...injustices, Oedipus must be exiled from Thebes: Socrates must drink hemlock and die. Discuss the extent to which Oedipus’ and Socrates’ final moments are determined by past acts of autonomy. Socrates is a character who is seen as person who dies for his ideals. He sees himself as a public servant who has lived his life helping the people of the city with his practice of philosophy and by living his life within the boundaries of the laws and justices of society. Socrates sees this as a commitment by an invisible contract and he must commit himself to obey them even though these laws have wronged him. He is urged by his friend Crito to escape but Socrates feels that this would be wrong as it is going against state, country and his life’s work he states, “I am not able to abandon the arguments I previously made, now that this misfortune has befallen me”, (Plato, 2007, p. 40). Socrates does not blame the law that convicted him but the people, (Plato, 2007, p. 47), so for him to run away from his sentence would be a renunciation of Athenian law, structure and honour, which has conceived him and given him education, (Plato, 2007, p. 45). Socrates argument through Plato’s work resonates to the reader that constitution, integrity, institutions and laws are the most valuable properties to human kind and because of this we can say that Socrates is a martyr for his causation rather than a lawless citizen who hates the governing system. If Socrates chooses to go against the governing system...
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...The third part of the soul, contrary to the other two parts (the calculation and the appetitive part of the souls), Socrates carries out the desires that reason orders. Socrates, then, attempts to show that spirit cannot be the object of reason because it sometimes acts when reason is non-apparent. For example, he says “for that much one can see in children, that they are from their very birth chock-full of rage and high spirit, but as for reason, some of them… never participate in it...” – he states that children have desires of the third part without the reasoning part of the soul (AGP, 477, 441A,B). Because of his argument and example, Socrates shows that the third part is not the same as the rational part of the soul; the third part of...
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...of the speech Socrates makes at the trial in which he is charged with not recognizing the gods recognized by the state, inventing new deities, and corrupting the youth of Athens. Socrates' speech, however, is by no means an "apology" in our modern understanding of the word. The name of the dialogue derives from the Greek "apologia," which translates as a defense, or a speech made in defense. Thus, in The Apology, Socrates attempts to defend himself and his conduct--certainly not to apologize for it. For the most part, Socrates speaks in a very plain, conversational manner. He explains that he has no experience with the law courts and that he will instead speak in the manner to which he is accustomed: with honesty and directness. He explains that his behavior stems from a prophecy by the oracle at Delphi which claimed that he was the wisest of all men. Recognizing his ignorance in most worldly affairs, Socrates concluded that he must be wiser than other men only in that he knows that he knows nothing. In order to spread this peculiar wisdom, Socrates explains that he considered it his duty to question supposed "wise" men and to expose their false wisdom as ignorance. These activities earned him much admiration amongst the youth of Athens, but much hatred and anger from the people he embarrassed. He cites their contempt as the reason for his being put on trial. Socrates then proceeds to interrogate Meletus, the man primarily responsible for bringing Socrates before the jury...
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...03-31-12 Socrates was accused of denying the gods and of corrupting the young. The first of these charges rested upon the fact that he supposed himself to be guided by a divine sign. The second, Xenophon tells us, was supported by a series of particular allegations: (a) that he taught his associates to despise the institutions of the state, and especially election by lot; (b) that he had numbered amongst his associates Critias and Alcibiades, the most dangerous of the representatives of the oligarchical and democratically parties respectively; (c) that be taught the young to disobey parents and guardians and to prefer his own authority to theirs. The false images of Socrates arose because people misunderstood his true activity. Socrates explains this activity by relating a story about the Delphic Oracle. The Saying of the Delphic Oracle- A friend of Socrates' went to the Oracle and asked the priestess "Who is the wisest of mortals?" and the priestess replied: "Socrates is the most wise." The Testing of the Delphic Oracle - After some hesitation, he sought to show the saying wrong by finding someone wiser than he. He began to question various people, including politicians, poets, and craftsmen.. The Truth of the Delphic Oracle - After "testing" the saying of the god, Socrates became aware of the truth of the saying that "Socrates is most wise" -- it can be expressed as follows: Socrates was most wise because he was Aware of his ignorance. In the course of Socrates' verification...
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...Was Socrates a Sophist? (20 mark) Sophists were known as teachers of rhetoric, philosophy and virtues. They were well known in ancient Greece for making the weaker argument the stronger and for speculating on sciences that went against the ‘gods’. They were often regarded as intellectuals as the word sophism derived from the word ‘sophos’, meaning wise man. In the latter years of Socrates’ life he has often been regarded as a Sophist but there are many evidences which prove he is not. Firstly, Sophists were teachers who charged a fee for their efforts and instruction. This was the case as they were said to be the only ones who were wise, and were giving people knowledge to benefit from and better themselves with. Socrates on the contrary did not establish a fee or a payment; he on the other hand went out on his own will to question the people about virtues. His regular trips to the Agora reinforce this point as he was simply looking for people to question about matters with no answer, with no intention of taking money or making people wiser. Nonetheless, although Socrates did not ask for money from his interlocutor, he would sometimes be rewarded through hospitality such as, foods and places to stay. This was however the choice of his ‘student’ whether or not they wanted to pay him in such a way, which distinguishes Socrates from the Sophists. Additionally, the Sophists were skilled in elaborate argumentation; were they would try and make the argument they were focusing on...
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...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. G. M. A. Grabe (Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 2000), 32. Blanks 1  of the city. Near the end of the dialogue Plato presents Socrates as speaking for a hypothetical anthropomorphized “voice of the laws”: Is your wisdom such as not to realize that your country is to be honored more than your mother, your...
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...\ Name Professor Class 12/14/2015 Biography of Socrates Socrates was born in 470 BCE in a culture rich Athens. After his service in the war, he returned to his native city and began his work in philosophy, which was rich in glory and culture, at its peak. He could be commonly seen at the market talking to citizens, or rather asking those a series of questions in an effort that eventually formed his doctrines. Socrates wrote nothing so most of what we know are from his slightly younger contemporaries, Aristophanes, Xenophon and most reputably Plato. These sources regarded Socrates of having a very high intellectual capacity but also possessed a good down to earth sense of humor. He was a very physically fit man with a robust appearance and an endurance in athletic abilities. Plato recalls Socrates as a man with moral purity as well a deep sense of mission. Socrates had an idea that philosophy would achieve practical and tangible results for greater well-being and advancement of society. He pointed out that human choices are motivated by their need for happiness and that the more a person is educated their ability to make decisions that bring true happiness will be increased. Socrates also adapted his philosophy into a political environment, saying that other than democracy or tyrannical rule, the government should be ruled by those with the greatest ability that fit the government position. Socrates treated Athens as his personal classroom, interviewing...
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...Writing Prompt : Socrates and “True Knowledge” With the notion of philosophy and the studying of philosophy it is well known that it is powerful and dangerous. Philosophy has many reasons for its importance such as how to understand your ideas, the origin of your ideas, how to contrast arguments. Philosophy can also help you defend arguments, read it, build your position and understand it. Philosophy is used for the betterment of the world, gender, race, civilization, town, state, country, etc. But in order to practice philosophy you need parrhesia and you need philosophy to practice parrhesia, they come hand in hand with each other. There have been many imperative philosophers that gave us the knowledge and foundation for our study of philosophy today, such as Plato, Aristotle, and among them Socrates. Socrates was an interesting philosopher and his main focus before his death was to find true knowledge and he believed that there was only certain acts of statements that qualified as such. In Socrates work, parrhesia worked as a big role in his work as parrhesia is also known as fearless speech. This form is merged with the courage to face danger in circumstances of life or death. Parrhesia consists of the individual to speak the truth courageously in spite of danger and in its extreme form in life or death. It creates the chance to take the form of criticism to another or oneself, but always in a situation where the speaker is in a position of inferiority. Socrates fits the character...
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...All his life Socrates was a man of subtle persuasion. He could do this by using the simplest metaphors to sway his colleagues, acting as a “torpedo fish”, leaving them stumped with a transformed state of mind. There are countless works that could be used to exemplify the seemingly general, logical intelligence that Socrates possesses, but I will only introduce a few. In the work of the Crito, which was written/reported by Plato whom was Socrates student, Socrates is in prison awaiting his death for speaking his mind and spreading his word to those who were interested in listening. He states the he does not follow popular opinion, but on the contrary does things in compliance as so to be true to himself. In the work of Meno, also written by...
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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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...brings the theme of “virtue” into the discussion and categorizes Love into “good” one or “bad” one; Eryximachus introduces the thought of “moderation’ and thinks that Love governs such fields as medicine and music; Aristophanes draws attention to the origin and purposes of Love; Agathon enunciates that the correct way to present an eulogy is first to praise its nature and gifts. As the last speaker, and the most important one, Socrates connects his ideas with Diotima of Mantinea’s story of Love’s origin, nature and purpose. Different from the earlier five speakers who regard Love as an object and praise different sides of it, Socrates, referring to Diotima’s idea, considers Love as a pursuit of beauty gradually from “physical beauty of people in general” (Symposium, Plato, 55) to the “true beauty” (55). The first five speeches bond with each other. Each of them mentions the opinions of the former one in order to either support or against them. However, just like the elements of a beautiful picture, they fail to show us the integration of love. Socrates’ speech does that. It contains the sides mentioned before, and uniquely views Love from a dynamic aspect. Phaedrus Phaedrus is the first one to give a speech to praise love. He begins his speech with the claim that Love is a primordial god, with no parents. Hence there must be some human benefits that are due...
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...significantly, the reader sees Plato rejecting the romanticism of sexual love, valuing above all else an asexual and all-consuming passion for wisdom and beauty. Mainly, he determines that the philosopher’s search for wisdom is the most valuable of all pursuits. In the Symposium, he values philosophy, as he shows with the voice of Socrates, over a number of other arts which are prearranged as points of comparison. For example, medicine, as shown by Eryximachus (who is a doctor and guest at the symposium), comedy, as shown by Aristophanes (an ancient comic poet and guest), and tragedy, as shown by Agathon (who invited everyone to partake in this symposium as he is celebrating his first victory in the dramatic festival). Socrates seems to be the last person to really give an account of eros in this story, as well as discussing the most important account of love that was given to him by Diotima. This account slowly puts together the puzzle-piece-like tellings of everyone at this symposium, leading to one final truth about love: that what one must try to do is ascend from loving particular kinds of beauty, as everyone described, to loving Beauty itself. Now, Socrates’ rendition of Diotima’s account seems to end the symposium. But this is not the case as Alcibiades shows up, making a less than sober appearance to the group. Alcibiades shows up seemingly after a resolution has been found in regards to the discussion of love and what love really is. The usual reader may find this as almost...
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...“Apology” professes to be a record of the actual speech that Socrates delivered in his own defense during his trial and conviction before a jury of 501 men in Athens. Socrates was charged with corrupting the youth of Athens and introducing strange gods to the city. Socrates addresses the men of Athens as follows: “Do not create a disturbance, gentleman, even if you think I am boasting, for the story I shall tell does not originate with me, but I will refer you to a trustworthy source. I shall call upon the god of Delphi as witness to the existence and nature of my wisdom, if it be such. You know Chaerephon; he was my friend from youth, and a friend of most you, as he shared your exile and your return. You surely know the kind of man he was, how impulsive in any course of action. He went to Delphi at one time and ventured to ask the oracle – as I say, gentlemen, do not create a disturbance – he asked if any man was wiser than I, and the Pythian replied that no one was wiser. Chaerephon is dead, but his brother, will testify to you about this.” (Plato 25-26) Socrates recounts to the men of Athens how he took this news with great puzzlement. “What can the god mean? And what is the interpretation of this riddle? What can the oracle mean when he says that I am the wisest of men?” Socrates knew the oracle could not lie, and yet he thought that he had no particular wisdom or specialized knowledge at all So Socrates set out on a quest with two goals in mind: 1) To disprove...
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...In Plato’s Apology Socrates is being tried by Anytus and Meletus for two new charges: “corrupting the young, and not acknowledging the gods of the city acknowledges, but new daimonic activities instead” (Morgan 2005, 51). Throughout Plato’s Apology and Euthyphro Socrates uses complex rhetoric to challenge the charges brought against him based on his thoughts and understanding of what is right and wrong. He never once states he is not guilty nor does he provide reasons to support his innocence. He suggests rather that he is on a divine mission stating “this is what the god orders me to do, and I think there is no greater blessing for the city than my service to the god” (Morgan 2005, 55). Socrates uses his trial as an opportunity to show inconsistencies in the charges themselves, through questioning his accusers. Socrates remains true to him-self, a philosopher, and finds fulfillment out of the process rather than the outcome “…for the unexamined life is not worth living for men…” (Morgan 2005, 60) Socrates should be found guilty as his intentions to continue to practice the life of a philosopher may not have been morally wrong, his methods however unlawful during Athenian times. Socrates was not a member of a modern day society where innovative thought was encouraged, and freedom of speech tolerated. He chose to be a member of Athenian society therefore needed to conform to the requirements set out by the city. Suggesting other God’s and questioning the Gods of the city do not...
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... Title: Phaedo The Last Hours Of Socrates Author: Plato Translator: Benjamin Jowett Release Date: October 29, 2008 [EBook #1658] Last Updated: January 15, 2013 Language: English Character set encoding: ASCII *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PHAEDO *** Produced by Sue Asscher, and David Widger PHAEDO By Plato Translated by Benjamin Jowett Contents INTRODUCTION.PHAEDO | INTRODUCTION. After an interval of some months or years, and at Phlius, a town of Peloponnesus, the tale of the last hours of Socrates is narrated to Echecrates and other Phliasians by Phaedo the 'beloved disciple.' The Dialogue necessarily takes the form of a narrative, because Socrates has to be described acting as well as speaking. The minutest particulars of the event are interesting to distant friends, and the narrator has an equal interest in them. During the voyage of the sacred ship to and from Delos, which has occupied thirty days, the execution of Socrates has been deferred. (Compare Xen. Mem.) The time has been passed by him in...
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