1. For 2000 years people have read and thought about these books. Much new thinking has taken the ideas in them and developed these ideas out of all recognition.
2. The human condition is not as it was when these books were written. We do not have slaves, nor do we have a farm with olive groves and stuff all else. We have cars, tvs, computers and THE INTERNET.
3. The person we are talking to is 14.
If Socrates were to read this thread he would start looking for you so he could shout at you. Plato would dip his cup in the wine and shake his head and Aristotle would skip around waving his arms and hooting like an owl.
Do you quite honestly believe that because we have microwaves and Reddit that there's nothing we, or a 14 year old, could learn from ancient philosophy?
I don't really think you're reasoning pure logic more than personal opinion.
So here are mine.
1.This quote, The unexamined life is not worth living.”
― Socrates along with many more reflect a part of the human condition that has not changed. Even modern advertising deals with ethos,pathos, and logos http://avenueright.com/entries/83/a-three-minute-guide-to-et.... Even more relevance in thoughts about is war ever just ?, freedom of speech, ethics,rhetoric and dialectic(what good lawyers abuse), and etc.
There seems be a large amount of timeless truths about humanity and human nature.
2. It's true , somethings aren't the same., but somethings are. Also I think there is a good reason they are still taught in a typical PHIL 101 class. They still have value.
1. For 2000 years people have read and thought about these books. Much new thinking has taken the ideas in them and developed these ideas out of all recognition.
2. The human condition is not as it was when these books were written. We do not have slaves, nor do we have a farm with olive groves and stuff all else. We have cars, tvs, computers and THE INTERNET.
3. The person we are talking to is 14.
If Socrates were to read this thread he would start looking for you so he could shout at you. Plato would dip his cup in the wine and shake his head and Aristotle would skip around waving his arms and hooting like an owl.