Abstract

My P.D.E. consists of two essays; the title is "Human Potential in Socrates, Plato, Confucius and Yoga philosophy". By human potential I understand an innate, a priori capability which is dormant until after different procedures awaken it; the activation of this human potential is directed towards bringing fulfilment on different levels and to different degrees. ;My subject is the existence, the emergence and the development of these human potentialities despite time and place. Through the creative awakening of this innate dormant force, I hope for a fulfilled humanity and a better way of life. ;My main sources are ancient Greek philosophy Confucianism and Yogic thought. In the first essay I analyze Socrates' philsophy, with emphasis on the parts that refer to my subject. I also study the intellectual, social and political situation of ancient Athens as well as the moral crisis of that city, as forseen by Socrates. I continue my essay by comparing the ancient moral crisis with the contemporary moral crisis of our world and by finding their possible similarities. ;In the first chapter of the second essay, I present Confucianism as a philosophical system with emphasis on the parts connected to my subject. Then I compare the ancient religious, social and political situation of China with the modern one, always in relation with Confucius' teachings. The conclusion is that Confucius' philosophical and moral teaching is of great value for both ancient and modern China. In the same chapter I also include extensive comparison of Confucius and Socrates and I analyze the similarities and differences between their philosophies. ;The second chapter of the same essay refers to Yogic philosophy and practices. I follow the same method that I followed for the two previous philosophies but for Yoga I emphasize the practices more than the philsophy. The reason is that Yoga's practices offer a practical point of view in my P.D.E., since they present concrete experiences and practices for the activation of human potential