Socratic Piety In Plato's Apology

“I do not know” is the go to answer for a question that cannot be answered, but to one man it means more. That man is Socrates and his philosophy is based on that wisdom is based on how much a person knows. Since Socrates knew he did not know much, he was very wise according to his daemon because he did not claim to know more than he did. Many people today see Socrates 6as an icon to be cherished forever because of his “wisdom”, but people forget to ask where his moral philosophy comes from. Socratic Piety is the term that shows the influences that Socrates’s God had on moral philosophy and other viewpoints. While Socrates’s moral philosophy was revolutionary for the time, his views on death are very interesting as he was not afraid of it. Many scholars look to the multiple references to his God in the Apology by Plato as an answer to how his moral philosophy and views on death were formed. In Plato 's …show more content…
His way of life was by what he believed in and what he felt was his god was saying to him and want he had to do for god. Socrates thought on his wisdom came through his god itself. When his ideas were applied to others, such as poets, if took a combination of his ideas and what his god had said for him to pass judgement on them. When Socrates created the standards of his gods he made the epitome of goodness and put them on a higher pedestal than men. Socrates’ piety was so much a part of him that death was what he wanted. Socrates believed that his god was so all knowing that he ended his defense with these words “Well, now it is time to be off, I to die and you to live: but which of us has the happier prospect is unknown to anyone but God.” Socrates’ last word was god in his defense and people still debate what is the purpose of Socrates’ words in his defense, but his constant mentioning of god and his unwavering faith show him as making peace with his mission that his daemon had given