Socrates and Luke are both considered to be great educators. They have both influenced countless people with their teachings. However, comparing the two is slightly strange since Socrates is the subject of the story, which is told by Plato, and Luke is the teller of the story of Jesus. A comparison can be made between the two as Socrates is a great teacher while Plato is mostly silent and Luke, while not overly prevalent in the his story can be compared to other accounts of the story of Jesus among which his by far the most didactic. But when you are comparing the two you must keep in mind that you are in actuality comparing four and also that while the story teller is supposed to only be telling you what he saw, he is also telling his …show more content…
Apparently a friend of his went to the oracle at Delphi and asked if any man was wiser than Socrates to which the oracle replied that indeed, “no one was wiser.” (Plato 21a) Therefore Socrates reasons that he is on a mission from the god, as he calls it, to refute this claim. All the actions that he committed which were considered to be treasonous were therefore demanded by the god, and Socrates had no choice but to comply. This kind or reasoning cannot be argued with since it is backed by a god and consequently it is not. Meletus, Socrates’ accuser never says a word in rebuttal, or at least Plato never mentions it if he does. Meletus’ only role for the entirety of the apology is to briefly answer Socrates’ questions just in whatever way is most convenient for Socrates’ argument, thus reducing him to little more than a literary device.
The teaching styles of Jesus and Socrates themselves as revealed by their appropriate biographers are themselves nearly identical. In chapter 17 of Luke Jesus teaches a lesson to the apostles saying,
Who among you would say to your slave, who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, ‘Come here at once and take your place at the table’? Would you not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, put on your apron and serve me while I eat and drink; later you may eat doing what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we
Socrates was not a professional teacher, however, he had a significant position as a citizen and hoplite. Socrates hasn’t written any of his teachings, in fact, what is known of him has been written by his follower, Plato. Most of his teachings were in the form of a conversation. One of his main teachings was that one should take responsibility for one’s action. In 399 BCE he was accused of disloyalty to the gods and corruption of the youth, and he was sentenced the death penalty. Socrates had the opportunity to go on exile and escape the death penalty; however, he decided to stay in prison and face the consequences of his actions. Socrates is significant because he taught his followers to question and examine every aspect of life. Thus, he paved the way for the other philosophers that came after
In the retelling of his trial by his associate, Plato, entitled “The Apology”; Socrates claims in his defense that he only wishes to do good for the polis. I believe that Socrates was innocent of the accusations that were made against him, but he possessed contempt for the court and displayed that in his conceitedness and these actions led to his death.
Early in the Apology, Socrates argues that the charges of Meletus are not only false, but have led to the rise of prejudice against him, and he demonstrates this through what he considers his own reflection on the charges against him. Socrates suggests the indictment against him should read: “Socrates is guilty of engaging in inquiries into things beneath the earth and in the heaven, of making the weaker argument appear the stronger, and of teaching others the same things”. Socrates suggests that the breadth of the indictment against him could encompass the premises supported by many men, and that it is only through the prejudice against him, the belief in his wisdom purported by some, and the sense that Socrates has influenced men that has resulted in the charges, not through the true belief that Socrates has taken actions against the State.
The Apology by Plato delves deep into the concept of wisdom and self-examination. Socrates declares that “the unexamined life is not worth living”. Putting this phrase into context, Socrates has been falsely accused by Meletus of corrupting the youth of Athens and believing in artificial gods that were not the same as the gods of Athens. Meletus represents the hypocrisy of the world, he, who is not guiltless in the face of accusation, has falsely accused Socrates of social wrongdoing. These accusations stem from Meletus’ steadfast insecurity of himself. Socrates exposes Meletus’ insecurity that he may be morally corrupt himself. These accusations fulfill that insecurity, that in falsely accusing Socrates of moral corruption, he is proving
Socrates and Siddhartha Guatama Buddha have many similarities; they both believe in the importance of justice and good, and a simpler way of life. However, they have different goals: Socrates concerns with worldly meanings and codes, he deals with truth and morals. Buddha concerns with attaining the outer-worldly through mastering the worldly. Socrates relinquishes sensual desires in hopes of spiritual rebirth after death and achieving enlightenment in life. Buddha relinquishes the same ideas, but in hopes of living an enlightened life on earth. (The Dhammapada: Socrates & Buddha Vs. Desire) My contention is to compare Philosopher Socrates from Plato and Siddhartha Guatama Buddha, and I will demonstrate their similarities and differences
The apology is an account of the speech that Socrates makes during his trial. In Socrates’ trial, he is being accused of not recognizing the same gods that the others in Athens recognize (specifically that those in authority). Instead, Socrates is charged with inventing new gods, and in doing so is corrupting the youth of Athens to whom, Socrates frequently preaches to about his theology. Socrates’ speech, however, is not an apology, as the name may suggest but rather an explanation of his beliefs. During his trial speech, Socrates makes frequent reference to his beliefs explaining that his behavior stems from a prophecy by the oracle at Delphi, which claims that he was the wisest of all men. Although Socrates is honest and direct about these beliefs, this did not sit well with many of the trial members who were evaluating him. Despite the fact that Socrates made frequent references to the fact that it is destined for him to be the wisest of all men, he also recognizes that he does in fact lack in knowledge when it comes to world affairs. To which, Socrates states only adds to his wisdom as he is aware of the fact that he does not know everything and that realization alone makes him wiser than most other men.
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
Socrates was a pompous man who believed that he was wiser than most, if not all, Athenian men of his time. He is also credited as one of the fathers of western philosophy, his own philosophy revolving around the welfare of one’s soul and reflecting on what the good life was. He was told by an oracle that he was the wisest of men and spent a great deal of time trying to prove it false, he decided that he was considered wise for accepting that he knew nothing, and never claimed to know anything that he questioned. In Plato’s text “Apology” Socrates is depicted as a man who was arrogant, hypercritical of others, and fixed on his ways no matter the consequences. He had the qualities of a man who saw no error in what he was doing because he
The irony of Plato’s Apology is that Socrates is not apologizing for his actions. Instead, he is merely defending them. Socrates is on trial for corrupting the youth, and believing in spirits that Athens does not. Socrates does not believe that his trial is fair because the accusations of the city are subjective, and he knows that he cannot win. Socrates shows willingness to break the law when he refuses to stop questioning because he is uncovering truths. Even though the State sees this at unlawful, his actions are helping improve the city. In Socrates’ Defense, he gives an example of him breaking the law when he refused to have ten generals arrested for not rescuing others. He felt that they were not at fault, and was willing to break the law even if it meant he could die. Socrates admits that if they offered to acquit him on the condition that he could no
I didn't have any questions on parts of the text that I found difficulty some much as I am curious other people's perspectives on a specific part of Socrates' defense in the apology. On page 28, section 25b, Socrates enters into a line of questioning with his accuser Meletus. However, this line of questioning seems to be somewhat different to the line of questioning we saw in the Euthyphro. In the Euthyphro, Socrates seemed to be trying to get to the truth, or maybe trying to show that Euthyphro knew less than he claimed to know. I the Apology, though, it looks like Socrates is simply trying to win an argument. He goes from a philosopher to a rhetorician. When questioning Meletus, he answers himself before Meletus even has a chance to answer.
In the Apology, Socrates examines the charges brought against him by Meletus and tries to prove that they are false. The first charge brought against him is that
Plato was an Ancient Greek philosopher who lived between 428-432 B.C. He wrote mainly in dialogues, to stay true to how Socrates communicated philosophy. Plato displayed what is considered Socrates’ philosophy throughout the dialogue The Apology. In The Republic, Socrates is mainly used as a mouthpiece to communicate Plato’s philosophy. Socrates follows a philosophy best explained as “I do not know”, whereas Plato tries to find the ultimate solution to philosophical problems. In this essay, I will argue how Socrates has the best philosophical approach compared to that of Plato.
When reading Plato’s Apology, a central theme is found; religion. Religion played a key role in society, in fact, society was wrapped around religion. Athenians felt threatened by Socrates when he started claiming that there were other explanations for what the Athenians believed was the Gods’ works. Meletus of the second class accuses Socrates of being a “doer of evil, who corrupts the youth; and who does not believe in the gods of the state, but has other new divinities of his own”. Meletus’ claim is the severest of them all, because religion is so important to Athenians. Religion is taken seriously, and unlike the United States today, Athenians did not get to choose what they worshipped and believed in. Socrates defended himself by saying
The most influential philosopher of the 5th century BCE is a man by the name of Socrates. His life and teachings are the foundation of Western Philosophy. Socrates was dedicated to reasoning and the development and investigation of the truth. Unpopular then, Socrates employed a strategy to pursue the truth by using dialectic. Socrates was one to question everything and anything less than the truth was received with more questions. Socrates never wrote anything down, and therefore any dialogues and teachings are dependent on his students Xenophon and Plato account. This gives rise to the Socratic Problem. What we do know, according to Plato’s Apology, is that Socrates’ divine mission is a complex one. Using two of Plato’s written accounts of
He goes on to tell the story of why he began to challenge the intellectuals of society in the first place. Socrates tells of a deceased friend by the name of Chaerephon who “… went to Delphi and boldly asked the oracle to tell him whether… there was anyone wiser than I [Socrates] was, and the Pythian prophetess answered that there was no man wiser.” This troubles Socrates, and he contemplates what this statement really means. Unable to come to a sound conclusion, he devises a plan to get the answer he seeks: “I reflected that if I could only find a man wiser than myself, then I might go to the god with a refutation in my hand. I should say to him, ‘Here is a man who is wiser than I am; but you said that I was the wisest.’” After meeting with a man who had a reputation for being wise, however, Socrates departed without the man wiser than he. He left the man, thinking to himself: “Well, although I do not suppose that either of us knows anything really beautiful and good, I am better off than he is – for he knows nothing, and thinks that he knows.” After encounters with multiple men who possess supposed wisdom, Socrates realizes the prophecy must be correct: “… but the truth is, O men of Athens, that God only is wise; and in this oracle he means to say that the wisdom of men is little or nothing…” Socrates proceeds to question Meletus in front of the councilmen. He questions Meletus about the charges he has brought against him and his reasons