Analysis Of Socrates Apology

Superior Essays
Near the end of Apology, as Socrates approaches death, he presents a rather complex argument concluding that death must be a blessing. This paper focuses on the reconstruction of Socrates’ argument, analyzing its quality, and ultimately concluding whether or not it has merit. After observing two examples of faulty arguments, the reconstruction of Socrates verbal logic is presented and each assertion is examined carefully. This examination will focus on each assertion individually and will thoroughly justify any logical gaps through the use of unstated premises. From this careful examination of Socrates propositions, one can conclude that Socrates put forth a faulty argument. Before Socrates logic is determined flawed, one must understand the …show more content…
There are countless beliefs on the nature of death, and to limit the possibilities down to only two choices seems foolish. As a third outcome consider the possibility of reincarnation. Already one can conclude that there are more than 2 viable possibilities regarding death. This bold statement made by Socrates is not only incorrect, but the statement is contradictory to his previous testimonials within Apology “…he thinks he knows something when he does not, whereas when I do not know, neither do I think I know…” (Apology …show more content…
There are infinitely many possibilities regarding the nature of death, so I must not rule out the likelihood that this individual statement is false. It is equally probable that one 's soul does relocate to the same place as fallen heroes, but cannot interact with them.
P9. To be able to converse and meet with ancient heroes in the afterlife would be a blessing (Stated). As we concluded above, if something is superior to its alternative, then it is a blessing. I trust that being able to communicate and interact with noble souls after death would be much better than not being able to do so. Thus I would have to agree with Socrates that this would, in fact, be a blessing.
Now that each premise has been carefully examined, one can use the given information to conclude whether or not Socrates argument is of any

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The purpose of this paper is to critically evaluate how Socrates replied to the main charge he was…

    • 1138 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In this statement, along with the remarks in his exchange with Meletus, the accuser of Socrates, he outrightly invalidates this argument made by the prosecution. The prosecution had several weak allegations towards Socrates, making the arguments on the side of the defense that much…

    • 1206 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Socrates in Apology In the Apology, Socrates presents an argument for his belief in the Greek gods to invalidate Meletus’ assertion that Socrates is an atheist, which therefore means his teachings corrupt the youth (26b). Socrates’ argument is valid through philosophical logic yet as we will find, his argument is not sound. There are also revisions to Meletus’ claims which will be presented as it will display a stronger argument in favor of Socrates’ atheism.…

    • 1311 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Socrates’ argument at the end of Apology is that death is a blessing in one of two ways. It is either a “state of nothingness” or it is a “migration of the soul.” If death is comprised of nothingness, then it should be looked forward to because it would be a peaceful and restful sleep. On the other hand, if death is a migration of his soul, then Socrates would be able to be in the presence of the great people that have died before him, so he would be able to enjoy the afterlife surrounded by great figures that he could question regarding their wisdom. Socrates’ argument that death is a “state of nothingness” is self-contradictory because something cannot become nothing if it was once something, so his argument that death would comprise…

    • 193 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Surely, he could not have always been as virtuous of a man as he is now. There must be some point that divides a man who is virtuous from a man who is not, and I wonder how this limit is determined. Socrates is, of course, confident that he has been loyal enough to the gods that he will be rewarded for his excellence in the afterlife. Essentially, he has no reason to fear death. By this logic, the only people who fear death are those who are not confident in the powers of the gods, or those who lack religion in their lives.…

    • 1533 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Socrates’ perception of the afterlife is where “all the dead are (pg. 16) therefore he will be able to meet with other famous philosophers and warriors and will continue to debate philosophy for eternity. Socrates asserts that the ruling is a blessing and does so to justify this claim through an association fallacy: death is either an afterlife or eternal rest. Since the afterlife is good and eternal rest is good, then therefore, death must inherently be…

    • 1023 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Socrates’ argument in the Crito, if…

    • 1127 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The body, while seemingly clearly definable and understandable, is a concept that humans have struggled to define and understand for much of history. Social conceptions of the mind of spirit shaped philosophers’ understandings of the relationship between the mind and body, as well as attitudes toward the body. In his essay “The Concept of the Body,” Eliot Deutsch presents readers with four popular modes of conceiving of the body. These models, popularized at different points throughout history, are the prison, the temple, the machine, and the instrument. Through reading Plato’s dialogue Phaedo, one gains perspective on Socrates’ conception of the body, as a prison.…

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Do you think Socrates did the right thing by allowing himself to be unjustly executed? Socrates had made an intelligent decision by sacrificing himself to protect the “Social contract” between the state and him, rather than escape from prison to break the rules. Use life to exchange for the preservation of his thought Escape from the prison is equivalent to destruct all of his thought and value what he had constructed during his lifetime. Because leaving Athens is kind of actions to contradict what he taught to his followers, be faithful to the righteousness.…

    • 989 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Socrates is supposedly the smartest man in the world, not due to the fact he knows everything in the world like the meaning of life, but instead he knows what he does not know. He can admit that he is not all knowing, admitting to his own flaws as he examines his own life. He states himself that “an unexamined life is not worth living”, this attitude helps one understand what the meaning of life is. Furthermore, examining yourself is one of the hardest things to do, finding your own flaws to betterment yourself is a beginning to live a meaningful life.…

    • 755 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Perhaps death is a change of place and Socrates believes that his conviction is based due to bad judges in this state and his death will take him to a wonderful place and thus will be vindicated, because Minos and Rhadamanthus will be the true judges. Socrates believes that the corrupt judges of Athens will not kill Socrates language and mind in his afterlife. Thus, death is a good thing if one is virtuous, and good but if a one is unjust then death is bad.…

    • 1002 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Socrates’s Argument on Death The topic of death frightens human beings for several reasons because of the speculation and the anxiety that surround death. Even though most people fear death, philosophers such as Socrates argue that there is no valid reason to fear death (Ahrensdorf 1995). According to 5Socrates, death is a blessing in the context of the relocation of the soul. Socrates avers that death is something that people should not fear and provide several arguments to validate his argument.…

    • 1190 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Plato's Apology Argument

    • 970 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Socrates’ philosophical attitude may have resulted in his death, but he has no change of heart when he learns his…

    • 970 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Plato’s Socrates Trilogy was play about the last days of Socrates. It consists of the three parts: Phaedo, The Apology, and Crito, in which they document each part of the trial, including his defense, the verdict of the jury, and the judgment of court. The story that I wanted to focus my essay is Plato’s The Apology. The overall theme I saw throughout the play, but emphasized in The Apology was wisdom. The theme of wisdom is also present in the novel’s visual depiction: Socrates by Robert Rossellini.…

    • 1069 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Socrates: The Fear Of Death

    • 2253 Words
    • 10 Pages

    He abandoned his post for fear of death or anything else ever since he was appointed by the god to live the life of a philosopher and examine himself and others (28.e). The fear of death to Socrates is completely irrelevant for the reason that there is no definite explanation for what comes after death. To assume the worst of death and consider it a bad thing would be to assume knowledge and wisdom that is unable to be achieved (29.a). Socrates expresses the fact, that for all men know, death could be one of the greatest blessings that can be given, yet almost all men fear it to be one of the greatest evils (29.a). Socrates developed two theories he had about what occurs after death, he came to the idea that death is either a deep, dreamless sleep with no perception of anything or it is a change and a relocation for the soul from where it is to another place (40.d).…

    • 2253 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Great Essays