Biography of Socrates, An Annotated Bibliography

Socrates was a Greek philosopher, who is one of the founders of western philosophy. Socrates never wrote down his ideas or thoughts; his student, Plato, wrote down his ideas and thoughts. Socrates was accused of expressing there were different Gods and he was brought to trial in 399.B.C.E. Socrates character, in the different passages I read, Euthyphro, Apology and Citro are a little contradictory. Also if the act of persuading the state is the only alternative to blind obedience, why did Socrates' in both of specifically in his defense and generally in his career make so little effort to persuade the people when they were acting unjustly? In this essay I hope to demonstrate how Socrates character contradicts in these different passages and

As a defender of civic virtue, the significance of obligation and authority of one’s representative government epitomizes the magnitude of respect that Socrates had for Athenian Jurisprudence, irrespective of the fact that he was prosecuted against. In the accounts of the Apology and Crito, there exists a plethora of evidence that demonstrate Socrates’s adherence of institutionalized authority. His loyalty of the Athenian State derives from his notion that the obligation to surrender to the law manifests a just society. One may ask, “how is it possible for a persecuted man to continue to profess allegiance to a polity that sought his trial and execution”? Though many would not have the capacity to sustain such integrity, Socrates had his reasons in

Socrates, in a simple but bold statement, proclaims wisdom as being the cardinal virtue. He believed that if one does not examine oneself, their life has no true meaning. Socrates defended the idea and virtue of self-examination, for he believed it is through change and growth that people attain self-betterment. Not only this, but this method of critical reflection also realigns values with what is actually important in life, such as wisdom and spirituality.

The Gorgias is a dialogue that starts off with a question of what rhetoric is, and from discussing what rhetoric is, develops into a inquiry of what justice and virtue is. While the readers should never leave the theme of rhetoric behind, this paper will focus solely on the topics of virtue and justice. By the second to last section of the Gorgias, we find that Socrates’ interlocutors are worn out by his refutations. Yet, Socrates cannot leave now, for his argument has not been complete. He has already been accused at least once of being womanly by being late to a fight; the philosopher cannot now accused of abandoning the virtue he champions and which we all might metaphorically agree he poses,

Socrates begins by discussing why his previous accusers accused him of what he did. “I will try to show you what has caused this reputation and slander...is none other than a certain kind of wisdom” (20d, 23a). His next point on human wisdom, is that it is not very valuable; “That one of you, O human beings, is wisest who, like Socrates, has become cognizant that in truth he is worth nothing with respect to wisdom” (23b). Socrates still believes however, that thinking about and examining wisdom is extremely important to live a fulfilling life.

Socrates; the founder of Western Philosophy, the first user of the Socratic method and Socratic irony, contributor to the field of ethics, and martyr for teaching what he thought was right. Indeed, Socrates is a household name, yet the picture many hold of Socrates may not be true to who Socrates actually was. Socrates considered himself a teacher and a thinker, not a writer, thus he wrote none of his teachings or thoughts down. As a consequence, the only surviving accounts of Socrates come second hand from his pupils, Plato and Xenophon, and from the playwright Aristophanes. However, it is difficult to tell how much of the Socrates depicted in the works of those men is embellishment or outright fabrication, and how much is truth. This problem, the Socratic Problem, has been troubling historians and philosophers for centuries, and will go on doing so. While the real Socrates may never be known, Socrates the character may be studied extensively through the works of his pupils. Plato’s Symposium depicts Socrates in an informal setting, getting drunk with friends, and offers an opportunity to see Socrates’ character and personality more clearly. While Symposium is set at a party, Socrates is still shown to be a larger-than-life, idealized character, who may have been too brilliant and perfect to be true.

Socrates’ second argument is an attempt to show that Callicles admiration of courageous men is inconsistent with the view that all pleasures are good regardless of their source or the character of those who experience them. Socrates provides the example of cowards in war, who are pained by the advance of the enemy and rejoice upon their retreat by at least as much as the courageous (498a5-ca). Therefore if pleasure is good then the coward who is happy by the enemy’s retreat is as good as the courageous, something which Callicles doesn’t want to portray as he believes the cowardly and foolish are bad. In the end Callicles is forced to admit a distinction between good and bad pleasures and this distinction in turn allows Socrates to condemn contemporary Athenian politicians for ministering to the pleasures rather than the welfare of their people. From that point on Callicles so disgusted by the outcome only replies to Socrates in a formal manner thereby allowing Socrates to engage in a lengthy monologue in which the choice between philosophy and a public life is examined in the light of conclusions already established.9 Socrates argues that contemporary statesman are like poets pandering to the pleasures of the masses however Callicles thinks this only sensible for the ‘”leviathan” will kill you if you don’t humour it.’10 Callicles may well have been right in asserting that Socrates would be at the mercy of anyone who chooses to kill or injure him however immunity from

In Plato’s Apology and Crito, are two consecutive plays that explain how Socrates, which was considered an honored and the wisest man in all Athens by the oracle is sentenced to death by because he did not want to admit his wisdom and the importance of the Gods. In the Apology and Crito, it is seen how religion and politics are linked when Socrates is declared by the Delphic oracle the wisest man in the whole Athens because unlike other people in Athens, he knew he did not know anything, “I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing. “Socrates, Apology. Socrates beliefs in the Gods, especially Apollo, but by going against what the oracle says he faced political issues. After his declarations, Socrates is taken on a trial and he is accused of corrupting the youth and not believing what the oracle said. In his speech Socrates tries to defend himself by questioning one of his accusers, Miletus and using a series of sarcastic

Socrates is one of the most popular philosophers of all the times. He was the first to study ethics and principles of morality and he always claimed that he did not put knowledge in anyone, yet asked serious questions which contributed to numerous debates (Class notes). Despite his high intellectual level, Athens condemned him with several charges such as the corruption of youth as the society of this time viewed secular knowledge as an obstruction to the achievement of spiritual enlightenment (Class notes.) After his death and his famous trial, Socrates’s philosophy had an enormous impact on the Western Civilization. Socrates’ philosophy could be found in Plato’s works. For example, The Republic written in a form of discussion is an influential book that contributes to several debates. Even if some argue about the validity and accuracy of Plato’s works regarding Socrates’ philosophy, those works allow us to conclude that Socrates was devoted and dedicated to truth. Socrates was concerned with the immutable universal concept of truth, goodness, and justice and thus, wanted to transmit and instore those principles to the city of Athens.

Paul Johnson, the author of Socrates: A Man for Our Times, argues that part of heroism is philosophy at its last resort. Whoever is going after the excellence of the mind should have the courage, to practice philosophy to the point of sacrificing everything, even one’s life. Johnson argues that Socrates did just that. (194) Johnson goes on to say that Socrates was a “man and thinker, as a hugely real, living, and enjoyable human being.” (14) Through Socrates opinions, personality, and mostly his love for the people and the city of Athens overall made him a striking person (34). Johnson goes on to show the reader the

Benjamin Jowett. The Trial and Death of Socrates (Dover Edition). New York: Dover Publications, 1992

His decision to use the comedic tactic in the play might be avowed to be an effective method which squeezed the interests of the public. This concept is in connection to their views and desires to evaluate Socrates’ legit contribution in the stabilization of westernization and democracy not only in Athens but also, in other parts of the world

“I know, I do not know,” are the words that constitute Socrates’ philosophy that “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” In “Apology,” written by Plato, this ethical belief makes a bold appearance demonstrating that true ignorance only revolves around those who think that they know everything. In “Apology,” Socrates learns that the wisest men are those who do not think of themselves of wise, and rather make an approach of going beyond an authentic method of inquiry and helping others seek their personal philosophies which may result in conflict. In Plato’s “Apology,” Socrates demonstrates that introspection is the key to living life with purpose.

Socrates lived through a time of political instability in Athens. As a loyal citizen, he constantly fought with the current passage of Athenian politics and challenged societal norms. Plato kindly referred to Socrates as the ‘gadfly’ of the state of Athens, stinging many Athenians into thinking about justice and the pursuit of goodness over immorality. His unique position within the Athenian community, as well as his philosophical affront to the conventional Greek way of thought did not sit well with many powerful Athenians who felt that their power was being undermined. Socrates had become a voice of change, and Athens did not like it.

In ancient Greece, being a philosopher carried various implications, several of which were unfavorable. In a time when natural philosophers were accused for being non-believers in the traditional deities and sophists were defamed for selling their intellectual services for money, Socrates fit in neither category. Nonetheless, the moment Socrates decided to become an enquirer, or a philosopher of human nature, he was chastised. His enemies, men he had either insulted or embarrassed, sought vengeance and in their process to do so, tried to define him. Accused of being an atheist and a corruptor of the youth, Socrates was viewed harshly by the society he lived in, but, despite this, his true nature revealed itself through his words and Plato’s dialogues. His prosecutors aimed to vilify his name and profession, and ultimately sentence him to death, a goal they eventually completed, but the accusations were not definitive of who he was. Socrates was a philosopher, first and foremost, attempting to find the reasons for various phenomenon, but he was also a self-professed prophet, indirectly given a prophecy from the gods, determined to use dialectic to bring about self-awareness in his fellow citizens. His ideologies, thus, became the building blocks for the philosophers of the generations succeeding him.