Socrates Champion Of Justice Analysis

Socrates left us no written record of his thought or life. Our primary source of information about him are Plato’s works. From what we can learn about Socrates from the famous dialogues created by Plato, who, in turn, was an outstanding student of Socrates, it seems obvious that he offers a philosophy that is genuinely progressive and radical in its wish to reform the society of the day. Apparently, Socrates’s ideas made him a controversial figure. Many people believe that Socrates could be inconsistent in some of his statements. The philosopher claims that "the champion of justice" should not be engaged in political activities. At the same time, Socrates is said to have preached politics and to some extent have been engaged in it. An inexperienced …show more content…
Indeed, it is. In court Socrates tells the jury about his motivation in search of the truth about wisdom. “I am that gadfly which God has attached to the state, and all day long …arousing and persuading and reproaching…You will not easily find another like me” (------). Socrates emphasizes that by looking for the truth he wanted to do good to Athens. He claims that he has never participated in politics on purpose. (" The only office of state which I ever held of was that of senator; tribe Antiochis"). Socrates also reports to the court that he always did what seemed to him to be right. (”But I have been always the same in all my actions, public as well as private, and never have I yielded any base compliance to those who are slanderously termed my disciples or to any other”). He is willing to do what he believes is right rather than be persuaded by fear of exile to do what he believes to be wrong. Socrates final remarks find him urging the "gentlemen of the jury" to "fix [their] minds on one belief, which is certain -- that nothing can harm a good man either in life or after death, and his fortunes are not a matter of indifference to the gods." (41d, the Apology). To put it differently, Socrates says that he remains faithful to the idea of the search of the truth for the benefit of Athens until the very end. Is not he a "champion of justice"