Plato's work is idealistic and, as such, some of the rationale behind many of the conclusions he draws on do not necessarily have a logical or practical motivation. Nevertheless, they are logically tied to most of the assumptions he makes in his work, which is why his conclusions could, ideally, be transposed into the society he had projected. The most important conclusion of his work may be that each part

To wit, in Socrates' day, there were no official government prosecutors (commonly referred to in modern America as "District Attorneys"); in effect, any citizen could bring an indictment against any other citizen, and call for a trial. And that's basically what happened to Socrates. Here in America, in 2006, notwithstanding what Vice President Cheney said, President George W. Bush stated, "I will never question the patriotism of somebody who disagrees

Respect and the Thought Police'": Illustrating Socrates' "Gadfly Analogy" from Plato's Apology Webster's New American Dictionary defines "gadfly" as "a person who annoys, esp. By persistent criticism" (p. 213). By that definition, Socrates' critics certainly would have considered him one. (It is easier to decide someone is a mere "gadfly," rather than an astute social critic, or a rare perceiver of truth should one feel offended by the "gadfly." )

Educated Person The definition of education is not universal; nor is the definition of an educated person. In some cultures, education may mean being well-versed in age-old magical rituals, herbal lore, and spiritual healing. In others, education may mean a complete command of the tools of agriculture and animal husbandry. In yet others, education might denote mainly the acquisition of specific skills, applicable to a specific trade. In modern Western European

This implies that a lot about us is built via our symbol systems. Burke's asserts that a correlation exists between the nonverbal and the oral. Burke believes that non-verbal language involve signs plus labels that help one to understand things. Burke asserts that when a person speaks the words that come from him are a product of the inspiration that emanate from the animalitic and symbolic nature of man. Burk

While the judges can be considered responsible for hamartia, Socrates himself is also accountable for hamartia when considering that he plays an important role in influencing the judges in wanting to put him to death. He actually has a choice, but he is reluctant to adopt an attitude that would induce feelings related to mercy. Ethos is also a dominant concept across Socrates' discourse, as he apparently believed that by influencing