Essay on Socrates - 2140 Words

The First Advocate for Free Speech – Socrates The precise facts about how and why the great Greek philosopher Socrates was sentenced and executed remains one of the biggest puzzles in history, even to this day. Socrates lived and philosophized in Athens, which is said to be the ancient model for a democracy. Yet, it seems like the Athenians sentenced to death a respected member of their society for speaking his mind and standing by his principles. Now how democratic is that? What makes the situation more riddling is that the only two journals for the events surrounding the death of Socrates are written by Plato and Xenophon, who are his followers. Some historians argue the picture they presented in their works is intended to imply†¦show more content†¦Trying to be humble and denying his believes would probably be the right strategy, but Socrates just stays true to his principles. Even when saying we is a humble man who knows nothing, it is obvious he does not mean it, he just puts a meaning behind it. In the progress of the trial Socrates also claims that apart from being not guilty, he should be actually viewed as a hero. He mentions his service in the battles against Sparta, and again going one step further he compares himself to the great hero of the Trojan war - Achilles. The analogy made here is that Socrates like Achilles does not keep into account â€Å"the matters of living and dying† (28b, Apology). Just like Achilles even fear of death will not make him stop exercising his way of thinking and philosophizing the way he always did. This basically means that the only way to make Socrates stop doing what he was accused of is by sending him to death. He sees his manner of living as a duty. Socrates never got paid for his work as a teacher, and therefore has never been restrained by the need of having to satisfy anyone but his feeling of self-content. So what he does here is, saying that even though he loves Athens, it will never make him change who he is and what he is destined to always do. Socrates makes a point about how his way of thinking is the right one and should be adopted by this democratic society, but is aware this is unlikely to happen now and will mostShow MoreRelated Socrates Essay1261 Words   |  6 Pages SOCRATES Socrates was a Greek philosopher who lived between 470-399 B.C. He turned Greek attention toward questions of ethics and virtue and away from those of the heavenly bodies. Socrates spent much time in the Agora (marketplace) where he held conversations with townspeople. Socrates believed that real truth could be found out through thought and collaboration with others. He was known for exposing ignorance, hypocrisy, and conceit. Despite having many followers, Socrates was disliked by mostRead More Socrates Essay1087 Words   |  5 PagesThe problem remains making philosophy friendly to politics. 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Rather than writing books and recording his thoughts himself, he orally passedRead MoreSocrates and Properties Essay3228 Words   |  13 Pages Socrates and Properties By Characterizing himself –Socrates- as both ignorant and wise, he presents us with one of the most striking paradoxes. Like so many of the other philosophers, is provocative in that its apparent self-contradiction hides an important idea for us readers to discover. Though out this text Socrates ignorance results from his belief that he has no knowledge of moral idea, or moral properties, such as justice, virtue, piety, and beauty. He asserts that, if only he knew theRead More Socrates Essay examples3029 Words   |  13 PagesSocrates Philosophy was both serious and dangerous, Socrates chose to ignore both. Ignoring the first made him one of the most engaging of all philosophers, ignoring the second was to cost him his life. He was born in a middle class home in Athens, in 470 BCE. His parents were Phaenarete and Sophroniscus. His mother had a reputation for her patient and intuitive skill in delivering babies in and around the neighborhood. The latter, his father was a craftsman, stonecutter by trade. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;As