In Plato’s Apology, Socrates was defending himself in front of a jury of Athenian citizens, facing execution. He did not act as someone in his position should if they wanted to make it out alive. Throughout his speech to the jury, he was smug and unapologetic. It was clear that he didn’t believe himself to be in the wrong, but rather than making a persuasive argument for why he should be let go, he proceeds to tell a long, rambling story with the intent to dismiss members of the jury as unwise. Obviously, it is not a smart move to insult and provoke the people that have your life in their hands.
I feel that there is only one explanation for why Socrates failed to appease the jury. It could only because he actually wanted to be executed or rather did not want any other alternative fate. I think it is fair to say that Socrates was a very smart individual who could've
…show more content…
Socrates was clearly very committed to philosophy and aimed to help others to question things and use logic. He must’ve also wanted his ideas to live on well past his own demise. By becoming a martyr, he not only demonstrates his own commitment to philosophy by paying the ultimate price for it, but he also causes his legacy to be remembered along with his ideas. Let’s not forget that he had young followers who would become empowered and continue fighting for philosophy in order to celebrate and commemorate the life and legacy of Socrates. Socrates knew that dying for his cause would make it more powerful.
His age is another notable factor. The text mentioned that Socrates was a seventy-year-old man. He was already approaching the end of his life and preferred to die for philosophy than to just die an ordinary death. This is magnified by his ideas about death. He was not afraid of dying, in fact, he believed that “there is good hope that death is a blessing” (Plato,
For example, his demeanor in the face of near certain death seems unshakable. Although his death is foreshadowed many times, including in dreams, Socrates does not seek to avoid his fate. He is a firm believer in justice and the rule of law and order. He believes in these concepts to the extent that he does not seek to run and hide or seek any kind of protection in the face of certain death, rather he believes that he should accept whatever judgment is bestowed upon him because it is the just thing to do.
There is an ample amount of evidence that suggests Socrates delivered his death speech in order to not outrun death, but to outrun wickedness, which was far more dangerous. The author also gives many reasons why death would be okay. In example, Socrates explains that he would have died without
He would never avoid punishment that results from his undertaking the right course of action because what matters to him is his principles and upholding them. "… kill [Socrates], or perhaps banish or disfranchise [Socrates], which [Meletus or Anytus] and maybe others think to be great harm, but [Socrates does] not think so." (Apology, 30d). Socrates has decided to live a life of rationality and to present facts rather than making the attempt to compel people to like him and in turn living life selfishly. He claimed that as a citizen of Athens he had a duty of defending its innocence regardless of the others opinions may be because he knows that he has done no wrong but instead had done them a justice.
Good evening Daniel, Socrates believed if he was sentenced to death, that would mean that the jury felt that he did something immoral or evil. He believed that it showed had done some kind of wrongdoing or evil. Although his confidence was innocence. He accepted what punishment laid before him because he believed that he had done nothing wrong. He refused to give up his devotion to his philosophy.
Plato’s Apology tells the account of the trial of the philosopher Socrates. It is Plato’s account of what Socrates said against the charges they were being brought to him and his pursuit of his own innocence throughout the trial. The charges that are being brought up against him are that he is damaging the youth by corrupting them, accusation of his belief in the gods and teaching about gods that were not accepted by the State, they believe he is trying to change religion, while also accusing him that he will not prove to the court that he did not perform in these action. From the beginning, he asks not to be interrupted while he speaks and as he speaks his accusers seem to be taken back by his words. At the end Socrates changes in a sense
Even when facing death, Socrates choices to follow his sentence and not disobey the law. Prior to this action, Socrates does go against the popular opinion regarding the trial of the soldiers. Instead, of giving one trial to the group as the nation desired, Socrates went against it. Socrates remained loyal to the laws of Athen by stating there must be a trial for each person individually. Because of this loyalty to the laws, Socrates almost lost his life as he’s about to lose it in the present.
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).
The term “apology comes from the Greek word apologia which means to defend. In this essay I would like to explain why I believe that The Apology by Plato should be classified as pity and fear, in regards to Greek tragedy. I believe that this is true because I can personally empathize with Socrates; this will be discussed later on in this essay. A tragic hero is considered to be an individual with an intellectual flaw or error, Socrates fits this description; Socrates failed to understand that he could not empathize with the jurors because they simply wanted him to acknowledge his prior offenses, while he only sought out telling the truth and not sullying his own moral code. Socrates should be considered a tragic hero because he had an intellectual error, not an ethical one.
Apology: Socrates Assignment In Apology, Socrates intent was not to apologize for his ideas and beliefs to the people of Athens, his purpose was to defend his practices by confronting his accusers, which put him on trial. Socrates charges consisted of inventing new deities, not recognizing the states Gods, and corrupting Athens youth minds. Socrates began his trial by speaking of his old accusers and the famous book The Cloud, acknowledging that people disagreed with him in his teachings. He then continued by turning from his old accusers to the current ones, more specifically Meletus.
Introduction The Apology was written by Plato, and relates Socrates’ defense at his trial on charges of corrupting the youth and impiety. Socrates argues that he is innocent of both charges. Plato reports the contents of three speeches delivered by Socrates in his own protection in court which has been arranged over him by the Athenian democrats and has terminated in the death sentence to the great philosopher. The word "apology" in a literal translation means "justification". Plato's purpose when writing "Apology" was to acquit posthumously Socrates from false accusation.
His personal defense is described in works two of his students: Xenophon and Plato. Both of them wrote papers called Apology, which is the Greek word for “defense”. In this essay I used Apology by Plato as the main resource, since it contents a more full account of the trial of Socrates and his words. Despite the fact that the philosopher attempted to defend himself and explain the reasons for saying and doing the things he did, it did not do any good for his justification. On the contrary, Socrates’ words seemed to make the jury harden their hearts and condemn him.
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.”
He reminds Crito “no human being should do injustice in return, whatever he suffers from others”(Crito, 49c). Socrates argues even if the jury's decision was unjust, it is never permissible for him to do injustice in return and therefore he will not try to escape. In essence, even though Socrates is offered the opportunity to
Philosophical thinking uses three acts of the mind: understanding, judgement, and reason. In order to have a sound argument all of the concepts must be applied. Socrates didn’t want to please the people by saying or doing what they wanted him to say or do. Socrates thought it was not important to seek wealth or fame; he was concerned with truth and virtue. He wanted to create an impact on humanity by relying on the truth and shining a light in people’s lives, even if they put him on trial.
Philosophy has been defined as the art of learning how to die well. Socrates, being a well-known philosopher and strong in his beliefs may have felt he had accomplished all that was possible for this life. This would account for the confidence in his decision to leave this world and move onto the next plane of existence (“The Death of Socrates - Jacques-Louis