Socrates’ Conviction Was Socrates guilty of the charges brought against him? Does his trial and execution represent the effective functioning of the Athenian democracy‚ or a failure of it? Why‚ in a society relishing freedom and democracy‚ would a seventy-year-old philosopher be executed for what he was teaching? What could Socrates have done to prompt a jury of 500 Athenians send him to his death just a few years before he would have died naturally? He was charged with not believing in the gods
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standards of a form. Plato includes the characters of Socrates and Meno‚ a pupil of Gorgias‚ to discuss the nature of virtue and knowledge. The dialogue is provoked by Meno posing the question: “How will you look for [virtue]‚ Socrates‚ when you do not know at all what it is? How will you aim to search for something you do not know at all? If you should meet with it‚ how ill you know that this is the thing that you did not know?” (Meno 80d). Socrates begins his discussion with Meno by comparing himself
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persuade Socrates to escape from jail so as to avoid his death sentence. This essay will set out to elaborate on the things Plato would say to both Crito and Socrates‚ if he were to be in jail with them. In addition‚ this essay will elaborate further on the reasons Plato would not agree that Socrates’ decision‚ to stay in jail and accept his death sentence‚ would eventually result in happiness. Thus‚ I will establish the stand that Plato would take sides with Crito who claims that Socrates should escape
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beginning of the Republic‚ Socrates discusses justice in the general. His inoculators‚ Glaucon and Thrasymachos‚ both have differing views on justice which are discussed in Book 1 and Book 2 of the Republic. For Thrasymachos‚ justice is to the advantage of the stronger and the disadvantage of the weaker. Essentially‚ this argument is parallel to might is right; survival of the fittest etc. This is why the stronger people rule and make laws in the polis; however‚ Socrates points out a flaw in that
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Assignment I: Is Socrates a good citizen? Discuss with reference to the Apology and the Crito. The Socratic Citizen Plato’s Socrates is a character plagued and prized with contradictions. He professed to care for nothing so much as virtue and human excellence but was incriminated by the greatest and most open democracy in ancient history. He was wrongfully convicted‚ yet unwilling to avoid his unjust execution. He is at once the most Athenian‚ citizenly‚ patriotic‚ and other-regarding of philosophers—and
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"If I do not know what something is‚ how could I know what qualities it possesses?" (Socrates) this idea presented to Meno creates the foundation for what is called Meno’s Paradox. This paradox evaluates the question of how are we to find things in the universe if we cannot know where to begin to look? And if we know where to look for the answer then why are we looking? Socrates‚ however‚ challenges Meno’s idea by saying that we may not know all things but we know some and by using deductive reasoning
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Divine and Human Law The Trial and Death of Socrates Many have puzzled over Socrates’ contradictory statements between Plato’s Apology and its sequel‚ the Crito. The stance on justice that Socrates articulates in the Apology seems to be immediately contradicted by the moral opinions he expresses in the Crito. While in a broad sense Socrates appears to offer opposing opinions in each work‚ when one looks more closely at the meaning behind Socrates’ words‚ he will find that his apparent inconsistencies
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life not worth living? Socrates was a great man‚ and is said to be one of the greatest philosophers in history‚ some may find this notion questionable‚ based on some of his own teachings. One famous quote is: “The unexamined life is not worth living” Is the unexamined life not worth living? On the contrary‚ it is! It seems respectful and good to paint a portrait of Socrates‚ in the manner I will. There is no question that Socrates was and still is the most interesting
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In “The Apology” Socrates reveals a profound defense that no one knowingly does evil. Socrates defense does not rely on the right to freely expressing ones ideas‚ but rests entirely on revealing the ignorance of his accusers. This defense begins after Meletus declares that Socrates solely corrupts the youth by himself; everyone else in Athens helps the youth. Socrates creates an analogy and compares Meletus statement to horses and horse-trainers. Socrates exposes that horse-trainers must have many
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During his lifetime Socrates’ various interactions with his fellow Athenians left his intentions debatable. Popular belief in Athens seemed to be that‚ “he [Socrates] was an evildoer‚ and a curious person‚ who searches into things under the earth and in heaven¸ and makes the worse appear the better cause” (Plato‚ pg. 5) as stated by the unofficial charges against him in The Apology. After discussions‚ his interlocutor’s were left confused in a state of aporia‚ with no conclusion. And so while negative
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