topics, which have had an immense influence on molding western civilization. It has been built upon the achievements of history’s greatest leaders, ideas and documents. The most important, however, was that of Greek mythology, the philosophies of Socrates, and Augustine’s, Confessions. From the beginning of the belief in higher powers, to the philosophical advances and growth of religion, it is inevitable that these topics have been able to provide pathways to the structure of modern society.…
At the beginning of Plato’s Phaedo Socrates tries to explain to his friends why he is “of good cheer in the face of death” (63e). He argues that those who practice philosophy are actually training in preparation for death. It would be absurd for philosophers to be fearful or resentful of death, he argues, since they have wanted and practiced for it a long time (64a–68a). In this paper I shall present Socrates’ argument for this conclusion and critically evaluate it. The argument appears to…
imprisonment for fifteen years was better than the death penalty. Like Socrates in Plato’s Crito the lawyer was trying to contest society’s beliefs. While in confinement the lawyer reads many books, whose topics ranged from languages to philosophy. After fifteen years of solitary confinement the lawyer rejects his prize money and defaults on the bet, just hours before winning. I wonder if the man had read the Crito. We can reason that Socrates’ philosophy could have inspired the man to decide…
In Plato’s three works Crito, Apology, and Euthyphro, Socrates’ conception of virtue and pursuit of knowledge about virtue, leads him to question and in some cases reject the ideas of others. Examples that show this are: Socrates discussion with Crito, his questioning of Meletus in the Apology, his speech to the jury before and after his conviction, and in his discussion with Euthyphro about what is pious. The teachings of these three works seem to go hand and hand with one another, with the…
are unclear / ambiguous in their presentation / definition of the dichotomy present between love and desire, Socrates recounts that Diotima proposes that “love” can be classified as the “desire” which is shared between two (people); (ideally) coming to forge a potent and powerful bond between them. WHAT DOES DIOTIMA CLAIM LIES MIDWAY BETWEEN WISDOM OR KNOWLEDGE AND IGNORANCE? In Socrates’ retelling of Diotima’s speech, she claims that human contemplation is what lies between wisdom / knowledge…
interesting point: People resist change. In the Apology of Socrates, Socrates strongly challenges the city through philosophy, but in Crito, he submits to the laws of the city because it is ultimately the just thing to do. Because Socrates challenges the laws, he is sentenced to death, so it is not easy for Socrates to be a philosopher. In addition, Athens has a difficult reaction to philosophy. However, ultimately, Athens benefits…
Murphy states that if there are problems in the world, the public will turn to political leaders for help. When those leaders require assistance they turn to the philosophers to aid in making moral decisions. After reading Plato’s Apology, and Euthyphro we are left with the question of what role should a philosophical attitude play in a life that is intelligently lived. The answer is that it is a key component, according to Plato and Murphy, in understanding how everything comes together…
Socrates views of civil disobedience are not as consistent in Crito and in the Apology as his words and actions were in life. Although he is known to be an authentic, honest and wise man who took pride in recognizing ignorance while searching for the truth, at the end of his journey, his views seemed to be inharmonious with previous statements. Initially, he tries to persuade the jury, advises them to spare him as they would not find anyone else like him and attempts to justify his actions using…
likely derived from his brilliant teacher Socrates, who focused a great deal of his work on these very principles. Socrates highlights the individual experience as he explores piety and its many definitions in regard to his own self. In Plato’s dialogue Euthyphro, Socrates speaks with a sophist by the title name, searching for a universal definition of piety as a concept, concluding that such a form cannot be singularly defined. The Apology recounts Socrates’ trial, showing his defense…
times, during the fourth century it was deemed immoral and was often punishable by death. Socrates was renowned for being the first pioneer of philosophy and famously created the thinking strategy referred to as the Socratic seminar. Although he never documented his methodology, many of his top students would write down and continue his unique procedures for understanding the world around him. Plato, one of Socrates most prominent student, recorded Socrates’s trial in the piece, “Apology”. By…