Socrates ' Views On Socrates

From this, he deduced that “those who had the highest reputation were nearly the most deficient, while those who were thought to be inferior were more knowledgeable" (Plato 25). Now, to achieve this society in which being wrong is accepted would require man to graciously accept the bespoken of one’s wrongs by another. This should occur naturally, because as Socrates recognizes, someone pointing out somebody’s wrong is the equivalent to that person saving him or her. On the contrary, a wrong may not be wrong merely due to someone saying that such is the case. Often, something will be viewed as wrong for being different from what is standard. Aside from all of this, Socrates believed in highlighting justness rather than ever focusing on being right or being wrong. Knowing that wisdom and being right are worthless is the somewhat paradoxical product of wisdom. Being right should not be glorifying.

Socrates was a man that was on a mission is search of the truth about wisdom. As a philosopher he would never settle for one simple answer, he would take every angel of an argument therefore even a simple idea would be argued until his opponent would be frustrated enough to quit.

Philosophers seek to better themselves as well as others around them, by self-examination and examining others. Socrates did just this, after the prophetess answered he questioned himself “When I heard the answer, I said to myself, What can the god mean? and what is the interpretation of his riddle? for I know that I have no wisdom, small or great.” Socrates then looked to examine the so called wise men of his time, trying to understand what wisdom was. All the while he was attempting to discern what the god wanted him to do with this wisdom. Socrates was disliked for traveling around and asking the wise men difficult questions. He contributed to the moral goodness by proving these men to not be as smart as they were thought. They had pride in their knowledge, a pride that made them angry at Socrates. However, Socrates was only concerned with helping those around him attain true happiness, teaching them that true virtue is inside oneself. During the end of his trial he does not think that such just pursuits should be punished, for all the good he has done, he believes it only just to be

The principle that Socrates lived by highlighted the significance of the persistent hunt for wisdom through the collaboration with others. He understood that concentrating on attaining a broader range of the universe through awareness of our inner selves was far more valuable than restricting it to the study of the physical characteristics of the world. By evaluating the corporeal features of the universe, a better understanding of the world which surrounds us could be uncovered. Socrates established that we need to concentrate our study on the mind itself to acknowledge this significance. However, set on self-examination, this did not lead Socrates to set himself out from society. He understood the importance of perspective and of engaging

In addition to a strategic approach to his teaching, Socrates also had very high expectations for successful students of his, and their thought processes. Not only were his questions intentional, he had specific expectations from each of his students. “Socrates wasn't after brainless disciples. He was trying to create a new breed of thinkers, ones who explored the world with their mind,” (MythologyTeacher.com). Socrates expected students to pick up on his teaching approach and be courageous enough to propel his discussions forward with their own questions. An example of a model student,

1. The first accusation that was brought against Socrates at trial was that he did not believe in the gods worshipped by the state and the Athens people, instead he introduced new gods to devote himself to. Xenophon defends Socrates from this accusation when he states that every man who receives signs and premonitions from “voices” must then be guilty too. He supports this statement by referring to the priest who reveals god’s “desires” through himself. The second accusation brought against Socrates was that he had corrupted the children who followed him, claiming that they listened to Socrates rather then their parents.

Socrates, born in Athens, without the ability to read or write, became the pioneer of philosophy as we know it today (Mityok1, 2007). Socrates believed that his life’s purpose was centered around the concept of helping the citizens of Athens become more morally perfect- he achieved this objective by discussing questions of justice and virtue and by trying to understand and create moral standards (Mityok1, 2007). Moreover, Socrates perfected his method of searching for the truth by helping others “give birth to new ideas” (Mityok1, 2007). Socrates considered himself to be the wisest among all the others in Athens because although he knew that

Socrates begins his apology by asking for forgives as he is not a professional sophist, and presenting himself as a foreigner to the courts. Where if he was truly a foreigner, they would show lenience (17d). He gives a defense to his speaking style as his accusers have pictured him as a skilled speaker. He explains, I am “not a clever speaker at all-unless indeed they call a ‘clever’ speaker on who speaks the truth” (17b). Socrates ‘continues to paint himself as a common person by showing he is an elderly man being attacked by the youth of Athens. This is quite cleaver of Socrates to not only put himself as a defenseless man but also showed his accusers as the ones who are lying. His main defense is “‘I don’t know,’ this is Socrates ignorance and he will argue this” (Dr. Key).

In Plato’s dialogue “Crito,” Socrates is awaiting his execution in prison when his friend Crito comes to convince him to escape. Socrates argues against Crito with his belief being that escaping from prison would by an unjust act. It is Socrates’ belief that you should never commit an injustice act for any reason, and that it is in your best interest to act justly. In the arguments presented in “Crito,” we see Socrates’ belief as underlying factor and recurring theme.

Mythic and epic are about religion and being a hero. Philosophy lead to the wisdom of a hero. Pre- socratic where people of space and detected dogma about injury that connected to an essence. Socrates was a philosopher who was 70 years old and had a well know method. Socrates looked beyond the just and the unjust, which lead the Athens to have a didactic approach to Socrates logic and makes Plato discuss Socrates death. Through his ability to question and make people identify their own ignorance, Socrates inspires us to apply different methods to them in to us for the same reason, regardless of going through hate it’s better to learn in a clueless way, in order to not get corrupted and later help make better sense of the world.

While my experience with faith has been positive, it is important to keep the possibility of negative effects into consideration. For example, Socrates was charged for impiety and corrupting the youth of Athens. Meletus, one of his accusers, strongly believed in the gods of Olympus, however, his opinions and beliefs regarding faith led to the killing of the innocent Socrates. “I turn to the second class, who are headed by Meletus, that good and patriotic man, as he calls himself… What do they say? Something of this sort: - That Socrates is a doer of evil, and corrupter of the youth, and he does not believe in the gods of the state, and has other new divinities of his own.” According to this quotation from Plato’s Apology, Meletus considers himself to be a “good and patriotic man.” However, The accusations made against Socrates suggest that he is not all “good.” These accusations demonstrate how faith can sometimes lead one to become narrow minded and too consumed with their own faith, which can then result in a disrespect towards those with different beliefs. In addition, a personal and subjective faith in the spiritual has the possibility of going in the wrong direction and be ungrounded and lead to error.

B) Socrates tested them to prove to himself and the oracle that he wasn’t the wisest man in the world. He chose the politicians first because others believed these men to be wise. Then the poets because they spoke wise words. Finally, the artisans because Socrates knew they must be wiser at their crafts and skills than he.

The most significant writings on Socrates came from one of his own disciples, Plato. Plato’s writings are the reason Socrates is historical figure he is today, without them Socrates would have been nothing more than a minor presence (Navia 93). Plato’s writings are classified as either early, middle, or late. However, only the early writings best portray the real Socrates (Navia 105). These writings include the Euthyphro, Crito, Phaedo, and most importantly the Apology, which discusses the trial and execution of Socrates. Similarly Xenophon’s dialogue of the same name also discusses the same subject. While both authors demonstrate similar positions defending Socrates, their approach to their discussion varies significantly.

Socrates was a novel philosopher who challenged the limitations of philosophical thought during his lifetime. More specifically, Socrates was a key proponent for the idea known as ‘Dualism’, in which the mind (Soul) and the body are not mutually exclusive entices, bur rather interact in a tangible manner in which they come to have a reciprocated relationship. Throughout many religions and spiritual movements, Socrates view of a interaction between the immortal soul and the physical body is evident.

Socrates was a classical Greek philosopher, whom was also described as one of the founders of Western Philosophy. It was said that he was born in Athens, Greece around 470/469 BC to his father who was a stonemason and his mother who was a midwife. Socrates was believed to live to be about 71 years of age when he passed away. “He grew up during the golden age of Pericles’ Athens, served with distinction as a soldier, but became best known as a questioner of everything and everyone.” (History.com Staff, Socrates) He was deployed to several battles in the Peloponnesian War while he served. Socrates himself did not document any part of his life, but his favorite student Plato did. “Details about the life of Socrates can be derived from 3 contemporary sources: The Dialogues of Plato and Xenophon (both devotees of Socrates), and the plays of Aristophanes.” (Wikipedia, Socrates) Socrates has played a major role throughout the history of Philosophy and is also a great example of a model for the philosopher’s way.