Preview

Chapter 35-37 Of Plato's Apology

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
355 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Chapter 35-37 Of Plato's Apology
On pages 35-37 of Plato’s philosophical dialogue “Apology” (389 BCE), Socrates argues that if he is wise it’s because he, unlike others, knows that he is not wise and he knows that people can not know when they think they know. In the beginning of the dialogue socrates sets up the question on why he is in trouble with the court(for corrupting the youth) and where did his reputation come from. He explains to the court that the oracle pronounced him as being the most wise and that no one else was wiser than him. Being confused on why the Gods would say this, Socrates explains the stories to the court on how he ventured out to search for wiser man to prove the oracle wrong but along the way he realizes that the politicians, poets, and artisans

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    In Plato’s Apology Socrates is not really apologizing. He is not sorry for his actions, he is defending them. Socrates forms his argument as more of a conversation than a formal speech. This is because he is not familiar with the way that the courts of the law work, so he will speak the way he is used to speaking. Socrates explains that his behavior came from being told that he is the wisest of all men by the oracle Delphi. He decides that since he is ignorant to things that most men have knowledge of, he must be the wisest because he knows nothing. He decides that it is his duty to question all of the other men to uncover their ignorance and lack of wisdom. The younger people like this, but the men being questioned hate him for this.…

    • 199 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Plato’s Apology and Crito tells a story of the defense of Socrates, and his reasons for not escaping prison. The Apology is a long speech by Socrates about the accusations made by his accusers, Socrates position about these accusations, the verdict, and Socrates reaction to the verdict. Crito describes Socrates in prison waiting to be put to death. The story is set in Athens. Socrates is being accused of being an evil doer, corrupting the youth, and for not believing in the gods. Socrates chooses to defend himself and ask the jury to allow him to speak in his normal manner because he has never been in a court room. Socrates starts his defense by denying all charges and addressing them one by one. He starts with the accusation of being an…

    • 359 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Socrates does not in fact tell his associates anything, but rather helps them understand ideas that were already in them through his series of questions that test whether what his associate says is of truth or not, and so he is not actually giving any knowledge. In the Meno, he shows an example of what he does when he attempts to “bring forth” geometry knowledge from a Greek slave boy. The boy answers some questions incorrectly at first before stating that he does not know. Socrates then continues to ask the boy more questions, and as the boy answers them, he comes to understand it without Socrates ever actually telling the boy anything at all. Socrates then states that “Then he will have knowledge without being taught by anyone but only questioned, since he will have recovered the knowledge from inside himself” (Meno, 85c-85d). He is saying that the boy is able to gain knowledge from Socrates asking him multiple questions about it constantly, and it will come forth within his associates, without him actually telling them anything at all. He also elaborates on this type of wisdom that he has in the Apology, saying “I thought this man seemed wise to many people, and especially to himself, but wasn’t. Then I tried to show him that he thought himself wise, but wasn’t.” (Apology, 21c-21e). Here, Socrates is stating that he has no knowledge, but rather questions the ideas of his associates to help them become more wise. This also showcases the type of wisdom that he does possess, which is knowing that he does not know…

    • 984 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Death is one of the most discussed topics that has always risen a lot of doubt and concerns . Many philosophers and writers, through the centuries, have tried to find a definition or a reason for this mysterious and inevitable event. Analyzing Plato’s Apology, he seemed to have a positive view about death. He claimed that death is a “state of nothingness and utter unconsciousness”; in fact, he compared death with the act of sleeping. But since death is more deep and irreversible, humans cannot be bothered by dreams or thought because they’re dead, whereas this could happen while they’re sleeping. So death is a state of relaxing for the soul and for this motivation he considered death as a conquer for human’s life. He also pointed out another…

    • 579 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    2) Socrates did not always think that he was wise, many people labeled him as a teacher. Socrates did not really care for this label. He did not really think that he knew much. Socrates had a friend named Chaerephon who went to the oracle the God of Delphi. Cheaerephon asked the oracle is there any one wiser then Socrates, the oracle answered no (21a). Socrates did not understand this and set out to prove the oracle wrong. While out to prove the oracle wrong Socrates realized he is wise but not because he knew everything, but because he realized he knew nothing and didn’t act as if he did.…

    • 260 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Plato's Apology, Socrates a philosopher is standing trial for charges that are not easily proven. Socrates has two sets of charges brought against him the “old” charges that Socrates claims that have been talked about for a very long time “there are many of these accusers, and they have been accusing me for a long time now.”(Plato 18c) His second set of charges known as the “new’ charges represent more straight forward claims. New charges called onto Socrates is that he is guilty of corrupting the youth as well as not believing in the gods in which the city chooses to believe in. Despite accusation for many of these false crimes Socrates is allowed a chance to argue his position against his accusers, which is what Socrates does best. However…

    • 1096 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Plato’s Apology and Xenophon’s Apology, Socrates is facing charges for his actions. This opens a slew of questions about the charges against Socrates. Throughout the books, the charges that Socrates faces are failure to know the gods about the city, promoting unfamiliar spiritual ideas, and for corrupting the youth. This varies from book to book as each book talks about the relationship between philosophy and the city and how it plays a role. It dives into the bigger question: does education lead to virtue or corruption?…

    • 2336 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When Socrates questioned the poets, the poets believed that they had the ability to speak brilliantly about various issues. However, Socrates revealed that although they each wrote amazing works of art, their intelligence did not come from wisdom, but instead, came from an impulse which wasn’t associated with their genius. As Socrates interrogated the craftsmen, he seemed to find men who genuinely contained much wisdom in their craft, but the men thought that their abilities in a certain field granted them to speak officially in other fields that they were associated with, although they truly knew nothing. Each case shows that Socrates confirmed that he would prefer to be as he is, stating that he truly knows nothing, rather than to be filled with a false impression of his own wisdom. Socrates states, “So I asked myself on behalf of the oracle whether I would prefer to be as I am, being in no way wise in their wisdom or ignorant in their ignorance, or to have both things that they have. I answered myself and the oracle that it profits me to be just as I am”…

    • 695 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the first wave of Plato Republic V, Socrates states that capable women must have equal education as capable men and have equal rights in leadership with guardian men. However, it is then stated that the male gender is superior to the female gender in almost every profession, and goes even further to state that women are weaker then men. This essay will discuss the significance of Socrates' proposal along with why Socrates has such a radical interpretation of equality.…

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Why Is Socrates Not Wise

    • 762 Words
    • 4 Pages

    He first went with a politician " who had the reputation of wisdom." As they began to converse Socrates noticed he really wasn't all that wise as the people and the politician himself believed. Since the politician believed he was wise but really wasn’t Socrates really knew he wasn’t wise because at least he knew he wasn’t wise. After examining the politician he went to a poets of all sort but they all had the same diagnostic, that they weren't wise.…

    • 762 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This statement is puzzling because he is saying he is wise but yet ignorant. People believe that in order to be wise you must know all. Ignorant people claim to know everything and have no idea how much they do not know. According to the statement, it appears that Socrates believes that a truly wise man is one who seeks wisdom and therefore is not wise. Wisdom is a process, not an end. The more knowledge one gains, the more aware one becomes of how much more there is to know.…

    • 409 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Plato's Republic: Book V

    • 1232 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Plato's most famous work is undoubtedly The Republic it has weathered the test of time to provide us with the most influential philosophical doctrine surviving from the ancient Mediterranean. Over the years Plato has been hailed by some as an advocate of women's rights because of some views he puts forth in The Republic. In Book V of the work Plato has Socrates, acting as his voice, engage in a discussion of the perfect state with Polemarchus, Adeimantus, Glaucon, and Thrasymachus. In the conversation Socrates puts forth the notion that women should be equal to men and that just because a person is of a certain sex it does not mean that they cannot still be beneficial to the operation of the society. This idea will be the focus of this paper, specifically the question of whether or not Plato's utopian society depends on the realization of equality between the sexes. In examining this question it must be kept in mind that notion of equality that is put forth in Book V is not in the modern day sense. Plato is exploring the possibility that women in ancient Greek society remained an untapped resource that was confined mainly to the household and devoid of civic duties.…

    • 1232 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    He explains that he has no experience with the law courts and that he will instead speak in the manner to which he is accustomed: with honesty and directness. He explains that his behavior stems from a prophecy by the oracle at Delphi which claimed that he was the wisest of all men. Recognizing his ignorance in most worldly affairs, Socrates concluded that he must be wiser than other men only in that he knows that he knows nothing. In order to spread this peculiar wisdom, Socrates explains that he considered it his duty to question supposed "wise" men and to expose their false wisdom as ignorance. These activities earned him much admiration amongst the youth of Athens, but much hatred and anger from the people he embarrassed. He cites their contempt as the reason for his being put on…

    • 4852 Words
    • 20 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the book,” Plato’s Symposium,” by Plato, who was a philosopher in Greece, he illustrates the dialectic discussion in a party at Agathon’s to celebrate his triumph of his first tragedy. In the Symposium; the guests Phaedrus, an Athenian aristocrat; Pausanias, the legal expert; Eryximachus, a physician; Aristophanes, eminent comic playwright; Agathon ,a tragic poet and host of the banquet; Socrates, eminent philosopher and Plato's teacher; and Alcibiades, a prominent Athenian statesman, orator and general; discuss their own versions and viewpoints to praise the god of love. First we have Phaedrus who starts to say that love is the most ancient of the gods and should be praise worthy, next we have Eryximachus who states that love affects everything…

    • 1247 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Before one can examine a path to knowledge, one must try to understand, and define what knowledge is. In Plato’s Five dialogues, Socrates critiques the individuals who are thought to be the most knowledgeable, specifically in the Apology, when Socrates is explaining a conversation he had with a well-respected intellectual in the community. Socrates states: "When I began to talk with him, I could not help thinking that he was not really wise, although he was thought wise by many, and wiser still by himself; and I went and tried to explain to him that he thought himself wise, but was not really wise…I am better off than he is - for he knows nothing, and thinks that he knows. I neither know nor think that I know (Plato p 26) Rousseau states, in his book, Discourse in inequality, that “One must not take the kind of research which we enter as the pursuit of truth of history, but solely as hypothetical and conditional reasonings, better fitted to clarify the nature of things than to…

    • 1161 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays