ipl-logo

The Good Life In Plato's The Apology

1528 Words7 Pages

In Plato’s “The Apology,” Socrates is defending himself before the Athenian government on charges of heresy and corrupting the youth. Socrates’ introspective reflection on pertinent issues and his own life are ruled controversial to the Athenian State’s accepted beliefs. As a result, he faces charges from this decision to pursue a life full of philosophical exploration and enrichment. However, instead of repenting and likely being able to walk away with a nonfatal punishment, he claims, the good life is an examined life, and ultimately, an unexamined life is not worth living. This belief is enrooted in Socrates with such sustenance; it is what ultimately causes him to lose his life, by not willing to give up the examined lifestyle. Socrates …show more content…

One of Socrates’ friends, Chaerephon, asked if there was anyone wiser than Socrates, to which the oracle replied, “no one” (21a, 85). Socrates, knowing he was not very wise, sought to investigate the claim (21b, 85). Already, the reader can begin to understand how an examined life, is a good life. Socrates is unwilling to accept something as truth, just because it is said by a person in position of power and respect. He chooses to investigate the claim, to find an understanding of how it can be that someone believes he is the wisest person. While this may seem not worthwhile, because it is a claim of praise, imagine if a detestable claim had been made about Socrates’ character. By being willing to go and explore the question further, and seek out evidence, Socrates would be able to prove against a negative remark on his character, and save his reputation, showing how an examined life is …show more content…

Socrates proposes that he “is not arguing in [his] own defense at all… but rather in [the Athenians’ defense] in order you may not make a mistake about the gift of god to you by condemning me.” (30d-e, 92). He believes the god has commanded him to engage in philosophy, and he should not abandon his mission, much like how a soldier should not abandon his post even when in danger (28e, 91). Although he faces the danger of being found guilty, his philosophical examinations are what the god has planned for him to pursue. Should the Athenians condemn Socrates, they would also be hurting themselves. This is based on the premise that Socrates and the Athenians believe in the same god, and if the examined life is a pursuit encouraged by the god, and the god has the good of the people in mind, then an examined life must be good. Therefore, if the god told Socrates to live an examined life, yet the Athenians prevent him from doing so, they are removing the chance of the god’s “gift,” of whatever knowledge Socrates may uncover by living an examined life, from also benefiting their community as

Show More
Related

  • Comparing Justice In Ancient Greece, And Plato's Apology

    932 Words  | 4 Pages

    Silencing Socrates will only make Athens suffer, and Justice must derive from reason. The outcome represents the juror’s lack of understanding, or simple overlooking, of absolute Justice as a direct product of the democratic structure. If not a democracy, the Athenian people would fall more in order with their role in the Whole and would ultimately be more successful. Plato argues Socrates prodes at Athenians to help them, and their conviction against him was due to a personal choice, and thus they fail to work together as a perfect society.

    Read More

  • Socrates Corrupts The Youth Analysis

    1603 Words  | 7 Pages

    Socrates spent the entirety of his life practicing philosophy. He questions everyone who claims to have wisdom and eventually comes to either aggravate those he made to look foolish or inspired those who kept an open mind. At one point Socrates claims that his life has been no less heroic than the heroes who fought at Troy. Considering how vital heroism is to Athenian culture, this claim can be unfavorable. Most Athenians when prompted about what is a hero, will picture Achilles, or one of Homer’s other heroes, not a man who “Corrupts the youth”, or “Is an Atheist”.

    Read More

  • The Truth In Socrates's Apology

    305 Words  | 2 Pages

    Socrates is incorrect in saying that no one is wiser than he is. Socrates says, “I found that those who had the highest reputation were nearly the most deficient, while those who were thought to be inferior were more knowledgeable.” (Apology 26) By this definition, Socrates implies that those who see themselves as lesser are truly greater. Those who admit they know nothing, know everything.

    Read More

  • Death As Depicted In Socrates's Speech 'Apology'

    1312 Words  | 6 Pages

    What Socrates tries to convey to Athenians in his speech “Apology” other than “an unexamined life is not worth living” is that one should never give up one’s own philosophy for any reason, even though the reason is death. Socrates wanted his followers to know that death should not be feared. Socrates knows he is going to die, and he still continues his beliefs in the trial anyway. Socrates wants his followers to stick to what they believe in. Socrates pretty much has all of Athens against him and yet he continues on and sends a strong message to his followers.

    Read More

  • Socrates Equally Obligated In Plato's Crito

    714 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the “Crito”, Socrates argues to his friend that he should stay in prison and face the penalties the law had placed upon him despite being able to easily escape and leave Athens. He gives several reasons for this, including the idea that his agreement to Athens is the greatest responsibility he has. Socrates also believes that by doing anything against what has been ruled would be unjust, and thus would be a detriment to his soul. In his opinion, it is not worth living with a ruined soul. I disagree with his rationale and will argue in this essay that his reasons while plausible and appear to be valid at first glance, are actually more normative and not at all necessary.

    Read More

  • Analyzing Plato's Version Of Socrates Apology

    639 Words  | 3 Pages

    On Socrates’ journey to determine the wise and reveal those who are not wise to the gods, young men, sons of the rich, began to follow his crusade and examine people on their own accord. The questioned became angered with Socrates and accused him of “corrupting the youth”. Their accusations against Socrates stem from the idea that he corrupts the youth although they are unable to answer the question, what is it that Socrates is doing/teaching? Thus, to avoid feeling foolish, they attack the philosopher aspect of Socrates saying that he does not believe in gods and makes weak arguments stronger through persuasion. To sum up, Socrates provides a defense against the accusers on the basis that he has not taught or done anything but follow the path of aiding the

    Read More

  • How Is Socrates Wiser

    536 Words  | 3 Pages

    He found that this was the only person who was able to do tasks that he was unable to do. Socrates went on this mission to prove to everyone that they were not as wise as they had thought, he claimed that God wanted him to do this to prove that he, Socrates, was the wisest man. As Socrates went on his mission he saw a change in the way people acted around him. They acted as if they were offended by what he was

    Read More

  • Private Life In Socrates's Apology

    1021 Words  | 5 Pages

    In Apology, Socrates faces possible execution as he stands trial in front of his fellow Athenian men. This jury of men must decide whether Socrates has acted impiously against the gods and if he has corrupted the youth of Athens. Socrates claims in his defense that he wants to live a private life, away from public affairs and teachings in Athens. He instead wants to focus on self-examination and learning truths from those in Athens through inquiry. Socrates argues that "a [man] who really fights for justice must lead a private, not a public, life if [he] is to survive for even a short time" (32a).

    Read More

  • Comparing Socrates In The Apology, Crito, And The Republic

    802 Words  | 4 Pages

    Comparing Socrates words in the Republic for the philosopher to rule to the words of the Apology where philosophy is viewed as something that is punishable by death, this is where the defense or importance of philosophy is realized. For if the philosophers were the ones to rule, nobody would question whether or not what they were doing was right or wrong because the philosopher-kings make the rules through wisdom and knowledge. Plato wants to paint a portrait of the philosopher as not only something the city should want to have, but also as someone who would be fit to rule above all others. This contrasts, again, to the points made by the jurors to Socrates in the Apology for they saw Socrates as someone who brings the city

    Read More

  • A Rhetorical Analysis Of Socrates 'Apology'

    1314 Words  | 6 Pages

    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.”

    Read More

  • Life Is Not Worth Living In Socrates 'Apology'

    592 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the Apology, Socrates states that the “unexamined life is not worth living” which for him was his decision on whether he wanted to live therefore discontinuing his passion for philosophy or be sentenced to death. For him to choose death over life simply because he wouldn’t be able to live out the rest of his life doing the one thing he so clearly values more than life, is something I don’t think I could’ve done easily. Yet for Socrates, he had embraced uncertainty and found comfort in that uncertainty to fully rely on his already discovered wisdom and curiosity. Going back to the statement itself, he went to the most extreme situation to make his point. Instead of simply stating that life would be less meaningful or less valuable, he goes straight and clear to the fact that to

    Read More

  • Fear Of Death In Plato's Apology

    1115 Words  | 5 Pages

    “…if I disobeyed the oracle because I was afraid of death: then I should be fancying that I was wise when I was not wise. For this fear of death is indeed the pretence of wisdom, and not real wisdom, being the appearance of the unknown: since no one knows whether death, which they in their fear apprehend to be the greatest evil, may not be the greatest good” (Apology, 29a-29b). This potent statement not only highlights Socrates’ wisdom, it effectively makes use of his belief that he is wise because he knows nothing. By saying that he knows nothing of the afterlife, it gives him the reason to illustrate to his audience that he cannot fear what he does not know.

    Read More

  • Socrates: A Threat To The Athenian Society

    912 Words  | 4 Pages

    Making enemies and becoming the topic of conversation, the Athenians began to view Socrates as a threat to their beliefs and way of life and sought to end it. In order to end this, Socrates was accused of blasphemy (Mod1SlideC7). Socrates’s accusers took him to court and after Socrates did not play their game by asking to be sent into exile, and in the end, he was sentenced to death. After reading the textbook and Plato’s writing influenced by Socrates, I realized that in the period of his life Socrates was indeed truly a threat to the Athens society, because he looked for answers that no one else bothered to find which challenged their culture.

    Read More

  • Socrates Apology

    491 Words  | 2 Pages

    Socrates strongly believes that “an unexamined life is no life for a human being to live.” From reading “Apology,” Socrates has shown his people to question not only others about their knowledge, but to question one’s knowledge too. When speaking about knowledge, it’s not necessarily speaking about one’s stance in their vocabulary or how much you know when it comes to mathematics, rather it’s speaking about life subjects, how much you know about yourself relating to life in general. And that is when examining one’s life is very valuable. It not only helps you reflect back on your achievements, but it also helps you reflect back on your flaws.

    Read More

  • Value Of Particles 'Knowing Oneself In Socrates'

    974 Words  | 4 Pages

    The main value that Socrates espouses is knowing oneself. He makes references to this several times throughout his address to the jury, beginning with the first line “I do not know, men of Athens, how my accusers affected you; as for me, I was almost carried away in spite of myself” (Plato 17a). This suggests that Socrates acknowledges that his accusers such talented speakers that they had the ability to cause him to even question who he was. His style of examining himself through questioning continues throughout his address when he considers how he has come to be known as wise. He asks what kind of wisdom he could possess and answers “Human wisdom, perhaps.

    Read More

More about The Good Life In Plato's The Apology

Open Document