European History: Philosophy Thread

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>>137442625

> Is there truly any lessons to be learned from questioning everything and rejecting pride and glory?

First, let it be known that one of the best pre-Socratic philosophers were the infamous Democritus, also know as the laughing philosopher.Socrates hated this guy, but nevertheless, he's still one of the founding fathers of Western ethical discourse. Democritus wrote on a vast array of subjects but is most known for his extensive theories on the subject of ethics and moral codes. He promoted fame, justice, individual freedom and the disregard for vice and evil.

I must say that I prefer Socrates to Democritus on the topic of pride and glory. Completely rejecting the mass appeal and not wishing to accumulate the most good and utility for your own community is rather cheap and even weak, but as Socrates stated there's no greater glory than to fulfil the moral supremacy of your own ideological conviction.

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>>137442625

> Is the masses truly weak in their assessments and generally wrong, as proposed by Socrates moments before his death?

I concur with Socrates here. I think that generally speaking the masses have always been in the wrong. This is evident through the dialectical development of human civilization, for instance how distinctively different the modern world is from the preceding. Civil rights, what is deemed politically correct and so forth are just some of the many values decided by the masses, and any attempt to challenge them will lead to persecution.