There are numerous reasons why Socrates is more important and influential than George W. Bush. After the 9/11 incident, the world supported America and Americans were united. However, President Bush lost his opportunity to unite America and the world by deciding to invade Iraq. One of his main reasons for invading Iraq was to get rid of the country’s weapons of mass destruction, which turned out to be false. America’s reputation had been negatively impacted and its image much damaged due to the invasion of Iraq, which was a potent factor in the formation of ISIS.…
Doesn’t the same hold for all the other things? Don’t you call shapes and colours admirable on the account of either some pleasure or benefit or both?…
This quote is significant because it exemplifies the way Socrates uses HIS method. Socrates uses metaphors in order to humbly enlighten his audience. At times Socrates structure of explanation is perceived to be complex and or difficult to interpret. To simplify what he is attempting to get across usually takes a thorough examination. Socrates is from ancient times and his methodology still suits fit to modern day. Analyzing the context of his circumstances before death alone goes to show the depth of understanding one needs to comprehend his ideology and beliefs. This quote also provides us with the notion of not being selfish and to avoid pretentious. When one thinks about death or the chance of dying when they’re in a predicament because…
There are numerous charges against Socrates in the reading of The Apology. The basic charges against him include impiety, corrupting the youth, and theorizing about unknown topics. He does not believe in the gods that the state does, and therefore seeks for natural explanations to processes that occur in the world around him. He did not recognize the gods and introduced other new divinities. Socrates was charged with corrupting the youth. Due to the constant asking of questions and inquiry, it lead him to try to discover new things about life. Since he looked for natural reason, he began to teach others about his understandings. His followers soon began to imitate his methods and expose other people as unwise which was a threat to the order…
On another note, Socrates doesn’t understand why being honest with himself and the people should be cause for execution. If the nobility’s beliefs are so self-evidently true, why are they so defensive when questioned? Socrates doesn’t intend to tear down the ideology rather, he wants to point out concepts that could be adjusted. In other words, he wants the people to care for the city itself more than its materialistic aspects. Critiquing the views of the well-respected should be met with open arms rather than execution.…
In this paper, I will evaluate Socrates’ argument from Phaedo for why philosophers should desire death, perhaps only secondly to wisdom. I will argue that Socrates unfairly characterizes the truthfulness of the senses, and therefore projects a pessimistic view of the philosopher’s virtue during life. This pessimism towards life in conjunction with arguments for an afterlife that liberates reason, seems to suggest that Socrates believes philosophers should desire death: a happy prospect for condemned man, but perhaps a biased one.…
“The most intriguing people you will encounter in this life are the people who had insights about you, that you didn't know about yourself” (Alder). This quote can be used to show why the great Greek philosopher, Socrates is deemed as being so intriguing. During his time, Socrates was seen as a great threat because he tended to break free from the normal way of thinking and inevitably, people became afraid of him. Socrates was eventually put to death on account of “corrupting the youth” and being an “atheist,” which were false claims against him to cover up the fact that his accusers simply didn’t like him or his ways. When reading Plato’s Republic, Socrates is shown as being very intriguing because of: his humble ways, his Socratic method,…
In the Gorgias1, Socrates says, “I think that I am the only or almost the only Athenian living who practices the true art of politics; I am the only politician of my time”, while in the Apology2, he claims that “he who will really fight for the right, if he would live even for a little while, must have a private station and not a public one.” As we know, Socrates did manage to live for over 70 years, and did indeed confine himself to a private stance; but how can one be a politician without being a public figure? Or was Socrates not a true champion of justice, as he maintained to be?…
Virtue, rather than being a teachable piece of knowledge, seems to be an innate understanding. Every person in the world, save perhaps psychopaths and sociopaths, naturally has a strong moral compass. An example that proves this idea is the innocence of children. I have never witnessed a child perform an action with solely malicious intent. Children always have some outside motivation for any hateful actions they perform, so they never do it only to hurt someone. At this point you might think that, yes, children do not do anything with only malicious purposes, but the fact remains that they continue to perform such actions. This is true, but honestly, how have children learned to do such hateful things? No child would consider cursing at anyone if they were angry, but since they observe others performing these actions, the children begin to develop the idea in their minds that doing so must relieve their suffering. It seems, then, that humans learn harmful…
One of the major themes that Socrates heavily focused on in his speech was the philosophical ideas of wisdom and a description of Socrates’ own wisdom as well. Older accusers had allegedly claimed that Socrates did not believe in gods, and instead would try to explain phenomenons through physical explanations instead, as well as the fact that Socrates would teach others how to make a weak argument triumph a stronger one by using clever rhetorics. In Socrates’ defense, he has stated that he does not have any kind of competence and expertise in any of these areas. This statement truly divides Socrates from sophists and even Presocratics, as teachers that each belong to these organizations assert that only through experience and examination they can gain…
Socrates suggests that rhetoric, practiced by Gorgias, is not an area of expertise or “tekhne” as they describe. Socrates believes that it is just a branch of flattery. The definition of flattery is such: Flattery is a representation of false arts in Socrates’ opinion. People who try and create good impressions just for excitement and pleasure are practicing flattery. Socrates states that the false arts are standing against the true forms of art, which target the good for its own sake. Socrates tries to prove this in his writing.…
you able to show that your father was guilty of murder, or that all the…
In The Odyssey, there seem to be many common rules of life that everyone knows about and lives by including hospitality, loyalty, and justice. However, telling the truth takes a back seat to these other virtues for many of the main characters. Plenty of times, it appears that telling the truth ends up making a situation turn out horribly wrong, while lying and deceiving other characters ends up being the smarter thing to do. The theme of deception and lying in The Odyssey is especially important because it shows the prominence of the gods to the characters who are lying. This trait brings out a side of the characters that would otherwise remain hidden throughout the book. However, this hidden side of the characters the reader sees is not necessarily a fatal flaw, but more of a smart choice.…
Some may feel that lying is never acceptable,because it’s morally wrong, however, I believe lying is acceptable when it can be used to protect others. Cohen states in article 1 “ If you’re on the way to an awards ceremony,you say, you look fabulous” For example you wouldn’t want to hurt your friends feelings so you would tell them a lie to keep them from misunderstanding. Marianna states in article 4 that “We would pretend to call each other’s homes and be the teacher. For instance, if you would want to protect your friends from getting in trouble you would do anything for them.…
1. What are the needs of the political community? What must all political communities do to insure their survival? What about Philosophy? What does philosophy seek? How does it go about this process?…