Socrates Apology Analysis

Unlike some of his ancient contemporaries, Socrates is fairly candid and unapologetic about his beliefs about death. Socrates, in Apology, utters the sentence “…those of us who believe death to be an evil are certainly mistaken”, shortly after being handed a death sentence by the the court (40c). He shows no fear, and is willing to die to preserve his philosophical beliefs. For Socrates, death is not something to be feared or hated. As a matter of fact, Socrates sees begging for mercy as a fate worse than death. He views the concept of asking for a lighter sentence in order to live as compromising his core values. Socrates would very much die on his feet, than live on his knees. He maintains that while avoiding death is easy, he believes it to be the way one corrupts their soul; having a sense of self preservation at the cost of ones values makes man a selfish and wicked creature. Socrates

I believe that death is a natural thing that occurs, and to fear the end is foolish. The eventuality of death is a constant reminder of the impermanence of the world. Everything must come to an end at some point. I know that when its my time to die, I will not try to avoid it. Death is not inherently evil or bad. Sure, some people think that it is because when you die you cease to be the person you were in life. I understand why some might find it scary, however how can death be bad when no one knows exactly what happens after death? It is unfair to assume that one of the most normal and natural processes is inherently bad when we do not know why it would be considered bad in the first place. I think that people fear death because they cannot comprehend that all their actions and accomplishments are ultimately meaningless in the long run. The average person, when they die, will become forgotten relic of the past; a fading memory trapped in a painting or photograph whose story has been lost to