In Plato’s Apology, Plato describes in great detail, the trial of Socrates. Under Socrates’ judgement, he has been wrongfully accused of corrupting the youth, rejecting traditional gods, and being disloyal to Athens—all of which he is willing to defend himself against. In that defense, Socrates is unafraid to challenge his accusers and question the jury—and in that, he makes a compelling defense of himself. Despite that, he is found guilty, to which he answers by saying he has been an immense service to the people of Athens and that they are all mistakenly accusing him of false accusations. Through the defense, Socrates brings up his belief that it is his responsibility to question the knowledge of people who claim they know, everything.
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Socrates holds himself on this grand scale, of acknowledging that he does not think he knows what he does not know (Plato 26), yet he views himself as the one to interrogate other people’s intelligence. Regardless of Delphi stating that Socrates is the most intelligent, a large emphasis is placed on being humble about an individual’s knowledge, and so Socrates should, in a way, question Delphi. Instead of simply giving in to Delphi’s statement, Socrates should appreciate it, but continue and spread humility, in a way that does not showcase himself as incredibly intelligent. In that, humans tend to have a sense of conceitedness, simply for being human. Also, people can have humility in certain aspects of their intelligence, but not in others. A person may be humble when it comes to their artistic skills, but boast about their writing abilities. An emphasize is placed on humility when it comes to intelligence and amount of knowledge, but humility itself can be associated with only one subject or …show more content…
Whether it be the politicians with enormous power, the poets skilled with writing, or the craftsmen talented with the art of craft—Socrates perceives all of them the same because they all believe they have intelligence over all subjects, when in reality, they do not. Socrates is not afraid to question the intelligence of anyone, regardless of their social standing or their career. To demonstrate that analysis, when Socrates questions the accusers during his trial: his life was literally on the line, and he stuck to his beliefs and path of questioning, and did so, even in that sensitive and risky moment. When someone has a certain career, they tend to be extremely informed and educated within that area, and depending on what that area is, that information can be passed onto other areas, but for the most part, they are all different and require different intelligences. Another aspect is that Socrates also, in a way, recognized that conceitedness and stubbornness plays a massive role in people’s refusal of accepting their own limited
Socrates holds himself on this grand scale, of acknowledging that he does not think he knows what he does not know (Plato 26), yet he views himself as the one to interrogate other people’s intelligence. Regardless of Delphi stating that Socrates is the most intelligent, a large emphasis is placed on being humble about an individual’s knowledge, and so Socrates should, in a way, question Delphi. Instead of simply giving in to Delphi’s statement, Socrates should appreciate it, but continue and spread humility, in a way that does not showcase himself as incredibly intelligent. In that, humans tend to have a sense of conceitedness, simply for being human. Also, people can have humility in certain aspects of their intelligence, but not in others. A person may be humble when it comes to their artistic skills, but boast about their writing abilities. An emphasize is placed on humility when it comes to intelligence and amount of knowledge, but humility itself can be associated with only one subject or …show more content…
Whether it be the politicians with enormous power, the poets skilled with writing, or the craftsmen talented with the art of craft—Socrates perceives all of them the same because they all believe they have intelligence over all subjects, when in reality, they do not. Socrates is not afraid to question the intelligence of anyone, regardless of their social standing or their career. To demonstrate that analysis, when Socrates questions the accusers during his trial: his life was literally on the line, and he stuck to his beliefs and path of questioning, and did so, even in that sensitive and risky moment. When someone has a certain career, they tend to be extremely informed and educated within that area, and depending on what that area is, that information can be passed onto other areas, but for the most part, they are all different and require different intelligences. Another aspect is that Socrates also, in a way, recognized that conceitedness and stubbornness plays a massive role in people’s refusal of accepting their own limited