Aristotle’s practical philosophy. This concerns down to earth matters like how to improve our own personal happiness and the collective wellbeing of our cities. Aristotle says that the only way to improve our societies is to improve ourselves, and gives us his practical tips about how to set about this.

The next essay looks at Plato’s book The Phaedo and Socrates’ views on whether the soul exists or not, and if it does, whether it is immortal. Socrates gives these views on the very day he is to be executed while talking to close friends in a prison cell. The Phaedo is therefore also a moving account of the death and martyrdom of Socrates, and yet also encourages new philosophers to question what real being actually is. In true Socratic style mere opinion is not enough, and Socrates gives his reasons and ‘proofs’ for thinking the way he does for us to agree or disagree with.

The final essay explores what it means to lead a philosophical life in the modern Western world today with its largely ‘consumption’ based economies. This essay also suggests how we might start along the Socratic path (www.socraticpath.org), perhaps by taking a few of the important tips that Socrates gave to his close friends (and perhaps to us all) from his prison cell in Athens more than 2,400 years ago.

(All Amazon eBook publishing royalties for this book received during 2016 will be given to the registered international charity ‘Population Matters’ which is working around the world for a sustainable future. Independent – Neutral – Impartial – Global - Objective; as good philosophers should try to be: www.populationmatters.org )