Fear Of Death In Socrates's Apology

Inevitable death, it is the one thing an individual can expect to occur during their lifetime. Depending on the circumstances some might describe dying as unfortunate while others will classify it as a justified punishment. However, with the execution of Socrates, it seems as if this philosopher would describe his fate in some rather unconventional ways. Socrates acknowledges that there is an internal fear of dying that is planted in the minds of human beings, but why? How is it possible that we can fear something that is typically unknown? Well that it just it, it is unknown. It seems as if it is not necessarily how we die that makes us quiver, but death itself. Absolutely no one knows what will happen after death, which is what ignites our fear. In the Apology, Socrates is sentenced to death as a supposed punishment, but he argues that those who believe this to be true are mistaken, for death can be a journey that gives insightful meaning and an eye-opening experience of the afterlife, or that it could simply be an eternal sleep that does no harm and is all in all nothing. He …show more content…
He used his persuasive demeanor to turn something that held a negative consensus into what would look to be a pleasant escape. His concluded his argument by stating, “Nothing bad can ever happen to a good man, whether in life or in death, nor are the gods unconcerned about his troubles. What has happened to me hasn’t happened by chance; rather, it’s clear to me that to die now and escape my troubles was a better thing for me.” (Plate, 178) He truly believes that because he was scorn for his teaching, death was brought upon him as a form of escape. So, in that context, it was for the greater good. If death be a dreamless sleep or journey into the afterlife, Socrates explains that a good man should not fear death, for it is something that appears to be eternally