Both Plato’s Euthyphro and Apology and The Book of Job offer unique views on human suffering in many different aspects. With Plato’s works offering a more intrinsic view of things and the Book of Job having a more outward outlook, both have many implications to our present understanding of human suffering.
One of the biggest differences on the views of human suffering is the very definition of suffering in these two works. In Plato’s works, Socrates’ view of suffering is more based on an internal suffering. He puts much emphasis on tending to our soul. Only with a wise and just soul can his commitment to living a just life be achieved. However, in the Athenian context, Athenians were very much concerned with their own reputation. People …show more content…
Socrates gives the idea that the evil that causes the suffering mostly come from within us. We are to blame for our own misfortunes because of our own failure to see that we are disrespecting truth and justice. In addition, Socrates believes that intangible things such as respect for the truth, wisdom, tending to the soul and love are the greatest things in life. Therefore, when we fail to strive to achieve these things, all the more makes it a greater evil and causes more suffering. The combination of these two factors is why it was difficult to detect that the evil was actually coming from within us. The failure to actually see these things atrocities only leads us to commit these same violations over and over again. That is exactly the reason on why Socrates wanted to educate the Athenian people in the first place. He says that “…and I go around seeking out anyone, citizen or stranger, whom I think wise. Then if I do not think he is, I come to the assistance of the god and show him that he is not wise.” (Plato, Apology, 23b 4-6). He wanted to prove that people were not truly wise because an important first step in being truly wise is accepting our own failures. He only does this so that we can see that the evil truly comes from within …show more content…
Once again Socrates takes a more personal view on things. It is not that people have done something wrong rather it suggests that people have failed to do something. They have failed to be truly wise. And once Socrates called them out on it, they immediately felt threatened. People suffer because they could not accept the truth and were unwilling to change for the greater good. There was a great fear of looking stupid. Examples of this were Euthyphro hastily changing definitions (Plato, Euthyphro, 5e-9e) or the accusation that Socrates was “corrupting” the young even though he was not (Plato, Apology, 24 b4-c4). It was all because of their arrogance that they suffered individually and as a
One of the biggest differences on the views of human suffering is the very definition of suffering in these two works. In Plato’s works, Socrates’ view of suffering is more based on an internal suffering. He puts much emphasis on tending to our soul. Only with a wise and just soul can his commitment to living a just life be achieved. However, in the Athenian context, Athenians were very much concerned with their own reputation. People …show more content…
Socrates gives the idea that the evil that causes the suffering mostly come from within us. We are to blame for our own misfortunes because of our own failure to see that we are disrespecting truth and justice. In addition, Socrates believes that intangible things such as respect for the truth, wisdom, tending to the soul and love are the greatest things in life. Therefore, when we fail to strive to achieve these things, all the more makes it a greater evil and causes more suffering. The combination of these two factors is why it was difficult to detect that the evil was actually coming from within us. The failure to actually see these things atrocities only leads us to commit these same violations over and over again. That is exactly the reason on why Socrates wanted to educate the Athenian people in the first place. He says that “…and I go around seeking out anyone, citizen or stranger, whom I think wise. Then if I do not think he is, I come to the assistance of the god and show him that he is not wise.” (Plato, Apology, 23b 4-6). He wanted to prove that people were not truly wise because an important first step in being truly wise is accepting our own failures. He only does this so that we can see that the evil truly comes from within …show more content…
Once again Socrates takes a more personal view on things. It is not that people have done something wrong rather it suggests that people have failed to do something. They have failed to be truly wise. And once Socrates called them out on it, they immediately felt threatened. People suffer because they could not accept the truth and were unwilling to change for the greater good. There was a great fear of looking stupid. Examples of this were Euthyphro hastily changing definitions (Plato, Euthyphro, 5e-9e) or the accusation that Socrates was “corrupting” the young even though he was not (Plato, Apology, 24 b4-c4). It was all because of their arrogance that they suffered individually and as a