The Role Of Religion In The Works Of Socrates

The fundamental separation between the religion of the people and the secular did not obtain in Socrates time. Priest were appointed and recognized by the whole city and their job was to interpret the desires of the gods. The basics being that human beings were to fear the gods, sacrifice to them, and honor them with festivals and prayers. The sacred were woven into the everyday life of the Athenians, and they demonstrated their piety by following rituals, ceremonies and sacrifices. Consequently, a religious offence was not just an offence against the gods, but rather against the whole city.
Socrates and his contemporaries lived in a polytheistic society that is the gods did not create the world they were of the world. The stories that were told were that of the super-natural, divine, creatures who intervened in the affairs of humans often because of their own humanistic lust for sex and power. Very much contradictory to the omnibenevolent, honest and omniscient gods one may be accustomed to hearing about. …show more content…
He calls for us to examine our lives. “the unexamined life is not worth living for human beings” (Apology 38a) What more is he challenges one to then to account for what we do not know, speak to speak out and to defend the views that we hold as true to live a meaningful life. The purpose of the examined life is to reflect upon our everyday values, motivations and thoughts to then subsequently inquire into what is real and worthy of your time, in anything. He claims that this examination will always be beneficial no matter the