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Trial of Socrates
Socrates thought he was being tried because he was making the Athenian leaders uncomfortable by asking them to know themselves and seek the truth instead of always being pleased with themselves. He asserted that they were more interested in pursuing their own will than God’s will and this is what upset them—they did not like being accused by a philosopher. They, for their part, said they were putting Socrates on trial for corrupting the youth—so basically they were projecting onto him what they themselves were doing, and he knew it.
Though Socrates knew what the Athenian jury was up to he showed his respect for them nonetheless by accepting the verdict—even though he still railed against them. He said that he would rather “obey God than men” because he understood that God’s will was more important than the wills of men. God’s will is pure and good whereas men’s wills are often conflicted, corrupt, and self-interested. Still, Socrates understood that in accepting the decision of the jury he was indeed accepting the will of God, as there was no voice of the Oracle within him telling him to resist it. To circumvent the decision of the state would be to cause revolution and that was not Socrates’ aim or intention. His aim was to speak the truth and to move his followers to examine themselves in the light of God’s truth to see whether they were in conformity or out of step with God’s truth. This he did and for this reason he was sentenced to death.
Thus, Socrates could be considered a martyr because he was killed for teaching the truth. He accepted his punishment though he justified himself completely in his own defense. The jury was not moved by his words. As he was put to death for a cause, a teaching, a way of life—that way being the way to God—the striving towards the Ideal—he became a martyr for philosophy, the philosophy in fact that laid the foundation for Western thought.
Socrates and the Apology Socrates and Death in the Apology In The Apology, Socrates contrasts his ability to address the crowd against more skillful speakers stating that he offers truth over eloquence (17b). In essence, he infers that others use the power of persuasion and slick words to sway others vs. The truth. He postulates that there are others who will always present a skewed depiction of the facts in order to
As a result, Plato is demonstrating social disobedience, by highlighting how anyone who questions authority will face a similar fate as Socrates. (Plato, 2007) In Crito, Socrates has been found guilty of his crimes and is awaiting his death sentence in an Athenian prison cell. On an early morning, his friend Crito pays him a visit and offers to help him escape. He feels that if Socrates is able to
Socrates The main themes of Plato's Apology are the great irony of many of Socrates' claims, his use of the Socratic method of teaching, and his surprising strategy of questioning the fundamental validity of his trial itself, rather than putting on a vigorous and elegant defense of his actions as was expected by both his supporters and detractors, and likely by the people of the jury. Plato's Apology is a detailed
As someone might say today, the lack of knowledge as a result of not willing to search for it is no excuse. How can anyone be sure to do right since the truth remains hidden? Socrates thinking was aimed at making his fellow humans who were willing to listen to him aware of the dangers of doing wrong by not being willing to question the truth or what it
Socrates Was Not an Enemy to the State Was Socrates an enemy of the state? There are two appropriate answers -- "yes" and "no." But first a definition of "enemy" is needed. In Mark Twain's short story "The Mysterious Stranger," Satan explains why there will always be war. It is because "a loud little handful" at first instigates it then, "…the great, big, dull bulk of the nation will rub its
Socrates Buddhism and Confucianism can be regarded largely as religious systems -- although Confucianism is a remarkably secular set of beliefs, it nonetheless regards ritual activities -- but Socrates is not prized as a religious figure as Confucius and the Buddha are (although in the guise of neo-Platonism would have an influence on certain Christian traditions many centuries after Socrates drank the hemlock). So what does Socrates bring to the table