Q1 (i). In different cases such as situations of pleasure, pain, desire, and fear, Laches claims that endurance of the soul is a case that occurs in all of these matters (191e4-192b2). To prove that Laches new answer cannot be right, Socrates starts by making a confirmation: “I think that you don’t regard every kind of endurance as courage. The reason I think so is this: I am fairly sure, Laches, that you regard courage as a very fine thing” (192c3-c5). Socrates goes on to explain that courage can coexist with wisdom and would become a fine thing, but courage can also coexist with folly and the combination of courage with harm and injurious could not be a fine thing (192d1-d6). Laches agrees that if endurance is accompanied by harmful and …show more content…
Therefore, they cannot conclude that this foolish endurance is courageous because foolishness is harmful and harmful and injurious matters are not noble nor are they very fine things.
Q2 (i). In regard to Nicias’ answer, Laches believes wisdom and courage are two different things. Trying to prove Nicias wrong, Laches provides an example, “Take an immediate example: in cases of illness, aren’t the doctors the ones who know what is to be feared? Or do you think the courageous are the people who know? Perhaps you call the doctors the courageous?” (195b2-b6). Nicias does not agree with what Laches is saying, although his example does agree with Nicias’ statement that “courage is the knowledge of that which inspires fear” (195a1-a2). This example weakens Nicias’ position because Laches provides an example of a doctor who knows what is to be feared in illnesses, therefore should be courageous, but Nicias’ is claiming that he does not think a doctor is both courageous knowledgeable to inspire fear and hope. Laches then presents Nicias with a farming example. Laches explains that Nicias would not consider farmers as courageous even though they are the ones who know what is to be feared in farming (195b6-b9). Nicias does not understand what Laches is trying to say, but is still claiming that it is not true (195c3). Nicias was hoping to explain that courage is a kind of wisdom and not associate it with all knowledge and wisdom. Nicias’ counter-argument claims that
The portrayal of Socrates, through the book “the trial and death of Socrates” is one that has created a fairly controversial character in Western history. In many ways, Socrates changed the idea of common philosophy in ancient Greece; he transformed their view on philosophy from a study of why the way things are, into a consideration man. Specifically, he analyzed the virtue and health of the human soul. Along side commending Socrates for his strong beliefs, and having the courage to stand by those convictions, Socrates can be commended for many other desirable characteristics. Some of those can include being the first martyr to die for his philosophical beliefs and having the courage to challenge indoctrinated cultural norms is part of
Being brave requires massive strength of mind, body, and spirit. It is being prepared to face adversity. It allows people to face their greatest enemies without fear. Out of all of the characteristics that Odysseus portrays, bravery stands out above all. There are many cases in which this shows up in The Odyssey by Homer. Specific examples that represent Odysseus's bravery are the battle of Cicones, the events at the cyclops cave, and the events with the lotus eaters.
The problem with Socrates concerns the problem with the role of value and reason. Nietzsche believes that the bulk of philosophers claim that life is a corrupt grievance for mankind. Nietzsche reasoned that these life deniers were decadents of Hellenism, as a symptom of some underlying melancholy. For someone to paint life in such a negative light they must have suffered a great deal through the course of their own life. Furthermore, these no-sayers agreed in various physiological ways and thus adopted the same pessimistic attitudes towards life. Socrates was ugly, alike decadent criminals and by ways of these similarities was decadent as well. Nietzsche also claims ugliness as a physiological symptom of life in its decline supported by studies in phenology.
Persistence and courage should be encouraged and can be used to better our society because of many heroic and everyday actions people can perform with these traits. Both Odysseus and Knight have a certain goal that they want to accomplish and in order to accomplish their goals, they must go on some sort of journey. They both use these traits in their own way to overcome obstacles in their way. Without persistence and courage, people will not succeed in
At least a little courage is in everyone, along with courage comes personal integrity, shaped by our own acts and choices. One’s personal integrity comes out in situations that possess a complication that requires solving. Moreover, choosing the courageous and onerous paths in life leads to a personally profound, improved integrity allowing one to have a fuller life. Though some people already have personal integrity that helps them with decisions, all ages are capable of making courageous decisions that still shape integrity. Although the first scenario to come to one’s mind would be a youth with minor troubles, even our elders of higher ages still encounter decisions that require courage. The significance of a decision is irrelevant, whether
“Intelligence can do nothing without courage”, a old Chinese proverb thousands years ago that old people always say. In the epic poem by Homer “The Cyclops” and “Cyclops” video part 1 and 2, Odysseus used his intelligence and courage to save he and his friends’ lives.
In The Republic Book IV, pp. 130e-136d, Socrates sets out to prove that societal justice is analogous to individual justice. In order to substantiate the analogy, Socrates compares the individual and the city. As he previously defined, justice in the city involves the power relationships between the different parts of the city, namely the guardians, the auxiliaries, and the producers.
Philosophy can be defined as the pursuit of wisdom or the love of knowledge. Socrates, as one of the most well-known of the early philosophers, epitomizes the idea of a pursuer of wisdom as he travels about Athens searching for the true meaning of the word. Throughout Plato’s early writings, he and Socrates search for meanings of previously undefined concepts, such as truth, wisdom, and beauty. As Socrates is often used as a mouthpiece for Plato’s ideas about the world, one cannot be sure that they had the same agenda, but it seems as though they would both agree that dialogue was the best way to go about obtaining the definitions they sought. If two people begin on common ground in a conversation, as Socrates often tries to do, they are
In this paper I will be discussing the tripartite (three parts) of the soul that Socrates discussed in chapter 6 of Plato’s Republic, and I will compare and contrast them to that of Aristotle and Anthony Kenny. In Plato’s Republic the three parts of the soul consist of the rational, spirited and, desire. In this dialogue the three parts of the soul go hand and hand with three parts of a just society.
Socrates spent his time questioning people about things like virtue, justice, piety and truth. The people Socrates questioned are the people that condemned him to death. Socrates was sentenced to death because people did not like him and they wanted to shut him up for good. There was not any real evidence against Socrates to prove the accusations against him. Socrates was condemned for three major reasons: he told important people exactly what he thought of them, he questioned ideas that had long been the norm, the youth copied his style of questioning for fun, making Athenians think Socrates was teaching the youth to be rebellious. But these reasons were not the charges against him, he was charged with being an atheist and
Courage, a phenomenal trait is the acquired ability to move beyond fear, which is crucial for every hero to possess. Theseus has a remarkable amount of courage, thus allowing him to confront agony, pain and danger. As Theseus courageously went to Athens, "He became determined to choose the perilous land passage" (Rosenberg and Baker 245), making it apparent that he is willing to take risks. On the contrary, Perseus whom is likewise a fearless hero, distinctly lacks the amount of courage which is possessed by Theseus. As an act of courage Perseus mentions; "I have no family wealth to offer you, but I fearlessly offer you my services" (200). Theseus's stupendous courage when opposed to Perseus's minimal courage,
Not all wise endurance is courage (192e). In the example of the man who perseveres in spending his money wisely, Laches states that man is not in fact courageous despite fitting his definition of courage.
In Phaedo Socrates claims that the soul exists somewhere after the body dies. He uses the argument of opposites to make his claim. Socrates believes that for something to “be” it must have been something else before or come from something. He gives Cebes examples of thing that are generated as a result from its opposite. “when anything becomes greater it must inevitably have been smaller and then have become greater.” He uses this example to say that being “greater” is derived from having been “smaller” at some point; and that in between being “greater” and “smaller” there are a lot of variables. After giving several examples to Cebes and Cebes agreeing to most outcomes, Socrates asks Cebes if there is an opposite to living, Cebes responds
One’s main concern in life was doing what is just and pious. He explains that if a man is good he cannot be harmed in either life or death. Socrates conducted his defense in a way that upheld his beliefs on the significance of life. He explains that if he “would much rather die after this kind of defense than live after making the other kind.” 38e. The other kind of defense being one in which he did not obey the gods. Such as if they acquitted him on the terms in which he did not practice philosophy, he stated he would “obey the god rather than you, and as long as I draw breath and am able, I shall not cease to practice philosophy.” 29d.
A person’s courage is contained within his spirited element, as a city’s courage was contained within its auxiliaries. A person’s wisdom is contained within the reason that rules over him, as the philosopher king’s ruled over Plato’s city. Temperance was found in the agreement to allow the rationally calculating element to rule over the soul, as the craftsmen and auxiliaries allowed the philosopher kings to rule over them (Plato 145, 442c-d). Justice is each element working in harmony with the rest, never overstepping their bounds, as within the city it was doing one’s own work and not meddling with others. Plato has now shown that each element from the city is also found within the individual in the same context, proving he has found the form of justice.