Comparison of Plato and Confusius and Their Contemporary Relevance Essay

Comparison of Plato and Confusius and Their Contemporary Relevance - Essay Example This opposition is important as they can be contrasted to see the differences in the worldviews that were held in these civilizations at that point of time. Both these philosophers offered different viewpoints to the existing ones and they served to challenge the existing hierarchies in certain ways. They were however, used later on, to enforce the hierarchies that were practised by the state. Thus, even though they are separated by a great geographical and cultural distance the two works do exhibit certain similarities that place them together as two of the most important philosophical treatises to have come out of the ancient world. This paper shall seek to compare and contrast the works of both these philosophers and analyse their contemporary relevance. The paper shall also seek to analyse the different emphases of the two authors and how the ideas that the two philosophers talk of is relevant even for the people of today. This, the paper shall argue is the main reason for the ti meless appeal that is a characteristic of both the works of philosophy. The paper shall look at the Apology, Crito and Gorgias by Plato and the Analects of Confucius for a discussion of the views of the two philosophers. Plato placed great emphasis on the life of the human being as an individual. He sought the development of the individual. He did not propose the development of the individual at the expense of the state. He however, did propose a certain degree of independence as far as mental activity is concerned when it came to the individual and the state. This can be seen in his mockery of the apparatus of the state when it came to his trial. These events are talked of at great length in Plato’s Apology. In this tract, he laments the lack of individual freedom that is provided by the state to its citizens. Such a lack of freedom would result in the intellectual stagnation of the people. This is what had happened to people of Athens, according to Socrates. They had become used to the ways of Athenian society and were reluctant to change themselves. The people had forgotten to question traditions. Such questioning was what would lead to a better society and better individuals, according to Socrates. This is what he seeks to covey to the court when he talks of how it would be futile to look for men who are more knowledgeable than him since he was one of the few people who had accepted the fact that he was not wise. By this he seeks to make it clear that what he knew was not sufficient but only a beginning. His attempt is to make clear the infinite nature of knowledge and expose the hollow claims of knowledge that were made by his contemporaries. He thus, seeks to say that knowledge should bring in people a recognition not of their worth but of their worthlessness. This, according to him would be a true lesson in humility. He explains this in this passage, where he describes his encounter with a person who was considered to be very wise- So I left him, saying to myself, as I went away: Well, although I do not suppose that either of us knows anything really beautiful and good, I am better off than he is - for he knows nothing, and thinks that he knows. I neither know nor think that I know. In this latter particular, then, I seem to have slightly the advantage of him. Then I went to another, who had still higher philosophical pretensions, and my conclusion was exactly the same. I made another enemy of him, and of many others besides him (Plato).

Critically evaluate the contribution of psychological theories to our Essay

Critically evaluate the contribution of psychological theories to our understanding of the entrepreneur - Essay Example In the process the paper undertakes a comparison and contrast of the two approaches; critique on their use in entrepreneurial settings, for making decisions, and for commercial and business purposes; and a discussion of other factors besides traits and behavior that also contribute to understanding how and why entrepreneurs behave and differ in their rates of success. The paper concludes by answering the question of whether or not psychological approaches complement existing entrepreneurship theory. The traits approach, as the name suggests, focuses on personality traits and how those personality traits in the case of entrepreneurs help explain their nature, and their success or failure in their ventures (Rauch and Frese 2007; McCrae 1987). The cognitive approach, on the other hand, focuses on so-called cognitive processes as keys to understanding the psychology of entrepreneurs, and what makes for successes and failures. This school of thought basically also discounts the power of t he traits approach to make sense of entrepreneurs and entrepreneurial behavior and dynamics, and argues for looking into the thought processes of entrepreneurs and the way they relate to behavioral outcomes (Psychology and Entrepreneurship 2013, slides 14-22; Barron 1998; Busenitz and Barney 1997). II. Discussion A. Traits Approach vs. ... On the other hand, studies which prove the fluidity of behavior of people in general in different situations put forth the conclusion that personality traits are not consistent at all, and that therefore they cannot be relied on as the foundation of an approach to understand entrepreneurs and their motivations (Mischel and Peake 1982; Psychology and Entrepreneurship 2013, slides 12-13). The same argument is posited by those who point to studies that say that in terms of personality traits entrepreneurs are not much different from other people who are not entrepreneurial (Baron 1998, pp. 275-277). Meanwhile, the cognitive approach moves away from personality traits and the language of the traits approach, to focus on entrepreneurial thought processes and cognition processes, and the way entrepreneurs make use of heuristic thinking, are prone to cognitive biases of all sorts, and focuses generally on an explanation of behavior rather than on the prediction of behavior for entrepreneurs . The cognitive approach is seen as overcoming the static and related biases of the traits approach, and is regarded as being more effective in complex, dynamic settings. Both meanwhile have some success in explaining the risks, financial considerations, and the kind of creative and open-ended thinking, as well as the cognitive shortcuts and biases, that go into entrepreneurial thinking (Psychology and Entrepreneurship 2013, slides 14-22; Barron 1998; Busenitz and Barney 1997). B. Critique on Use in Entrepreneurial and Commercial Settings, in Decision Making Decision-making between entrepreneurs and ordinary managers make clear that cognitive approaches, as well as