Crito

known as the Socratic Dialogues because he stays really close within the text to Socrates’ educations. They were most likely written in the twelve years he had been travelling, between 399 and 387 BC. Other texts demoted to this group include the Crito, Euthyphro, Lysis Laches, Hippias Minor and Major and Charmides. Plato established a school of learning, which is called the Academy, when he returned to Athens in 387 BC. The Academy is often described as the first European university. Its…

Some think that Socrates proposing aristocracy because of his ties with sons of the rich and wealthy. However, Socrates says that he does not teach them anything and they do follow him in free will(23c). Also in a dialogue with one of his students Crito, he refuses to take help to escape, and talks about importance of obeying the laws. I do not think that Socrates is teaching his followers to become rulers, but rather makes them think and make their own conclusions. In the time of the 'Thirty…

Major Players Socrates Many people knew of Socrates in ancient Greece but few knew the reach his teachings had and how it would impact the world. We don't know much from Socrates himself, many of the informational texts we have about his life were written by his students and playmakers; Plato, Xenophon and Aristophanes. Many of the elders Socrates questioned would abandon their aspirations and create schools to teach and spread the ideology of philosophy. Plato, his most famous student, became…

According to Socrates, “an unexamined life is not worth living”. However, people generally go through life without exploring their reasons for living or formulating desires to fuel a purpose. Which brings up the question, are there lives worthless from the philosophical standpoint of Socrates? Or is our social function in society a sufficient reason to live, even if it means we do not have a purpose for ourselves. In the case of Ivan Illych, the protagonist of Leo Tolstoy “The Death Of Ivan…

“In what relation the Apology of Plato stands to the real defence of Socrates, there are no means of determining.” This is a quote from Plato’s Apology, it is the beginning line and it explains the whole dialogue. It sets the stage for the rest of the reading. Plato’s Apology is a dialogue where Plato basically narrates Socrates life. It is one of four dialogues that he does about Socrates. The only things we know about Socrates are things that Plato wrote down for him, Socrates wasn’t much of a…

Opposing Visions of a Leader and the Ways in Which a Political System Should be Run In times of war, violence, political upheaval, and uncertainty, revolutionary thinkers often emerge to question how rulers can be effective, and what responsibilities they have to the people they rule. Socrates, who fought in the Peloponnesian war and lived during the thirty Tyrants period questioned authority. He challenged societal norms; and tried to change the values of the public. Machiavelli, lived…

Creative Corrections Prison has been around since the beginning of time and has played various roles throughout its history. To understand how copying and creativity have influenced our corrections system we must understand how crime and punishment have been dealt with in the past. Through analyzing the history behind prisons and punishment we can see how copying and creativity has made its mark on the idea of prison. Copying and creativity have played an active role in shaping the western…

It is difficult to overstate the significance of Socrates, the historical figure. In one respect, Socrates can be viewed as the founder of critical thinking, as those who wrote about his life depicted Socrates questioning individuals’ presuppositions. German political philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel takes this reverence of Socrates a step further, crediting Socrates not only with the advent of critical thinking, but also with the revelation of “subjective consciousness”. According to…

When it comes to the topic of laws, most of us will readily agree that breaking the laws is unjust. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of if there is ever a time when a law can acceptably be broken. Whereas some are convinced that laws should never be broken, others maintain that there are some instances where laws should be broken. Socrates and Antigone would agree with the statement that disobeying laws is never the answer. Likewise, I have always believed that…

Socrates’ death. Socrates had been fated to commit suicide by drinking hemlock as poison and before that he requested that he spend time with his fellow philosophers and companions of his long life. Phaedo states that among many friends were were Crito and two Pythagorean philosophers, Simmias and Cebes. Socrates says to to his friends that" a true philosopher should look forward to death. "The purpose of the philosophical life is to free the soul from the needs of the body. Since the moment of…