In recent years, philosophy has taken a more passive role in advancing society…or so we think. Even with the incredible new technology readily available in modern times, the perspective that philosophy brings to innovation is unmatched. The gift of critical thinking has been passed down from generations of brave and curious philosophers who have pioneered new breakthroughs regarding the intersectionality between the world and humanity. Thus, it is important to recognize individuals who have inspired contemporary scholars in their pursuit of knowledge within their modern surroundings. Pre-socratic and Socratic age philosophers have had varying degrees of impact on modern day society.

Although there is not much information about pre-Socratic philosophers, it is clear that their curiosity is what has impacted entire generations of thinking. However, as time progresses, more information has been unearthed about this era of Greek philosophy. A Stanford article regarding pre-Socratics reads, “we should not be overly pessimistic about the possibility of reaching a historically responsible understanding of [pre-Socratics]” (plato.stanford.edu). The term “pre-Socratic” is a label coined by Hermann Diels, a 19th century philosopher, but it is not completely accurate. Most of the thinkers in this category actually lived at the same time as Socratic philosophers like Plato and Socrates himself. The reasoning behind why this term creates this distinction is to show the difference in the schools of thought in both eras. This group consists of cosmologists and naturalists: people who brought attention to questions regarding origin and nature of the physical world. Aristotle, another Socratic age philosopher, attempted to organize all pre-Socratic schools of thought using four categories and disregarded those that did not fit into his organizational system. Later on, in the 20th century, researchers began to look past the system Aristotle created and discovered much more about the early naturalists. The findings of both Aristotle and more modern philosophers support that the cosmetologists in Greek history have not discovered aspects of the world that helped later philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle form full theories, but they also led the movement of curious thinking. These philosophers believed that the human mind could uncover many of the mysteries of the universe, and this thought process has aided modern thinkers to continue to discover more about the world. 

Socratic-age philosophers, such as Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates, have helped define the modern world through their theories. The most notable, Socrates, is known for his teaching style called the Socratic method. This teaching method focuses on discussion-based learning, where the teacher continually asks the students questions, which encourages the use of critical thinking skills. Socrates has been described as “always seeking out the truth”. Unlike many other philosophers, Socrates never wrote any works. Anything written about his methods was done so by his student, Plato, who explored topics such as epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and aesthetics. Plato’s student, Aristotle, was similar to his teacher, as they both wrote many publications on their philosophies with Aristotle mainly focusing on politics, psychology, and ethics. The emphasis on morals and ethics from all the thinkers in this era shows how important moral philosophy was during this age. Socrates was only focused on “the quality of his soul and that of others…[and] things like wisdom, justice, courage, piety, and so on” (thecollector.com). Not only did this age of philosophy help guide areas such as mathematics and science through Plato and Aristotle’s discoveries, but it also helped dictate morals and the rules by which one will live their life. 

Although post-Socratic philosophers is not a widely used term, the modern age of philosophers has certainly been heavily influenced by these past ages of discovery. Modern thinkers are referred to as “a footnote to Plato,” as he was Socrates’ most well-known student who helped Socratics all over. Whether it is the arts and mathematics or music and science, philosophy is prevalent in all aspects of life. Without the discoveries of these brave and curious people of our world’s past, there would be so many more unanswered questions. This is precisely why it is so important to continue to think, grow, and learn as these philosophers once did, and continue to solve all the mysteries of the world we live in.