Apology

Around 427 BCE, the philosopher Plato was born in Athens as a part of a noble Athenian lineage, although as time went on, an admiration for Sparta began to grow in Plato’s ideal state or government. This tendency to Sparta would have been caused by the trial of his teacher, Socrates, in which the Athenian democracy condemned him to kill himself by drinking hemlock poison due to accusations of impiety and corrupting the youth in Athens. Another reason of why Plato based his political ideas on…

The inconsistencies of Socrates In life it can be very easy to tell when someone doesn't know what they are talking about, but there are the few who can disguise their ignorance. Socrates is one of those few, he is able to trick his peers into believing he has superior knowledge to what is and what isn't, but in reality he creates and develops his ideas as he is going in the Republic, his ideas are improvised and molded around the questions and comments his peers give to him. Throughout the…

Carl: Sam, would you say that Socrates' trial was not fair because he was not guilty of the sentenced crimes? Sam: Well it was an extreme denunciation for such petty accusations. Carl: Since we agree that Socrates was wronged, I think Socrates was stoically accepting unjust Laws. He didn’t try to convince the jury of his innocence. Do you think Socrates did right by staying and facing death, or should he have escaped? Sam: I think that Socrates believed that he was doing the right thing by…

Plato’s allegory of the cave is an excellent representation of misconception. Plato describes how countless people lack the knowledge in the Theory of Forms and as a result, the people are unable to turn and see what is behind them. Meaning that such people who are unable to move their heads will mistake what is in front of them for the truth, rather than try and look at what is behind them and learn from it. Whether one wants to accept the reality for what it is or stay in a blissful ignorance…

In aphorisms 4 and 6, Nietzsche discusses his rather blunt perception of what he thinks of Socrates’ belief in reason, the Socratic equation, and the nature of dialecticism and those who practice it. After a rather painstaking analysis of his critique, Nietzsche’s disliking for Socrates can be attributed to what he believes to be dialecticism and how Socrates defended himself in court almost 2000 years before. The entire premise Nietzsche bases his argument on is a concept he calls “Will to…

Cassondra Britton A Modern Day Socrates: Bob Ross Socrates was a classical Greek philosopher who is considered one of the founders of Western philosophy. A man who was too progressive for his time, Socrates’ radical ideas, such as the rejection of materialistic society, challenged those whose wealth shielded them from the masses. This progressive man defied common beliefs, and confronted those who held those beliefs. An unexpected teacher of many, Socrates was a visionary whose ideas challenged…

Starting The Republic, Book I, Socrates goes down to Piraeus (Plato 327a, p1). He is stopped by Polemarchus and begins the debate on what justice is with Cephalus (329a, p3). Cephalus explains his view of justice which Socrates shows is incorrect. Polemarchus, then, picks up where his father left off and looks to explain what justice is. However, unlike his father, Polemarchus explains justice as “friends owe something good to their friends, never something bad” (Plato, 332 a10, p6). Continuing…

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…

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…

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.…