Apology Letter Essay

One of the most profound philosophers is Plato (427-347 BCE). Society knows of his works such as The Republic and Allegory of the Cave, but no one is truly familiar with his life unless they have studied him. To understand his works you must first understand his life and all that he experienced. I am going to open your eyes and educate you on the man who influenced western civilization. Together we will explore how he met his teacher, the Theory of Forms, almost being sold into slavery, founding…

In Gorgias by Plato rhetoric is compared to a series of occupations and activities like boxing or wrestling, and swimming or piloting a ship. It is also contrasted on a number of occasions to such arts as medicine and gymnastics. This is done in order to give the reader an understanding of the true meaning of rhetoric. With great power comes great responsibility and this is especially true when it comes to rhetoric. Someone who has mastered the art of rhetoric can be a very dangerous person if…

In Plato’s apology he lays out all of the charges that Socrates faced. These charges included corrupting the children of Athens, impiety to the Gods and Goddesses of the City. Socrates also faced the charge of teaching things and not taking a fee unlike that sophists…

Socrates was guilty. His guilt stemmed not from his actions, but from his words. This made it difficult for him to defend himself because the very logic he would use in self- defense was the very thought process he was guilty of having. His passion for his beliefs and his willingness to perish for what he believed in ultimately resulted in his martyrdom. Socrates was truly a man enlightened beyond his time, but he did not die without a legacy. Socrates’ own defense described his motives as…

Final Exam: Clever Speech After reading The Trial and Death of Socrates and Meditations on First Philosophy I would consider both Socrates and Descartes clever speakers in their own way. Their approach to speaking are very different but they have a way of being extremely meticulous with their use of language. By doing so, they both reach a point of being what many may consider “clever”. I on the other hand would not consider them clever. In my opinion, Socrates speaks in a more manipulative…

In the accounts of the Apology, we hear of the epic trial, that led Socrates, the father of Philosophy to his death. We have a continuation of the Greek question, what makes us human? The answer to that question which sets us apart from animals, is that we know we are going to die. Yet, we do not know when, therefore this odd, relationship with death is what makes us Human. This argument just presented, is that of the struggle that Achilles had throughout the Iliad. Antigone, written by…

As a response to Meletus’ accusations, that he had been a negative influence on Athens, Socrates deconstructed his claims and revealed them to be inconsistent. More specifically, Meletus claimed that Socrates had corrupted the youth of Athens and failed to acknowledge the gods the city worshiped while encouraging daimonic activity. To address this charge, it must be broken into two main fragments or claims. They can be categorized as: corrupting the community and denying the existence of gods.…

This paper is an analysis on the non-retaliation argument of the global argument that takes place in Plato’s dialogue Crito. Prior to Crito, Socrates has been arrested for corrupting the youth of Athens and showing impiety against the Gods. The dialogue opens with Socrates waiting to be executed once a ship, out on a holy mission from Delos, returns to Athens. Crito, whom the dialogue is named after, is a friend of Socrates who has come to convince Socrates to run away from the execution by…

Socrates fulfills the will of god by inquiring into the wisdom of people: “God orders me to fulfil the philosopher's mission of searching into myself and other men.” (Plato, 30). Socrates’ accusers hate him because he “[...]went and tried to explain to [them] that [they] thought [themselves] wise, but [were] not really wise” (Plato, 23). Socrates’ three main accusers are Meletus, Anytus, and Lycon. Each of Socrates’ accusers represents a different thing. Meletus represents the quarrels of the…

Right or Wrong, Win In society it is believed that is impossible for one person to corrupt the thoughts of a whole group of people. On the other hand, it has been proved that it is possible for one person to influence and subsequently lead to the corruption of thoughts. Following Socrates’ death, we the Athenians became inspired to ferret out and execute other individuals who might be guilty of corrupting our youth. One of the individuals we will put on trial for this is Meletus, the youngest…