Last Day of Socrates
The Last Days of Socrates In Plato’s book, The Last Day of Socrates, he continues to tell the story of the amount of knowledge Socrates tries to educate his fellow Athenians with, and the consequences he has to face. Plato was known as Socrates’ most prominent student, who wrote this book because he wanted to make Athens stronger. Plato is using us as his “students” to teach after seeing his teacher exiled. This book was translated originally by Hugh Tredennick, which was later revised by Harold Tarrant who expanded the introductions. By reading The Last Days of Socrates, a university student can gain insight on the Olympic Gods/Religion, and the politics/education in Classical Age Greece.
Olympic Gods/Religion Socrates did not participate in societies worship towards the Gods, and the people of Athens were furious in result. The jurors were already influenced on what they thought of Socrates before these actions took place. They had already considered Socrates a fool because of the Euthyphro case where they had debated about holiness. In the debate you could notice how he asks a lot of questions and the amount of arrogance he uses. Not to mention the sophists who were also against Socrates because he believed that what they did by tutoring others to argue and spin words without any foundation was useless. “Socrates is guilty of corrupting the minds of the young, and of believing in supernatural things of his own invention instead of the Gods recognized by the State” (Plato 48). The jurors were not happy with the fact that Socrates did not believe in the Gods they believed in. Socrates states that he teaches people to believe in some Gods, which implies that he is not completely atheist but still does not believe in the same Gods recognized by State.
After the jurors had found Socrates guilty he felt that he had to be put to death. If he was just banished or put in prison the rest of his life it would go against all his morals and make him look like a fool.
Olympic Gods/Religion Socrates did not participate in societies worship towards the Gods, and the people of Athens were furious in result. The jurors were already influenced on what they thought of Socrates before these actions took place. They had already considered Socrates a fool because of the Euthyphro case where they had debated about holiness. In the debate you could notice how he asks a lot of questions and the amount of arrogance he uses. Not to mention the sophists who were also against Socrates because he believed that what they did by tutoring others to argue and spin words without any foundation was useless. “Socrates is guilty of corrupting the minds of the young, and of believing in supernatural things of his own invention instead of the Gods recognized by the State” (Plato 48). The jurors were not happy with the fact that Socrates did not believe in the Gods they believed in. Socrates states that he teaches people to believe in some Gods, which implies that he is not completely atheist but still does not believe in the same Gods recognized by State.
After the jurors had found Socrates guilty he felt that he had to be put to death. If he was just banished or put in prison the rest of his life it would go against all his morals and make him look like a fool.