Socrates Ironist And Moral Philosopher

Most of the information that we learn about Socrates comes from the work and writings of one of his students, Plato. It has been alleged that the great Philosopher wrote nothing down for others to read, and as such, the knowledge and the teachings from Socrates that is relied upon to convey his philosophy and the epic story of his life comes not from himself, but his students who attempt to provide and accurate picture of the methods and philosophical beliefs held by their mentor and teacher.

Socrates is believed to be one of the greatest philosophers of all time and he is credited as being the founder of western philosophy. This paper will explain some of his views to the most fundamental questions of today’s age. These questions will include topics about morality, the human condition, solution, and death. After Socrates’ views on these topics are explained, a critique will be done on his answers. I will start out by explaining exactly who Socrates is, and the time that he lived in. To start out, we will first examine Socrates’ view on morality.

First, he said a leader must be liked by enough of his people to avoid any type of uprising. He believed that anyone who spoke out against the prince must be gotten rid of. This is a major violation of one’s rights and something Socrates would have been outraged by. Plato starts The Apology by discussing how Socrates would teach the youth about his ideal government while openly criticizing the government of Athens. Socrates believed this type of free speech was necessary to form a fair and moral nation. Socrates also uses his trial as a symbol of free speech as he continued to speak out against the government there. He certainly would not have supported Machiavelli’s attempts to suppress free speech. Socrates goes so far as to say, “I made my defense speech like this: I much prefer to die having made my defense speech in this way than to live in that way” (The Apology 20). Here we see that Socrates is willing to die if it means he can speak freely. He truly thought free speech was the only way to check the government’s power and for the people to have a voice. At the time of his trial, speaking out against the Athenian government was almost unheard of and was considered a form of treason. Socrates wanted to use his trial as a way to criticize his leaders in the hope that more people would follow his lead. He believed free speech was necessary to

Socrates was a great thinker and debater dedicated to truth. He spent his golden years walking the streets of Athens in pursuit of wisdom. Socrates lived the destiny that was revealed to him in the Oracle. He created and perfected his own cross-examination technique; we today know it as the Socratic Method. He was thorough and unrelenting. His subjects were often humiliated. Socrates would methodically disprove anyone he thought was wrong. In his eyes, most of the people he interviewed were blind. It did not matter if one was wealthy and influential or if they were young and impressionable. Socrates could question anyone and turn him or her inside out. Unfortunately, he did so without regard to the

Socrates put one’s quest for wisdom and the instruction of others above everything else in life. A simple man both in the way he talked and the wealth he owned, he believed that simplicity in whatever one did was the best way of acquiring knowledge and passing it unto others. He is famous for saying that “the unexplained life is not worth living.” He endeavored therefore to break down the arguments of those who talked with a flowery language and boasted of being experts in given subjects (Rhees 30). His aim was to show that the person making a claim on wisdom and knowledge was in fact a confused one whose clarity about a given subject was far from what they claimed. Socrates, in all his simplicity never advanced any theories of his own

Many ancient civilizations have changed the way we live today. Sumerians invented the first language, Hammurabi invented the first set of laws, Egyptians created pyramids, and so many other ways that ancient people made the building blocks of the way our society lives today. It amazes me how God gave us brains to figure out ways to make life so much easier!

Although Socrates was wrongly imprisoned and waiting the death penalty, which he acknowledges, he, according to his argument, is not permitted to act unjustly in return, or break the law. Pertaining to justice, the laws to Socrates are the most important and in order to keep the city functioning as he states in the dialogue, “in comparison with [one’s] mother and father and all [one’s] forebears, [the] fatherland is more precious and venerable, more sacred and held in higher esteem among gods, as well as among human beings who have any sense” (Plato 39). Again, Martin Luther King Jr. departs from Socrates’ view in that he argues that those laws that are unjust need to be broken in a civil way, in order to direct consideration of their shortcomings. According to King, “one has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws [and] one has a

Socrates has a unique position in the history of philosophy. On one hand he is the most influential on another he is the least known. In his later life he is seen to stalk the streets barefoot, to spite shoemakers. He went about arguing and questioning people and revealing inconsistencies in their beliefs. He began teaching students but never accepted payments for doing so. This was possible because of the inheritance left by his father. Socrates wrote nothing of himself so we are dependent upon the works of both his students and associates who present a view as close to

Both men were also extremists. Socrates was a man who wanted to do what he believed he was instructed to do by God, while maintaining the idea that if his thoughts rubbed off on others, he was solely responsible. Socrates understood that his beliefs and values were capable of altering, and would alter, societal viewpoints. Just like MLKJ, Socrates understood that their perspective on society had repercussions, but they were so defined by their morals that it did not matter to them what the consequences would be. Martin Luther King Jr. identified himself as an extremist, but an extremist of love. He was an extremist “for the cause of justice” (296), and definitely went to the extreme to fight for it. Both men went through similar

Still, my belief remains that Socrates would not advocate breaking the law(s) in order to have the law(s) changed. His stance on court hearings was to appeal to “reason” and not to “feelings” (Socrates, 26). Dr. King employees both, reason and feelings, by suggesting “negative peace” has been bequeathed to certain peoples. Reason applies to all men should be equal and attitudes of growing tension from that inequality appeals to feelings. Also, Socrates viewed the governing laws as an “agreement” and that it was honorable to abide by those agreements, whether they were just or not (33). Instead, I believe, Socrates would insist that the “student movement” get involved in local politics and/or hold public cross-questioning rallies. If they were active in politics, then that might increase their representation in legislation and in making laws. However, truthfully how realistic would it be at that time, especially in the South, for many African Americans to hold such a position? Probably not that realistic, no matter what they ran for. Hence, why the “student movement” fought in the courthouse rather than the streets. Surely, Socrates would understand that they wanted to change segregation and the only way to do so was to expel their energy to a higher authority.

Therefore, instead of keeping his knowledge to himself, Socrates shares it with others on how to be a great general. Also, Xenophon portraits Socrates as someone who is devoted to helping people improve their lives in all practical dimensions. As a result, Socrates strives always to send his conversation associates away with some bits of practical advice which they might use to live a more virtues

The Socratic problem refers to the difficulty of determining what information from historical dialogues depicts the actual views of Socrates. Socrates was an actual historical figure, but there are no works from Socrates himself. Therefore, we read of Socrates through his students and others during his time. Plato, Aristophanes, and Xenophon are three main writers who studied the character of Socrates. Since no writings from Socrates are saved, his views must be discerned from the sometimes contradictory and secondary reports.

The use of Socrates’ inquiry in the Meno is a perfect example to show how Socrates pushed his listeners to question their own knowledge. Socrates never told Meno his definitions were wrong and his own were right, rather continued to question Meno’s conclusions to show him that he did not know the true meaning of virtue. The people of Athens were unable to accept the fact that many of them were ignorant on topics such as the definition of virtue, whereas Socrates himself was able to admit it. The Athenians disguised Socrates’ true desire to teach people for corruption and impiety because they believed he was trying to humiliate them. Although the people of Athens were blind of Socrates’ true intentions, his method of inquiry did in fact benefit the city of Athens. Socrates’ methods eliminated ignorance and increased proper knowledge on important things such as virtue and knowledge within the city of Athens, which is what he meant when he said he was “a gift of the gods to the city of Athens.”

Socrates’ intention was to influence the men of Athens to follow the one who teaches wisely than someone who earns knowledge from an unreliable source. He believed that his source were reliable and it was suitable for the society, Similar to Socrates, Martin Luther King advances his community by letting his people to seek more knowledge about just and unjust laws. In his letter from Birmingham jail, King says “How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others? The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust” (Letter from Birmingham Jail, 611). Socrates was on trial because he broke some laws that he does not believe in and yet was willing to die by those same laws. Martin Luther King argues that if someone thinks there is something wrong with the law, you have to stand up and do something to change the wrong in the law.

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.