The "Apology" by Plato is a story about Socrates, who defended himself against accusers. Socrates was one of the greatest thinkers in ancient Greece and one of the few whose wisdom was noticed. From this story we can learn who Socrates was and what kind of life he had lived. To understand why Socrates deserved to be executed, we should have a view of times before execution. I will provide a brief opening statement.
In Euthyphro of The Trial and Death of Socrates by Plato, Socrates is visiting the court of Athens to learn about their system and customs. During his investigation, Socrates notices that Euthyphro is passing and engages in a conversation with him by questioning his actions. From this dialogue, it 's discovered that Socrates is being charged with corrupting the young and not believing in the gods of the city. Later, in the Apology, Socrates presents an argument against these accusations but it’s found guilty because of his moral beliefs and his inability of code-switching resulting in his sentence to death. Lastly, Socrate beliefs regarding the death penalty and the laws of Athens are revealed in Crito, as he awaits execution.
Socrates states that a good philosopher should not fear death, but rather embrace it and look forward to it. This is also where he comes out with the four claims of the separation of the soul and the body. With this point Socrates is trying to explain to Cebes, Simmias, and the others in the room that the soul is everlasting and outlives every body that it is ever in. They agree that the soul is long lasting but does not live forever. This is the end for Socrates as him and Crito head to the bath chamber and return to say goodbye to his three sons and the women of the household.
The discourse of Socrates and Euthyphro In Euthyphro, Plato recites a conversation Socrates has with Euthyphro by “the Porch of the King” (Plato, 41). The Greek philosopher and his religious interlocutor Euthyphro mainly talk about the true meaning of piety, although it is less of a conversation and more of Socrates challenging Euthyphro, after the latter claimed that he knew everything about religious matters, and therefore piety. Socrates explains his need for Euthyphro to teach him by explaining that this would help him defend himself against the “indictment” he faces because of Meletus (Plato, 45). In the discourse of Socrates and Euthyphro, I find the exchange quite daunting because Socrates does most of the talking and therefore he is inclined to be leading. This brings me to question how a discourse should really be done.
Socrates, whose life consists of asking thought provoking questions, asks Euthyphro to simply describe, in his own personal opinion, what piety is. Euthyphro responses multiple times with albeit different responses, each one still relates to the Homeric gods and their humane desires and needs. One of Euthyphro’s many responses that showcases his personal idea of piety and its relationship to the gods of which had also greatly troubled
He says in his trial that neither he nor a man he spoke to "appears to know anything great and good" but that the other man acted as though he knew something, when in reality he did not. In response to this, Socrates' says he "does not know anything, so [he does] not fancy [he does]. "6 His realization that his wisdom comes from his own admittance to not knowing the answers is central to his goal of helping other young men realize that they and the people around them do not know all the answers as they claim to. Socrates' method of teaching and questioning would sometimes leave men feeling demeaned, reducing them to tears because they did not know the answers to the questions they were being asked.7 His teaching method is reasonably named the "Socratic Method," and
Socrates examines Euthyphro’s opinion of being “pious” and challenges Euthyphro to elaborate on his definition, and eventually, confuse and contradict himself. In true Socratic spirit, Socrates chooses
People who support the Socrates ideas and believe that he was not guilty. Each opinion is worthy of existence and is supported by historical facts, so which side should take the person - it depends entirely on the personal point of view of the individual. But at the same time it is worth to consider that Socrates was executed only by his own wish. The
What is the essence of a life well-lived? This question has been asked for millennia, and many have suggested answers. Plato, an ancient Greek philosopher, presented his own hypothesis (at least partially) in a dialogue entitled Meno, in which Plato’s teacher, Socrates, led a disciple of the sophists, Meno, through a discussion of virtue. As an abrupt start of the dialogue, Meno asked, “Can you tell me, Socrates, whether virtue is acquired by teaching or by practice; or if neither by teaching nor by practice, then whether it comes to man by nature, or in what other way?” (Plato 35). While Socrates never answered the former of these questions definitively, by focusing on the latter, Socrates hypothesized that virtue cannot be taught but is learned through divine inspiration and cannot be handed down.
The story, Plato’s Apology, Socrates is on trial for spreading his knowledge on to the youth. On his trial, Socrates defends that he himself is not wise; his wisdom is entirely different from the Athenians. Socrates claims that he gained his reputation from having superhuman wisdom; on the contrary, Socrates cannot describe how he was able to gain that knowledge. As he tries to explain to the