...Plato’s Apology, is by far one of the most logical yet critical thinking text that I have ever read. Plato describes Socrates, the accused atheist and corrupter of youth in ancient Athens, as a true beacon of ethics and morality. The method that Plato uses to depict Socrates on trial gives us a look back on how the trial of a man who encourages one of sound mind to ask questions even to those who are deemed wise in the eyes of others. Despite facing odds that are stacked highly against him, and this being his first time in court “For I am more than seventy years of age, and this is the first time that I have ever appeared in a court of law, and I am quite a stranger to the ways of the place; and therefore I would have you regard me as if I were really a stranger”(Plato). Socrates is able to achieve what he feels is the most imperative knowledge of morality for all present in the court to understand. When we, the readers, are first presented to Socrates we find him near the end of his trial where he is allowed to speak to the court. The sure genius of Socrates is revealed to us in his first words of dialogue. Using his brilliance of moral logic and ethical thinking he warns those present in the court of the mendacity of the accusations, “How you have felt, O men of Athens, at hearing the speeches of my accusers, I cannot tell; but I know that their persuasive words almost made me forget who I was - such was the effect of them; and yet they have hardly spoken a word of truth.”(Plato)...
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...Analysis of The Apology of Socrates by Plato Socrates was an orator and philosopher whose primary interests were logic, ethics and epistemology. In Plato’s Apology of Socrates, Plato recounts the speech that Socrates gave shortly before his death, during the trial in 399 BC in which he was charged with "corrupting the young, and by not believing in the gods in whom the city believes, also being a busybody and intervene gods business". The name of the work itself is not mean what it is appeared; here, Socrates is not apologizing, but merely speaking in defense of his beliefs and actions – the word apology is used in the context of its original meaning. During this apology, Socrates attempts to explain himself and the decisions that led to his action, educating his audience in the philosophical questions he chooses to pose. Socrates does not try to avoid death in the trial; instead, his goal is to enlighten the public for the last time before his own passing. Socrates was always fascinated with the solving of questions, both big and small; his approach was to use the Socratic method of inquiry, wherein he would break the problem down into several questions, and then systematically find the answers to each question in order to find the larger answer. It was a methodical and practical approach to show his ultimate quest for seeking the true knowledge. He says, "His wisdom is truly worthless"; this is indicative of his unending search for more and more knowledge (Apology 23b). According...
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...To do harm is to cause injury or damage. In Plato’s writing, “Apology”, his friend and teacher, Socrates, is accused by Meletus, among others, of causing harm to Athens and Athenians by “corrupting the young and of not believing in the gods in whom the city believes, but in other new spiritual things”.(27) Over the course of the trial arguments for both sides are presented, though Socrates’ own defense or “apology”, resonates with enough reason and logic to make his case believable while Meletus is unable to reasonably present an argument proving harm or counter Socrates ’self-defense. Socrates responds to Meletus’ charge of harming or corrupting Athen’s youth by building a series of arguments in his own defense. The first step requires discrediting Meletus by having Meletus agree with him that it is important to ensure “that our young men be as good as possible”.(27) From there he maneuvers Meletus into admitting that as it is the responsibility of all Athenians to educate and improve the young, no one person, such as Socrates, could possibly be responsible for corrupting them. He continues to reason with Meletus while questioning whether a crime was actually committed. Asking “whether it is better for a man to live among good or wicked fellow citizens”(28), Socrates creates the argument that no one would willingly want to live among bad persons because they would bring harm to those around them. Socrates then compels Meletus into agreeing with him that no one would...
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...Aristotle's Poetics in the work Apology by Plato According to Aristotle, the criterion that is expressed in Poetics should be based on the matter, subjects and method. For example; for matter, the melody, rhythm and language are the key considerations to be looked into. The subjects in Poetics usually bring out the character traits that are related to human characteristics. This is what brings out the difference between tragic events and comic events in a work of poetry. For tragic events, the character in most instances is usually considered to be more honest, serious and considered to be very important in society. While comic characters are usually considered to be less important in the society and not dignified. The method used could involve the use of direct speech, dialogue or quoted speech. These are the major poetic criteria used by Aristotle and applied in the work Apology by Plato. Plot structure and character are also an important part described Poetics. Plot structure is basically the plan of the work. For Apology, this can be considered into the action or the events that are taking place through this work. For example, there is recognition of the characters and an evidence of the suffering of the main character, Socrates. According to Aristotle, a good plot is one that is complex for the human understanding which can be seen in the Apology. There is the evidence of fear as well as pity for Socrates. For example, the main character in the Apology can be seen to be having...
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...Plato’s Apology and Crito Ben Blanks, Lynchburg College (Editor’s note: This essay by Ben Blanks is the winner of the North Award for the best paper in the 2012 Agora. Ben presented an earlier version of this paper at the ACTC Student Conference at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, in March, 2011.) When reading the Apology and the Crito of Plato, one inevitably comes upon a seeming fundamental contradiction between the two dialogues. The Apology presents readers with a defiant Socrates who declares in his trial that, if acquitted on the condition that he never philosophize again, he would continue to practice philosophy in spite of the jury’s order to the contrary: . . . if you said to me in this regard: “Socrates, we do not believe Anytus now; we acquit you, but only on condition that you spend no more time on this investigation and do not practice philosophy, and if you are caught doing so you will die”; if, as I say, you were to acquit me on those terms, I would say to you: “Men of Athens, I am grateful and I am your friend, but I will obey the god rather than you, and as long as I draw breath and am able, I shall not cease to practice philosophy . . . (29c-d).1 The passage from the Apology seems to present a defiant argument for civil disobedience in the face of injustice. In the Crito, however, when given a chance to escape prison and his upcoming execution, Socrates reasons that such an action would be unjust because it would defy the laws 1Plato, Apology. Trans...
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...Characters from Platos’ Apology and Allegory of the Cave and Voltaire’s Story of a Good Brahmin will be compared and contrasted in this composition. In addition, a view into the attitudes of these characters reveals our pursuit and frustration while seeking truth. Ultimately, these stories provide an introspect to who we are individually and challenges within our society. The levels of interest, complexity, and diversity these stories afford are similar to good advise from a close friend. In short, much was learned from the musings of this composition, and I hope others encounter a similar revelations. Keywords: Plato, Socrates, Voltaire, philosophy, compare, contrast A good allegory is a precious gift. Voltaire and Plato present stories...
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...Understanding Philosophy and its Benefits By: Anonymous Understanding Philosophy and its Benefits 1 Many of Plato’s dialogues such as the Euthyphro, Apology, Crito and Phaedo are based upon the same reoccurring theme, the defense of the study of philosophy. Plato’s dialogues notable for their depth in a relatively narrow framework, attempt to argue the benefits of philosophical reasoning through essence, knowledge and truth. To understand the benefits of philosophy one must pose the question, what is philosophy? Ironically, philosophy in itself is a reflexive question. It is this bidirectional theory that makes philosophy so profoundly intellectual. It becomes reason as to why trying to find out what philosophy actually is inevitably becomes a way of not only studying philosophy but doing philosophy. By textbook definition, philosophy is the attempt to use reason and logic to answer fundamental questions about knowledge, life, morality and human nature. This definition represents a vexing philosophical issue, how can we attempt to answer these questions in a definite manner? Well, in retrospect Philosophy pursues questions rather than answers. Plato uses dialogue to aide clarity and understanding to those ideas and questions that fall outside of the “scientific domain”. After reading Plato’s dialogues, one can note that, Socrates never comes to any definite conclusion to any of the questions he poses. For example, in the Euthyphro, we are never fully able to determine...
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...OF SOCRATES 2 The lessons of life that are delivered by Socrates act as a basis for Western philosophy. Plato, the writer of The Apology, significantly respects Socrates and his dialogues act as a framework for our understanding in the passages. Our only record of his life comes from his associates, as Socrates never documented his opinions. A clear expression of Socrates’ philosophy is represented in The Apology. The purpose of this paper is to establish a clear demonstration of Socrates’ philosophy using The Apology as reference, and also explain my personal view on philosophy. In the first section of this paper, the famous statement from Socrates, “The unexamined life is not worth living”, will be connected when explaining three principle components of his philosophy: Irony, Method and Ethos. The second section of this paper will reveal my personal view on philosophy. Rahut’s claim on philosophy being the study of “open questions” will be supported by examples and descriptions. In the case that a question cannot be accurately answered or proven with our existing knowledge, I demonstrate that it should be classified as an ‘open question’. Throughout section 17-18 of The Apology, Socratic irony is apparent. He clearly presents himself as a man whom is delivering words of truth. Although, while Socrates states that he is not a clever speaker, it shows that he actually is clever...
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...“I thought to myself: I am wiser than this man; neither of us probably knows anything that is really good, but he thinks he has knowledge, when he has not, while I, having no knowledge, do not think I have.” ― Plato, Apology tags: apology, knowledge, plato, socrates, wisdom 23 people liked it like “Men of Athens, I honor and love you; but I shall obey God rather than you, and while I have life and strength I shall never cease from the practice and teaching of philosophy... Understand that I shall never alter my ways, not even if I have to die many tim Apology: Top Ten Quotes Top Ten Quotes | 1) "I am very conscious that I am not wise at all," (Socrates)2) "in my investigation in the service of the god 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." (Socrates)3) "Either I do not corrupt the young or, if I do, it is unwillingly," (Socrates)4) "You are wrong, sir, if you think that a man who is any good at all should take into account the risk of life or death; he should look to this only in his actions, whether what he does is right or wrong, whether he is acting like a good or a bad man." (Socrates)5) "To fear death, gentlemen, is no other than to think oneself wise when one is not, to think one knows what one does not know." (Socrates)6) "I will not yield to any man contrary to what is right, for fear of death, even if I should die at once for not yielding." (Socrates)7)...
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...TOPIC ONE: Socrates seems to come to the conclusion in the Crito that there is a moral obligation on the part of every citizen to obey the laws (or to persuade others to change them). But in the Apology, he mentions two cases of what he seems to think permissible disobedience to the laws: his past refusal to arrest Leon of Salamis, and his stated intention not to comply with judicial gag order. Does he contradict himself? Explain and defend your answer. NOTES: - Yes, Plato contradicts himself - Why? give reasons - We know from the Gorgias that Socrates believes one must absolutely always avoid committing injustice, but there is no analogous obligation to avoid suffering injustice. So he could consistently hold that one should obey laws that require one to suffer injustice, but should disobey laws that require one to commit injustice. And this is indeed his position. For in the Apology, the laws he announces he would break are commands to commit injustice (since it was unjust to arrest Leon, and it would be unjust to disobey the Oracle’s command to philosophize); but he says one should always obey one’s human superior so long as doing so does not involve disobeying a divine superior or doing something wrong, so even in the Apology he is committed to obeying laws that merely require him to suffer injustice. Likewise, in the Crito, Socrates is committed to obeying the command to suffer injustice (i.e., to let himself be executed), but he says clearly that one should...
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...written by Plato both address the concept of virtue. With the system of Eudaimonism, Plato and Aristotle attempt to arrive at a theory or system or set of moral principles or values dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation. They further go on in applying these principles of conduct in governing an individual or group. Their main concern with conformity to this standard of right is the idea of virtue. They also seem to place one virtue as being of particular moral excellence. The widely accepted definition of Eudaimonism is having a good attendant spirit or a theory that the highest ethical goal is happiness and personal well-being. This definition of Eudaimonism...
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...Socrates in Plato’s Apology, a controversial issue has been whether or not Socrates should be considered Man Thinking, a term coined by Emerson. On one hand, some argue that since Socrates was unable to convert his ideas to actions and become powerful, he cannot be described as Man Thinking. From this perspective, Socrates is not Man Thinking because he only thought, but was not dexterous with his hands, being too much like a scholar than Man Thinking. On the other hand, others argue that Socrates was Man Thinking because he stood by his ideas even upon punishment of death. According to this view, the fact that Socrates stood up for his ideas is action enough for him to be described as Man Thinking. In sum, the issue is whether...
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...that, “one logically cannot inquire productivity into what one does not already know” (Meno 58). Then Socrates continues to make Meno question his own beliefs when the slave recognizes the answer to geometrical problem. Socrates proceeds to confirm with the concept that the sole is immortal and the slave was “recollecting” knowledge that the soul already had. In Plato’s Meno his argument was with “recollection doctrine” of knowledge was already having the concept to begin with and people were just “recollecting” prior knowledge. Plato continues to argue rationalism through Phaedo with the Socratic Method. Plato uses his arguments in Phaedo using Socrates’ voice and other characters to explore rational arguments. It is only when the philosophers realize the truth, is when they will know the true knowledge, even if they didn’t exactly see it. There are different forms of recollection for example one is mathematics. Unlike rational objects, which Plato describes this is not a legitimate form of knowledge. All knowledge is innate, the concept that knowledge originates in the mind. The soul just has to seek for that knowledge. On the other hand, Descartes believed that if one didn’t have the concept of time, space, and numbers, one couldn’t have those experiences. In the first meditation, he uses an example of a painter that uses colors to represent the general things, and that other certain things that are similar are true. Descartes’ example of the painter shows that using the...
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...In his youth Critias was an ardent follower of Socrates and was even considered part of the Socratic circle, not to mention that Socrates himself was a supporter of the Spartan government. Also, according to the Ancient History Encyclopedia Critias quickly developed a reputation for being excessively cruel and abusing his power. Consequently, Socrates past association with the disliked Critias, his open support of the Spartan government along with Athenian democratic uncertainty lead to his trial and resulting condemnation. Socrates trial was documented by Plato in “Apology.” The Athenian court’s decision to condemn Socrates was not strategically logical because Socrates had many intellectual advocates who could easily portray him as a heroic martyr when documenting history, thus undermining their initial goal of censoring...
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...Socrates was a great philosopher of the Greek world. He was quite an atypical and distinctive person. Being different from all the other philosophers of the land, Socrates was teaching his students ideas totally out of the ordinary from what the society believed was right. As a result, he displeased many people so much that they decided to get rid of him. Socrates was put to trial, accused of spoiling the youth of Athens, tried and sentenced to death. 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. The charges brought against the philosopher had nothing to do with true crime like we understand it today. He did not commit any physical or financial harm to anybody. Socrates insulted and angered many people more than any “legitimate” offense ever could. He said too many things that people around him did not like and could not forgive. One of the charges brought against him was corrupting the youth of Athens. Accordingly to the words of those who complained at...
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