Socrates: The City Of Athens

Even though Socrates was on his deathbed, he was still teaching and arguing with his students. He wanted his students and friends to understand that it was for the good of society that he dies. I believe Socrates was thinking about the future and how his death would be a lesson for someone else. Socrates was also telling his students that he was not going to disobey the law. Socrates’ students and friends could have taken him to another city. That would have made Socrates a liar about what he was teaching all along. Even though the students and friends were crying and grieving over Socrates’ death, Socrates was not comforting them or fleeing to another city. Socrates was just teaching them his strong belief in justice and loyalty to the government. This was very devastating to his friends.

Socrates should not escape from prison to avoid his death sentence because he would be breaking the law which ultimately led to him straying away from his own principles. He was a person who believed in what was just and doing what was morally correct. If he were to escape from prison, he would essentially be harming others and the State. He thought through harming others, he would be harming himself and his soul, so Socrates did not believe in harming others and thought it was unjust and morally wrong. Even though Socrates had the opportunity to escape and he was given plenty of reasons from his friends to do so, he did not want to go against what he believes in and his philosophy. He could not live a life where he would have to stop

“Is the unexamined life worth living?” (The Apology, 2016, para. 48). This question has been asked by people since the time of Socrates. Many people delve into the quandary of this question seeking a greater understanding of their purpose. Often times, people live on the surface and never truly strive for self-examination, whereas others believe it is crucial to deeply examine one’s true self. Every life is worth living. However, the difference between simply existing in an unexamined life versus living life as God intended is momentous. An examined life is lived for the benefit of others more than oneself. Socrates’ question has revealed several different truths, including the value of self-examination, the importance

His position had an immense impact on the guilty verdict of his trial because he behaved arrogantly toward the judges who would choose his verdict and punishment. For example Socrates refused to refer to the judges to the as their titles but only as, Athenians. This caused an outrage towards Socrates this was seen as disrespectful. As well Socrates would talk back to the judges, “Do not interrupt me Athenians, with your shouts. Remember the request which I made to you, and do not interrupt my words”(pg. 41). Logically Socrates should have been much more agreeable towards the judges considering the situation he was in, but in contrast he remained true to his philosophical lifestyle and pursued his innocence in a way he felt was best.

As the wisest man in all of ancient Greece, Socrates believed that the purpose of life was both personal and spiritual growth. He establishes this conviction in what is arguably his most renowned statement: "The unexamined life is not worth living."

Owing to this fact, fleeing from Athens without permission or notification to the authorities would actually be violating the laws of the land and participating in ‘wrong’ actions- which was the direct opposite of the ‘goodness’ that he believed in. Socrates had always been a forthright advocate for the Athenian political and legal system. Owing to the agreement between him and the city authorities, he was also the beneficiary of an unknown quantity of benefits. Moreover, for him to fully enjoy the benefits of what was provided to him by the city of Athens, he had to in return give up something. In this case, it was his freedom of choice and action where there was a clash between his personal views and the stipulations of Athenian law.

Athenian democracy ensures that a citizen in a society acts according to what society deems appropriate rather than by an individual's assumptions of what is acceptable. Athens as a whole stresses the importance of an active citizen whose life is intertwined with the government. In essence, an Athenian citizen can participate in the decision making of the state and will be enthusiastic in carrying out policies that pass in the assembly. Pericles, an Athenian statesman, makes it clear when he says that "each individual is interested not only in his own affairs but in the affairs of the state as well" (p.147 Thucydides). Socrates, a Greek philosopher, is a firm believer in examining one's actions in life and ensuring that a morally righteous

He also explains to Crito that the citizen is bound to the laws like a child is bound to a parent, and so to go against the laws would be like striking a parent. Rather than simply break the laws and escape, Socrates should try to persuade the laws to let him go. These laws present the citizen's duty to them in the form of a kind of social contract. By choosing to live in Athens, a citizen is endorsing the laws, and is willing to follower by them. Therefore, if he was to break from prison now, having so consistently validated the social contract, he would be making himself an outlaw who would not be welcome in any other civilized state for the rest of his life. Furthermore when he dies, he will be harshly judged in the underworld for behaving unjustly toward his city's laws. In this way, Socrates chooses not to attempt escape but he dies as a martyr, not for himself, but for his city and its system of justice.

I believe that I.F. Stone did a great job investigating Socrates relationship with the city of Athens. The notion of Socrates vision for Athens did not align with others individuals views on what they wanted Athens to become. Aristotle had strong differing views of the way Athens should be and he expressed those views to children of Athens with no regret of his doings. Socrates political beliefs ceased to tailor to the City of Athens political beliefs--even when the city of Athens gave him everything he wanted. However, Socrates was a man who was happy living in the City of Athens but felt like something was missing. His thoughts themselves did not align with the thoughts of the City of Athens and he needed to express those differing thoughts

Along with reason, another one of Socrates’ essential beliefs was that once virtue was learned, an intentionally unvirtuous thing could never be done. During the course of his exchange with Crito, Socrates says, “We are never intentionally to do wrong… injustice is always an evil and dishonor to him who acts unjustly”. Socrates whole-heartily believed that, once virtue was learned, no man could ever do wrong intentionally. However, had Socrates abandoned Athens, that would have been exactly what he would have done. Looking back on Socrates’ teachings, future scholars would have been hesitant to believe that Socrates actually believed what he was teaching because he was not will to die for what he believed to be right. Socrates, being a virtuous

The city of Athens feared and generally mistrusted philosophy. Socrates’ arrest makes this clear. The leaders of the city did not want Socrates out in the streets and teaching people to think like him, so he was arrested. Where did this distrust of philosophy come from? The city of Athens was progressive, the center of Greek civilization. However, they were no friends to philosophers like Socrates. Perhaps this distrust was built on the foundation that the sophists laid. Though the accusers testified against Socrates, not the sophists, perhaps Socrates had the sophists to blame. The sophists were clever speakers, and Socrates clearly distinguished himself from them, admitting that though he may be eloquent, it is in a different way than the

In class we discussed about the Laws of Athens. The Laws questions Socrates whether to escape prison or face death. The Laws make him realize that if he disobeys them and escapes he will be destroying the laws. Socrates states that if the Laws were to be disobeyed, they won’t have importance and the state will be destroyed. The state is held by the laws and if they are breakable they would hold no matter. Socrates suggest that they have committed injustice against him by making an incorrect judgment on the trial. The Laws state that he had to follow whatever the state judgements make. The Laws played a big role in shaping Socrates since his parents were married and had provided education for him. The Laws are compared to a relationship between

As a citizen of Athens I am outraged by the outcome of Socrates trial. Socrates is guilty and it is blasphemous that he was acquitted in his trial. Socrates speaks blasphemous things of our gods and he is an enemy of the state as well as the citizens. Socrates is poisoning the minds of our people and places philosophers as greater than everybody else. Socrates is a plague on our society and by acquitting him we the people have allowed his ideas to continue to poison our society. I am disappointed in the people of Athens for allowing this guilty man to go free.

"The unexamined life is not worth living." (Apology, 41e) Socrates held this statement to himself to a point where he allowed the courts to take his life because they don’t want him to continue his quest of insights, questions and knowledge. The philosophy of Socrates as explained by Plato offers an important concept of what it means to live the examined life and what makes a life either examined or unexamined. The combination of Euthyphro, The Apology and the Republic help understand what Socrates means when he says that the unexamined life is not worth living, proving it what he believed, a valid statement. What Socrates means by an unexamined life, is we are just coasting through and not making any decisions or asking any questions. What Socrates means by living the examined life, that it’s logical when people are striving to know themselves and to understand our lives if they have any meaning or value to them. An examined life would be trying to understand your purpose of why you are here and what you are presently thinking. By examining your life, you therefore are understanding yourself and will not be subject to actions motivated by passion or instinct.Socrates uses examples defending his case about the unexamined life. “That is because I am so desirous of your wisdom, and I concentrate my mind on it, so that no word of yours may fall to the ground.” (Euthyphro, 18d) Socrates could not see a point in living if you were unable to ask questions and challenge your way

"An unexamined life is not worth living."  (Plato, trans. 1871, pa.68)   As Socrates stands against the court, on his final moments, he stands against his firm beliefs, and his insubordinate teachings.  He feels that it is his mission, by God, and his purpose, to seek for this truth within both himself, and other men.  It is often asked what makes life worth living?  In the eyes of Socrates, this 'unexamined life' is one who lives with ignorance, and is not willing to live through experiences, and constantly searches for the truth.  Both self-reflective and self-critical, they walk on a path that seeks for answers to the bigger (and sometimes smaller) questions.  The thirst for knowledge and, through examining his own life, encouraging and reflecting on others' lives, and being critical of those who do not examine their own, Socrates drew to the assumption that an unexamined life is certainly just not worth living.