Plato & Kant's Ethical Theories

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Hello & thank you for using Brainmass. The solution below should get you started. It is based on my studies and previous written work on ethics. The references are also listed to allow you to do further research. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave it in the comments section. Good luck!

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OTA 105878/Xenia Jones
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Theories of Ethics: Plato & Immanuel Kant

Plato, the Classical Greek philosopher & thinker lived several centuries before Immanuel Kant. His ideas and thought process are based on that of his own teacher, Socrates and he in turn imparted the knowledge to his most promising pupil, Aristotle. Together, the 3 of them are known as the triumvirate of Classical Philosophy. While Socrates taught and his ideas became the buzz and debate of Athens, he did not write. What we know of Socrates came from the writings of Plato (i.e. The Republic) where Socrates is often times pictured to debating and locked in a dialogue and debate with another to show analysis and critique of varied opinions and positions on a subject matter via the use of law and reason. This method, of establishing meaning and mediated status qou is known as the Socratic Method. Immanuel Kant is said to be the father of social sciences. A thinker of the 18th century, his essay, "Answering the Question: What is the Enlightenment?" is said to have defined the age. For Kant, metaphysical knowledge can be arrived at via epistemology. By knowing and understanding the ...