Place of a woman in the works of the most famous philosophers

This assignment will focus on the place of a woman in the works of three of the most famous philosophers: Socrates, Plato and Aristotle.

"Man is by nature a social animal; an individual who is unsocial naturally and not accidentally is either beneath our notice or more than human. Society is something that precedes the individual. Anyone who either cannot lead the common life or is so self-sufficient as not to need to, and therefore does not partake of society, is either a beast or a god." - Aristotle

Aristotle’s view on women can be seen as misogynistic because he believes that women are subordinate to men and are not capable of leading a successful life without a man’s help. He also states that women are more emotional than men and are not as rational. In his work, Politics, he wrote "The female is a misbegotten male and should be represented as such in law and society."

"Plato is my friend, Aristotle is my teacher, but Socrates is my master." - Alexander the Great

Socrates did not write any works himself, so our understanding of his views on women come from Plato’s writings. In The Republic, Socrates says that women should be treated equally to men in all respects, including education and employment. He believed that women were just as capable as men and should not be limited by their gender. However, in The Symposium, Plato has Socrates say that love between a man and a woman can never be equal because the man is always the active partner and the woman is the passive one.

"Know thyself." - Socrates

Plato’s views on women are complex and sometimes contradictory. In The Republic, he argues that women should be treated equally to men and given the same education and opportunities. However, in The Symposium, he has Socrates say that love between a man and a woman can never be equal because the man is always the active partner and the woman is the passive one. It is possible that Plato believed that men and women are different but equal, or that men are superior to women but that both sexes have value.