Academic texts can often shine a light on many philosophical questions. Plato’s Apology is a text that encompasses this light. While reading I often thought of an experience that happened to me in my seventh grade year. I learned three major things while reading this play, the first was being completely honest in the face of trial secondly, I learned about taking a stand for what you believe. Finally, I learned that defending yourself is important. I often learn through texts by comparing them to my own life, In Plato’s Apology I was able to do just that. To begin, Plato’s Apology helped me to remember a time where I had to be completely honest in the face of trial. Seventh grade was obviously very eventful, because many crazy things happened to me. One of these crazy experiences I had occurred in my math class. Occasionally my class would journey to the computer lab to practice math facts in a flash online. On this one occasion I was struggling with a problem, my time was …show more content…
When I was a seventh grader I was lacking a major characteristic that many girls were beginning to develop, and it didn’t go unnoticed. I was very flat chested and one boy continued to remind me daily. One of the more comical jokes he would say was, “Saydria, what’s your favorite band? Rascal Flatts?” At the time it really hurt my feelings, although I look back on it and have to laugh at his complete immaturity. Daily I would be the butt of his corny jokes. Obviously I have a low tolerance level for annoying pubescent males, and one day I reacted. He made a joke and so I in turn pointed out one of his biggest flaws. I regret that I had said what I did, but I stood up for myself, because I felt comfortable in my own skin and didn’t need someone like him to bring me down. In Apology Socrates in a way stands up for himself, he does not let his accusers bring him down. That is something very important to
Plato is writing down Socrates defense and the responses of his accusers. The question here is, why did Plato write Apology? Plato was one of Socrates’ followers he believed that Socrates was wise and he would turn this event into a testimony of the injustice done to Socrates and the wit of the man he had learned so much from. This book would show
People are often averse to the truth. Plato wrote “The Apology” in order illuminate the hostility towards real truth because he believed he had an obligation to reveal how easily thought could be manipulated. Plato documents Socrates’s final address to the jury before he is due for execution. Socrates had been accused of using such embellished language throughout his explanations that he had caused a severe confusion to the people and then an eventual embarrassment; thus, allowing the people to reject what Socrates had been trying to preach. This creates a dismissal of Socrates’ ideas throughout the people and generates an even greater divide of thought.
Through many of Plato’s works, such as the Republic, the Gorgias, and the Apology, the person that Socrates was and his personality shine through in his dialogue. Socrates was a man who asked many questions and always pushed not only his students but the whole city of Athens to look for more than just physical things. Many people claim, that Socrates went about teaching in the wrong way and that he is an arrogant fool and not an extremely wise person. However, I disagree with this claim. I believe that Socrates was a man who looked beyond the physical world and strived to gain as much knowledge as he could through asking questions and continuing to learn from others and in turn teach others, thus making him wise and striving to live the best life.
In Plato’s dialogue Apology, Socrates is standing trial for two crimes; impiety and corrupting the youth. During the three speeches Socrates delivers during his trial he discusses why he is fearless when faced with many of the things humans fear most, including being hated, accused of serious crimes, being threatened with punishment, and being put to death. Being Hated To begin, Socrates does not fear being hated because he understands that the reason why he is disliked is due to his attempt to understand the underlying meaning behind the Oracle of Delphi’s prophecy. When Socrates addresses the anticipated questions about his reputation, he tells the jury the story of his friend Chaerephon who went to the Oracle of Delphi and asked if
Socrates "The Apology" is truly not an apology, in the reading Socrates stands grounds to his
In Apology Socrates finds himself in court defending himself for the crime of corrupting the youth of Athens. Socrates has many points that he brings up during the hearing in order to prove himself innocent of the claims. In order to prove himself he decides to have a conversation with the lead accuser Meletus. Socrates first tried to understand what the charges mean in reference to himself by asking who betters the children. “How do you mean, Meletus?
The ‘Apology’ is a form of dialectic philosophy. It illustrates the charges brought upon Socrates and the self-defense he demonstrates during the trial. Socrates is accused of ‘corruption of the youth’ and ‘impiety’. Socrates is found guilty of having faith in the wrong Gods and Meletus accuses him of not acknowledging the sun and moon as gods but as masses of stone. Socrates is accused of studying things in heaven and below the earth.
In “The Apology,” Socrates talks of his journey to find and discern what wisdom really is. Socrates had an unconventional idea of what wisdom was, compared to today’s definition of wisdom. Socrates also had different views of knowledge than what society believes today. Throughout his journey in “The Apology,” Socrates comes to the conclusion that wisdom is realizing that one knows nothing.
Ironically, Socrates by no means puts forth an “Apology” with respect to the current definition of the word, in fact, he elucidates that he is not sorry for his actions. The title “Apology” refers to the Greek word “apologia” which translates roughly to “a defense of a belief”. To effectively analyze this Plato’s version of Socrates’ unrehearsed speech, it is important to recognize its three main parts. First, Socrates defends himself against the accusations, “there are two classes of my accusers-one those who have just brought their accusation, the others those who, brought it long ago”.
Throughout the rise of Socrates and his philosophies, he had many accusers. Many who used his own words against him, catching him in a contradictory position. Plato was one these accusers, alongside Meletus, Anytus and Lycon. Plato had a very well known philosophy called the Apology. In order to understand the governing question that is being raised here: Is Socrates guilty or not guilty of the charges brought against him by his accusers (Meletus, Anytus, and Lycon)?
Socrates was a man that was in search of the truth about wisdom. However, it became more then just a search when it brought him to trail of accusations. As a philosopher Socrates was known to overdrawn ideas and to frustrate anyone he was talking to. He is always in search of a better idea and for anyone who has experienced Socrates could assume he is making up his own actualities. This becomes evident in “ Apology” written by Plato, where Socrates was brought in charges for corrupting the minds of the youth and not believing in the Gods.
In the Apology Socrates defends himself against the charges brought against him by his prosecutor Meletus in two ways. In the first way Socrates describes his method and
Socrates was a greek philosopher who found himself in trouble with his fellow citizens and court for standing his grounds on his new found beliefs from his studies about philosophical virtue, justice, and truth. In “Apology” written by Plato, Socrates defended himself in trial, not with the goal of escaping the death sentence, but with the goal of doing the right thing and standing for his beliefs. With this mindset, Socrates had no intention of kissing up to the Athenians to save his life. Many will argue that Socrates’ speech was not very effective because he did not fight for his life, he just accepted the death sentence that he was punished with. In his speech he said, “But now it’s time to leave, time for me to die and for you to live.”
The importance of “The Apology” and Socrates is that he served as a symbol towards the fundamental question of the “why” in life. Socrates argues that in a society like Athens where the ability to ask these types of questions are denied, the overall happiness of its citizens will eventually perish. The reason being that material objects can only satisfy the soul for so long. This is why Socrates felt that it was his duty to remind the leaders of Athens of the importance of their humility. He chose to seek wisdom within himself
The questions he poses are deeply profound, often leaving his converser lost for rebuttal as the meaning behind his statements can be, at first, difficult to decipher. A comparison can be drawn between the topics Plato discusses and the way in which he discusses them; just as it can be sometimes arduous to understand the connotation behind the assertions Plato makes in order to bolster his arguments for or against a certain issue, it can be just as (or even more so) difficult to understand the issue