Socratic Irony

The topic of my paper is the philosophy of Socrates. Specifically I will discuss Socratic irony and the Socratic method of inquiry. The main points I will cover are; what was Socratic irony, and why did he use the method he did to seek the truth? My paper consists of three main parts. First a description of the more important books by Plato, about Socrates; sines Plato is the main source for information about Socrates. The second part is an analysis of the texts, focusing on the above stated topics. The last part is a conclusion and further questions brought up by my research. So what is Socrates philosophy? The Euthyphro is an early and to some, a controversial dialogue recounted by Plato. It swiftly discusses a question in ethics, consisting
of a conversation between Socrates and Euthyphro, who claims expertise in a certain field of ethics.
The conference ends abruptly, and inconclusively but is riddled with Socratic irony. Socrates assumes the role of a curious student hoping to learn from a pious expert, when in fact he shows Euthyphro to be crass, knowing nothing about holiness. Perhaps the most intriguing attitude of the dialogue is that it ends in an unresolved manner. Such inconclusiveness is not unique to the Euthyphro, but it is worth inspecting nonetheless. With such a hasty end to a burgeoning conversation, Plato may be suggesting that no definition of holiness can be found, that piety may be a point of view, so to speak. Of course, it must be said that Socrates would vigorously oppose such an idea. We as readers, may associate the incomplete dialogue to the dialogue form itself and the irony that Socrates uses. Teaching is not a basic interrogation, nor is learning as simple as giving a correct answer. Yet, rather the teacher-student exchange depends on leading the student to the right answers, while confirming that the student can interpret and explain those ideas, instead of just memorize them. The form of dialogue in the Euthyphro is ideal for this kind exchange as it shows Socrates leading Euthyphro through his own reasoning, and thereby letting Euthyphro
sort things out for himself. Socratic irony is present because Socrates is conversing with Euthyphro as if he were a student when, paradoxically, Socrates is teaching Euthyphro. This situation is important in order to encourage Euthyphro to show and analyze his stances, and thus, to lead him to see their faults for himself. However, it may be said that Euthyphro is not reasoning correctly at all. The idea that Euthyphro holds equates what is holy with what is approved of by the Gods. Arguing skillfully, Socrates illustrates that this idea is insufficient- what is holy may be approved by Gods, yet, the two cannot be congruous. If the Gods approve of something because its essence is holy, then such approval cannot be responsible for such a thing being holy. Also, if something is indeed holy because of the Gods approval, we, as mortals, don't know why the Gods approve of it. It may be that any attempt to assert our definition of holiness in the will or approval of the Gods is destined to fail. One may normally associate holiness with some form of divine will but Socrates suggests that we might think along another line completely. Rather, Socrates maybe suggesting to learn the virtue of piety itself, demonstrating a kind of pious wisdom. The Apology is the account of Socrates speech to the Athenian judges at his trial. He is accused of corrupting the youth and not praying to the gods of the state. This speech is not an apology, but rather a speech like his arguments that pointed out the flaws in the thinking of his accusers. Socrates began his journey to find truth in definition after the Oracle of Delhi told Socrates that he was the wisest of all men. However Socrates wisdom stems from his acknowledgment of his ignorance. He made it his life goal to find another someone wiser then he. Socrates method of inquiry made him unpopular with the powers that be in Athens. He states that it is their contempt that has brought him to the presence of the Athenian judges. Soon after, Socrates begins interrogating Meletus, the individual most responsible for Socrates' trial. Here, it becomes apparent that Platonic dialogue is absent within this exchange. Socrates' aggressive questioning of Meletus is a very poor sample of Platonic dialogue, as it is geared more to humiliating Meletus rather than reaching for truth. Eventually, Socrates uses his most famous analogy, comparing himself to a gadfly, stinging the apathetic horse- the very state. He argues that if he were absent, the state may drift toward moral weakness and apathy but through the nature of his teachings, the state could instead flourish under an umbrella of virtue. Ultimately, Socrates is found to be guilty, and is asked to propose a counter-penalty against that of death. Almost in mocking fashion, Socrates suggests that he should be provided with free meals for his life's duration for his service's provided free of charge to the state. He finally rejects prison and exile, instead offering to pay a fine, which in turn is rejected by the state. He is at last sentenced to death and Socrates accepts the verdict without emotion. Instead he states that none outside of the Gods know the going-on's after death, and to fear it would be absurd. However, he does caution the jury who condemned him, that although they have silenced him, ultimately it is they that will suffer a greater fate than himself. The book of Crito describes a visit by Socrates' friend of the same name, who has come to rescue Socrates from execution.
To persuade his friend, Crito argues that facing execution would destroy the social fabric of Socrates' friends; would be in ignorance of a peaceful life in exile; and would aid his enemies in his demise, leaving his sons fatherless. Socrates addresses the reputation argument first, stating that one should not concern himself with public opinion, but bother only with behaving well. Socrates argues that the only real question at hand is whether or not it is just for him to escape. Socrates says that an argument that shows just cause would spur him to flee, but otherwise, he must stay and face execution. Including the laws of Athens in his argument, Socrates believed that laws exist as a sole entity, and to break one is to break them all. He points out that the laws are a social contract that he has adhered to all his life, and as opposed to fleeing, he should stay within the law and try to persuade those powers to release him instead. In this way, Socrates decides it better to stay and accept his
fate. Socrates' final philosophy occurs in his cell as he awaits execution with Crito, Phaedo, and the pythagorean philosophers Cebes and Simmias present. Socrates begins by stating that suicide is wrong, but that a true philosopher awaits, and looks forward to death. He insists that the soul is immortal and that the philosopher spends life detaching the soul from the body. Socrates provides four excellent theories to back this claim. The first, called "Argument from opposites", states that everything comes to be from its opposite, meaning that life springs from death, and vise versa. In this way he implies that life is circular and that such a perpetual cycle is always repeated. Second is "Theory of recollection", meaning that all learning is a matter of recollecting what one may already know, showing that with lost knowledge at birth, a soul had survived a time, a place before. His third argument is the "Argument of Affinity" which states that the body is concrete and perishable, and that the soul is immaterial, invisible, and immortal, thus giving the soul the ability to survive death. Simmias argues that the soul can only survive as long as the body, or instrument, but Socrates puts his argument to rest by stating that his "theory of attunement" conflicts with Socrates' own "Theory of Recollection". Cebes, meanwhile, argues that although a soul may be long-lived, that in itself doesn't clearly show the immortality of the soul. This leads Socrates to his fourth stance: "The form of life", which says that all things posses what qualities they have only through involvement in these forms. Here, Socrates says "The form of life"is vital to the soul and as such, is unfathomable to think of the soul as anything but alive and immortal. Having completed his thoughts and defending his fate, Socrates then drinks the poisonous hemlock and fades to the waves of immortality in which he argued for. 1. Munn, Mark. The School Of History. University Of Berkeley, California Press. Berkeley, California: 2000.

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