Socrates Suicide

The main argument in The Apology by famous ancient Greek philosopher Plato is whether, notorious speaker and philosopher Socrates is corrupting the youth by preaching ungodly theories and teaching them unlawful ideas that do harm to individuals and society. In his words Socrates quoted the prosecution’s accusation against him: “Socrates is guilty of corrupting the minds of the young, and of believing in supernatural things of his own invention instead of the gods recognized by the state.” 1 Further Socrates consistently introduces tediously compiled number of examples to provide valid and sound arguments to prove that he is innocent of the charges brought up against him to the court.

Conversely, there are some scholars who are convinced of Socrates’ guilt, including Myles Burnyeat who, in his work “The Impiety of Socrates,” defends the jury’s verdict. He asserts that Socrates does not believe in the gods of the city, and that his corrupting the young in believing the same is a direct result of his impiety. In this essay, I will argue against Burnyeat’s view by attempting to demonstrate that the charges brought against Socrates were simply unfounded. Furthermore, I will put forward that the real motivation behind the charges had more to do with prejudice against him due to increasing unpopularity

Socrates was alleged of two offenses and thus was charged by the Athenian government of impiety (rejecting the gods of the city) and also for corrupting the youth. Socrates in his life will always be in the marketplace and gathering youths through his catchy topics which range from politics and ethical matters, his rhetorical skills in debates was also appealing this was what he used in critiquing the leaders who flaunt their rhetorical skills. He uses his continuous questioning skill which can also be called Socratic wisdom to question their ignorance till they get into a state of aporia that is a state of confusion whereby can no longer defend what they claim to know due to shortage or inadequate points or arguments. Socrates claimed that he was only helping the youth birth their ideas or potentials into fruition by questioning them thus sharpening their rhetorical abilities. This was the idea behind his so-called intellectual midwifery.

In the wake of the Peloponnesian War, the father of modern western philosophy was put to death by order of the city he called home. Socrates was found guilty for corrupting the minds of the youth and impiety and was sentences to death for his crimes by majority vote. In the many centuries after the death of Socrates, it has been debated whether or not he was guilty and should or should not have been put to death. Using the works of Plato’s Republic, Crito, and the Apology to define what is justice according to Socrates, he was guilty. While he was guilty, the city putting him to death showed the ability of a direct democracy to act unjustly to harm a just citizen of their city.

Justice and court cases in Athenian democracy had become a place for taking revenge during Socrates trial. A trial in Athens was a speech competition in which opposing parties gave speeches to persuade the general public, in other words the jury of 500, that you had the magic in your words to win your case. Socrates’ accusers charge him of many official and unofficial charges; such as corrupting the youth and making the smaller argument larger. However, Socrates was not guilty of any of the charges made against him, mainly because they were made out of hatred towards Socrates and the new philosophy of life that Socrates had unveiled to the naked eye of the, “men of Athens” (Apology, 18b). Once Socrates finds out about his wisdom he sets out to test it, by asking various people of Athens, questions about the philosophy of life, virtue, and wisdom.

Imagine watching a man voicing his beliefs and opinions only to be put on trial for a crime he did not commit. This was the case for Socrates, who was a brilliant philosopher during Athens’ Golden Age. Socrates was wrongly accused of impiety and corrupting the youth. However, he was only challenging the method of thinking around him.

There is an old phrase that says; “We establish our own destiny”. This solely means that our future is in our hands and the decisions that we make in our lives will affect the outcome of our future. That is exactly what I think happened to Socrates. The decisions that he made during his lifetime and the career path that he chose is what may have gotten him to where he was and most likely gave him the death that he received. Who was Socrates, what did he do, where did he come from, what got him killed, or how did he die? Those are some of the many questions that I started asking myself while starting to learn about Socrates. Socrates was undoubtedly one of the greatest thinkers and intellects of his time. The things that he discovered and the

For over 50 years socrates had been publicly questioning an attacking on the traditions of the Athenian life, he had gained a group of youthful followers surely this must of weekend the cities moral character. On the command of the Assembly, Socrates was arrested in charges of questioning the state religion and corrupting the youth of the city. The Athenians would now put to trial the one man who dared to question the way they lived their lives. Socrates trial was held in Athens central market place he was trailed my a jury of his fellow citizens but this trail was very different then today, no lawyers no trailed judge, he was only given I limited amount of time to defend himself all speeches in the Athenian courts were times by a water

Close analysis of the Athenian society surrounding Socrates reveals that he was very much a black sheep. He devoted much of his time to experiments that were then deemed acts of impiety. The Apology divulges Plato’s perception of Socrates’ defense when he was put on trial in 399 B.C. Socrates’ stubborn refusal to conform is highlighted in the piece alongside the common idea among philosophers at the time that “examining” oneself and one’s peers is what makes a life worthwhile. I agree with the idea that examination of human morality is vital to living a fulfilled life, because without virtue or goodness, there is no worth in life.

In the great dialogues of Plato Plato presents the account of Socrates’ untimely death. Crito had arranged for Socrates to escape from prison but after he and Crito discuss what the outcome of that action would be he refuses, and eventually dies as a result of that decision. Socrates made the right choice in his decision to not resist his fate, because those who would have helped him would have rendered themselves liable to a similar fate, he would have had to live as a fugitive and would have had his same problem with the authorities wherever he went, and he also would have removed any power the Athenian courts ever had.

Athens was the scene of the trial of Socrates in 399 B.C. Among the charges against the philosopher was corrupting the youth. Since he had become popular around the city with a huge amount of young people, some of the Athenians leaders had grown afraid of his influence. Socrates made no apologies for his questioning of authority but rather began to infer that the city owed him its thanks for spurring its young citizens to excel. He famously argued, “The unexamined life is not worth living” and further reasoned that asking questions rather than relying on traditions would lead everyone to better decisions. Sadly, Socrates was condemned to death after Meletus and Anytus, his chief accusers successfully prosecuted the

The philosophical teachings of Socrates result in a number of issues amongst different groups of people in Athens. Some people feel irritated by the statements Socrates makes and hence they oppose him. However, the activities make the Athens youth to view Socrates as an important part of them as he offers to help them by educating them. It is this philosophical teaching that forms the basis of his trail in the court and later his death. Socrates however demonstrates art to show that perceptions that people have over his teachings are not true, but as a result of their misunderstanding.

The teachings of Socrates had a profound influence on not only ancient philosophy, but also modern philosophy and its formation. In ancient Athenian society, where religious authority dominated political thought, Socrates’ use of secular terminology to examine justice, in both a political and ethical context, was a radical school of thought. Plato, one of Socrates’ students, through his works, The Apology, Crito, and The Republic, provides a written account of Socrates’ teachings, thus illustrating a portrait of the modern philosopher. Socrates was notorious for never lecturing his beliefs in a one-sided manner, suggesting he had little knowledge of his own to put forth. Therefore, teachings of Socrates can be best characterized by his constant quest for wisdom. His manner of inquiry involved a unique form of debate in which he would dismantle the argument of his opponent in search of the truth. With this self-executed method of gaining wisdom, Socrates expresses his perception of human beings and his belief of their ideal role within the state and society. The ideologies presented by Socrates in these perceptions place wisdom, self-responsibility, virtue, and justice in high esteem. With a reverence for society’s well-being, Socrates transferred his judgements of human life to apply to political virtue.

The most consequential piece of art that we have covered this semester, would be "The Death of Socrates" by Jacques-Louis David. For the reason this piece demonstrates an extremely climatic moment which shows Socrates friends are all in tears, while Socrates remains serene, his attention devoted to philosophy until virtually the last moment of life. Likewise I feel, Socrates passing has turn into an image of the shared life of the cerebrum, and gave a point of convergence for elucidation about the potency and circumscriptions of reason. Socrates is optically perceived as a casualty of prejudice and mistreatment, a legend who battled and passed on for regular flexibilities. The trial of Socrates is additionally the first case in recorded history

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.