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The Anti-Democratic Faces Of Socrates Analysis

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The Anti-Democratic Faces Of Socrates Analysis
The Anti-Democratic Faces of Socrates
Socrates is among an elite class of extraordinary human beings. Whether it is religion, politics or socioeconomic issues, Socrates' philosophy had a profound impact on Athenian civilization. His thoughts and ideas have sparked many debates and examinations of the way we live our lives even today. In the three dialogues Defence of Socrates, Euthyphro, and Crito, written by the philosopher Plato, one can find evidence that Socrates was not an enthusiast for democracy. The following will consider this evidence as a means for showing the anti-democratic faces of Socrates.
In Euthyphro, Socrates questions Euthyphro's prosecution of his father for murder. Their dialogue is a result of Socrates attempt to understand what is good and righteous. Socrates does not put much value in the ability of the people to judge the character of a person because his perception is that the people are easily swayed. "Athenians don't much care, it seems to me, if they think someone clever, so long as he's not imparting his wisdom to others; but once they think …show more content…
"The fact is that there is no person on earth whose life will be spared by you or by any other majority, if he is genuinely opposed to many injustices and unlawful acts, and tries to prevent their occurrence in our city. Rather, anyone who truly fights for what is just, if he is going to survive for even a short time, must act in a private capacity rather than a public one." His statement indicates that in a democratic society the majority vote can be unjust. This statement is further supported in his testimony to the occasion when the commission wanted a collective trial for ten generals who failed to do their job in a battle. Socrates was opposed to the illegality of the circumstances; however, he was out
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