Introduction

The need for philosophers to present their views to the society has led to the adoption of various philosophical devices. The use of these devices has enabled ancient philosophers to put across their various views regarding the society, political and the interaction of individuals in the society. Notable philosophical devices that have been used to describe the various philosophical attributes of the society include the use of aphorism, narratives, dialogues and letters among other devices (Lavery 345). Aphorism refers to the expression of truth which expressed in a memorable form. The use of dialogues to put across the various societal views has been in place since time in memorial. For instance, most of the works and discussions by Plato were based on the use of dialogue as a philosophical device. Plato used dialogue and further fictionalized his characters to enable him discuss his various philosophical subjects and views.

The extensive use of dialogues by Plato in his work has led to their classifications depending on their contents. For instance, Plato’s dialogues are classified as early, middle and late dialogues. The late dialogues are presumed to be the hardest and challenging pieces of philosophy. Socrates also embarked on dialogue too to enable him discuss his diverse views of the society. The use of narrative is the second device that philosophers have engaged in their work overtime. The use of fictional narratives by philosophers especially in the 13th century was vital in putting their teachings. The philosophers of the time further used literary devices such as novels and poems. The use of letters by philosophers depicts the third device. The use of letters has been significant in the philosophical field due to their ability to pass the required teachings. In Plato’s time, the letters were referred to as Epistles, and it is claimed that he wrote 13 letters and 35 dialogues.

The paper will embark on a comparison of the various philosophical devices that are present in the discussion of the basis of good and bad conduct. The discussion of the subject, in this case, will be based on the philosophical teachings of Socrates and Martin Luther King. The comparison of the devices will help in evaluating their effectiveness in conveying the intended message. The essay will further examine and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each literary forms of presenting the philosophical ideas regarding the origin and basis of the bad and good conduct in people. The interpretation challenges that accrue each of the literary devices will be lengthily explored in the essay too.

Comparison of the Devices

The evaluation and discussion of the basis of good and bad conduct are facilitated by the use of various philosophical devices and genres. The discussion about the subject with relation to the views of Martin Luther King and Socrates is based on the various philosophical devices such as letters, aphorism, dialogue and narratives. The use of letters is highly evident in this context thereby outweighing the use of other devices such as narratives and aphorism. The use of letters is depicted in various instances in a bid to understand the concept of good and bad conducts. The letter from Birmingham jail is highly used in this scenario to highlight the notions and explanations that King and Socrates upheld with regard to human conduct. The availability of both Birmingham jail’s letter and Plato’s Letters of Apology and Crito is emphasized in the discussion, and its influence on the conduct upheld. The philosophical view of the letter was based on the fact that civil disobedience was triggered by the various theories and beliefs about the society. Socrates pushed for the truth by emphasizing on the fact of civil disobedience thereby triggering various instances of justice or injustice. The use of letters is significantly emphasized ion the context as compared to the aphorism. The use of various expressions of truth that creates some memorability is also evident in the context. Emphases on the Plato’s Crito and Apology letters depict the use of aphorism as a device. The use of letters in the context is also backed up by various statements. For instance, the letter ascertains that when asked to be moderate in his approach to the problem that faced the people, he reckoned that the people that formed the clergy had no sense of goodwill and their understanding was more frustrating than the misunderstanding of the people of ill will. The use of narrative is evidenced by the fact that poets were misleading people in attempts to expose the truth. This aspect would make Socrates see himself as a hope for the various groups in the society. The comparison of the devices is thereby exhibited by the increased use of letters than aphorism, narrative and dialogues.

Strengths and weaknesses of the devices

The various philosophical devices have strengths and weaknesses depending on their applications. For instance, the use of aphorism as a device is essential in clarifying the truths that lie behind unseen situations. Truth will be expressed in the context followed by higher levels of memorability. With such outstanding strengths, the device becomes of the best in terms of communicating philosophical knowledge and theories to people. The weakness associated with the device is the increased levels of misunderstanding of the underlying principles. Dialogue involved the use of fictionalized characters in order to facilitate the conveyance of the required information. Dialogues help to understand both sides of the argument or conversation thereby increasing the cases of mutualism and peaceful coexistence. The use of dialogue in this context is minimal thereby mimicking the cases of low understanding. The use of narratives and other literary devices is a vital in explaining various complex cases of philosophy. Narratives further bring in the aspects of understanding hence huge strengths. The use of narratives is a major setback to philosophy owing to low understanding and interpretation rates. The inability of the audience to understand poems and novels will limit the works of philosophers.

Interpretation Challenges

The interpretation of various literary devices that are used by philosophers has posed a great challenge to the ability of the subjects to understand the terms, as well as the function of the device. For instance, the use of various letters by Plato has led to various classifications. The letters were classified as either early, middle level and late. The late period category of letters or epistles by Plato comprises of the hardest and complex philosophical statements hence a huge challenge concerning their interpretation. The use of aphorism as a device poses a great challenge to its interpretation. For the society and its members to understand and appreciate its use in philosophy, exclusive and efficient interpretation of the device is paramount. The interpretation of poems and novels further posed more challenge on the ability of the people to interpret them. Most of such devices were written in indigenous languages that were very complex and abstract. The inability of the people to understand the language used in novels and poems has led to low levels of interpretations.

Conclusion

The use of various philosophical and literary devices has proved successful in presenting the various views and arguments by philosophers. The explanation of the concept of bad and good conduct is based on the philosophical views of Martin Luther King and Socrates. The two expressed their views on bad and good conduct through the use of letters, narratives, aphorism and dialogues. The use of letters to present views was more evident than other devices. The letter from the Birmingham jail is one of the most referenced letters by King and Socrates. There exist various strengths and weaknesses to each and every device used to present ideas. The use of aphorism will facilitate the cases of memorability and genuinity of the subject. The various devices and genres have enormous challenge in interpretation due to complexity of language.

Works Cited

Lavery, Jonathan. Genres of Philosophy: 1. Durham: Duke Univ. Press, 2007. Print.

CLICK BUTTON TO ORDER NOW