Free Essays on Socrates

In Plato’s Symposium there are three major speeches given by Aristophanes, Socrates and Alcibiades, where each portrays a different aspect of human sexuality and love. Aristophanes’ speech is a fantastic representation of humans that were separated into two halves engaged in desperate search for their other half, while Socrates’ speech is a rhetoric of a conversation he was engaged in with the priestess Diotima, and finally Alcibiades’ speech is a tribute to his teacher Socrates. Even though Aristophones’ speech is a fantastical story that explained why humans are in constant, desperate search for our lost halves, it still captures the tragedy of human sexuality and love. The beings described within the story are characterized by their narcissistic nature, which results in their eventual demise. Aristophanes describes these beings as; They were round, and so was the way they moved, because they took after their parents. They were terrible in their strength and vigour: they had great ambitions and made an attack on the gods. The story told by Homer about Ephilates and Otus, how they tried to climb up to heaven to attack the gods, really refers to them (190b). This attack on the gods is what eventually led to the condition that humans have constantly been in since, as Plato tells us; The gods didn’t see how they could kill them, wiping out the human race with thunderbolts as they’d done with the giants; if they did that the honours and sacrifices the gods received from them would disappear. But they couldn’t let them go on behaving outrageously. After much hard thought, Zeus had an idea; â€Å"I think I have a plan by which human beings could still exist but be too weak to carry on their wild behavior. I shall now cut each of them into two; they will be weaker and also more useful to us because there will be more of them. They will walk around upright on two legs†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (190b-c). Plato then tells us that the ... Free Essays on Socrates Free Essays on Socrates Socrates has thoroughly justified his own decision to obey the opinions of the majority and serve out the sentence that his own city has deemed appropriate for his crimes. At the beginning of this piece, Socrates has presented a period of questions and answers through dialogue with Crito. Throughout the dialogue Socrates is explaining his reasoning for not running from the government. Crito does not understand the madness of Socrates, Crito will do whatever it takes to help his friend to flee, instead of being exiled by the government. AI do not think that what you are doing is right, to give up your life when you can save it, and to hasten your fate as your enemies would hasten it, and indeed have hastened it in their wish to destroy you.@(Crito p.58c) Throughout the begining of the dialog, Crito is expressing his feelings of why he believes Socrates should flee from the city. Crito makes many valid points on why he disagrees with Socrates decision to bare this misfortune. Crito offers to do on not fleeingbeing majorints expressing to Socrates, that a man as courageous as Socrates and who has lived his life through virtue . AYou seem to me to choose the easiest path, whereas one should choose the path a good and courageous man would choose, particularly when one claims throughout one=s life to care for virtue.@(Crito p.59d) Through the dialogue the questions and answers within Socrates and Crito establish to major themes in which hold true throughout the work. The first being that a person must decide whether the society in which one lives has a just reasoning behind it=s own standards of right and wrong. The second being, that a person must have pride in the life that he or she leads. In establishing basic questions of these two concepts, Socrates has precluded his own circumstance and attempted to prove to his companion Crito, that the choice that he has made is just. AI am the ... Free Essays on Socrates A virtue such as honesty or generosity is not just a tendency to do what is honest or generous, nor is it to be helpfully specified as a "desirable" or "morally valuable" character trait. It is, indeed a character trait that is, a disposition which is well entrenched in its possessor, something that, as we say "goes all the way down", unlike a habit such as being a tea-drinker but the disposition in question, far from being a single track disposition to do honest actions, or even honest actions for certain reasons, is multi-track. It is concerned with many other actions as well, with emotions and emotional reactions, choices, values, desires, perceptions, attitudes, interests, expectations and sensibilities. To possess a virtue is to be a certain sort of person with a certain complex mindset. (Hence the extreme recklessness of attributing a virtue on the basis of a single action.) The most significant aspect of this mindset is the wholehearted acceptance of a certain range of considerations as reasons for action. An honest person cannot be identified simply as one who, for example, practices honest dealing, and does not cheat. If such actions are done merely because the agent thinks that honesty is the best policy, or because they fear being caught out, rather than through recognising "To do otherwise would be dishonest" as the relevant reason, they are not the actions of an honest person. An honest person cannot be identified simply as one who, for example, always tells the truth, nor even as one who always tells the truth because it is the truth, for one can have the virtue of honesty without being tactless or indiscreet. The honest person recognises "That would be a lie" as a strong (though perhaps not overriding) reason for not making certain statements in certain circumstances, and gives due, but not overriding, weight to "That would be the truth" as a re ason for making them. An honest person's reasons and choices with resp... Free Essays on Socrates In the ancient time of Socrates, role models were usually men or women who conformed to the traditional ways of their society. Socrates, as we know, exemplifies a defyer of the common beliefs and culture. Role models, today, seem to be more individualistic and driven by their uncustomary ideas and newfound viewpoints. They explore the unknown and completely conform the norms of our societies; that is what makes them so exceptional. I believe that Socrates personifies today’s role model which is one who shows that sometimes conventional values of a culture may not be the only values or ways. Socrates rises above tradition to a unique, new way of practice. Role models are people who are usually passionate, strong personalities that perform some great deed that others may admire. Socrates proves to his audience through his spoken words during his defense (Apology), that he is a role model to the city-state of Athens and humanity in general. As he speaks of his false charges of corrupting the youth and not believing in or inventing new gods, he proves that his reputation, his soul and his honor are more important than his own life; â€Å"... judges of the court, must have good hopes towards death, and this one thing you must take as true- no evil can happen to a good man either living or dead, and his business is not neglected... that to die now and to be free from trouble is better for me.† (Apology 446) Socrates feels he is being true to himself, no matter what any other person may feel and this is why he is an outstanding example of a role model. Socrates, not only stands up to men that have brought him to trial, but he also persuades Crito, his friend, that being true and just is better than escaping from prison. Here, Socrates becomes the role model to his friends and followers, while trying to rise above all of the false and unfair accusations. Socrates procl... Free Essays on Socrates In Plato’s Symposium there are three major speeches given by Aristophanes, Socrates and Alcibiades, where each portrays a different aspect of human sexuality and love. Aristophanes’ speech is a fantastic representation of humans that were separated into two halves engaged in desperate search for their other half, while Socrates’ speech is a rhetoric of a conversation he was engaged in with the priestess Diotima, and finally Alcibiades’ speech is a tribute to his teacher Socrates. Even though Aristophones’ speech is a fantastical story that explained why humans are in constant, desperate search for our lost halves, it still captures the tragedy of human sexuality and love. The beings described within the story are characterized by their narcissistic nature, which results in their eventual demise. Aristophanes describes these beings as; They were round, and so was the way they moved, because they took after their parents. They were terrible in their strength and vigour: they had great ambitions and made an attack on the gods. The story told by Homer about Ephilates and Otus, how they tried to climb up to heaven to attack the gods, really refers to them (190b). This attack on the gods is what eventually led to the condition that humans have constantly been in since, as Plato tells us; The gods didn’t see how they could kill them, wiping out the human race with thunderbolts as they’d done with the giants; if they did that the honours and sacrifices the gods received from them would disappear. But they couldn’t let them go on behaving outrageously. After much hard thought, Zeus had an idea; â€Å"I think I have a plan by which human beings could still exist but be too weak to carry on their wild behavior. I shall now cut each of them into two; they will be weaker and also more useful to us because there will be more of them. They will walk around upright on two legs†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (190b-c). Plato then tells us that the ... Free Essays on Socrates The unexamined life is not worth living†¦ -Socrates Socrates was a Greek philosopher who profoundly affected Western philosophy through his influence on Plato. Born 469BC in Athens to Sophroniscus, a sculptor, and Phaenarete, a midwife, he received the regular elementary education in literature, music, and gymnastics. Later he familiarized himself with the rhetoric and dialectics of the Sophists, the speculations of the Ionian philosophers, and the general culture of Periclean Athens. Initially, Socrates followed the craft of his father; according to a former tradition, he executed a statue group of the three Graces, which stood at the entrance to the Acropolis until the 2nd century AD. In the Peloponnesian War with Sparta he served as an infantryman with conspicuous bravery at the battles of Potidaea in 432-430BC, Delium in 424BC, and Amphipolis in 422BC. Socrates believed in the superiority of argument over writing and therefore spent the greater part of his mature life in the marketplace and public places of Athens, engaging in d ialogue and argument with anyone who would listen or who would submit to interrogation. Socrates was reportedly unattractive in appearance and short of stature but was also extremely hardy and self-controlled. He enjoyed life immensely and achieved social popularity because of his ready wit and a keen sense of humor that was completely devoid of satire or cynicism. Socrates was obedient to the laws of Athens, but he generally steered clear of politics, restrained by what he believed to be divine warning. He believed that he had received a call to pursue philosophy and could serve his country best by devoting himself to teaching, and by persuading the Athenians to engage in self-examination and in tending to their souls. He wrote no books and established no regular school of philosophy. All that is known with certainty about his personality and his way of thinking is derived from the works of two of... Free Essays on Socrates Socrates believes that the everyday world is an illusion compared to the world of knowledge. People are often too distracted by money and materialistic things to appreciate truth and reality. Socrates says, â€Å"the capacity for knowledge is innate in each man’s mind.† This exemplifies the point that man has the ability to look into the world of truth, but when one is caught up in superficiality then truth does not receive the attention and glory that it should. This is why Socrates feels that the arts, such as poetry, should be censored; it would help decrease the digression of society’s intellect. In today’s world television and movies are complications that only hinder the thought processes in society. When people are consumed in the shallow world, they see reality as mere shadows compared to truth. Many times, violent images seen in movies will remain in a person’s mind. This obsession with violence and action takes away from concentration on â€Å"the good† and does not benefit society. â€Å"The bad† does not change when one is exposed to it, â€Å"the bad† changes the person. So, by limiting this exposure to violence one can focus on finding â€Å"the good.† â€Å"The good†, according to Socrates is â€Å"the source not only of the intelligibility of the objects of knowledge, but also of their being and reality.† When the mind is preoccupied with the desultory world, it does not see truth; that which is important and real. Television today is geared towards brainless viewing. MTV shows display fast images that do not require any thinking, but only keep the eye entertained. This is a form of â€Å"eye candy† which is society’s form of entertainment, rather than looking for the meaning of life and the good in the world. Viewers are sucked into this and no longer care about anything other than instant pleasure. Not all pleasure is considered good, and this type of instant pleasure is not. Pleasure should not be taken to the ... Free Essays on Socrates 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: â€Å"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. The first approach that Socrates uses to prove his innocence’s is he uses a practical comparison between horses and all living and artifical things â€Å"Take the case of horses; do you believe that those who improve them make up the whole of the mankind and that there is only one person who has a bad effect on them? Or is the truth just the opposite that the ability to improve them belongs to one person or to very few persons, who are horse-trainers, whereas most people, if they have to do with horses and make use of them, do them harm.† 2 The premises in this quote are: 1. Horse trainers do improve horses. 2. Those who use the horses do not enhance them. 3. There are more horse owners than the horse trainers. 4. Therefore, the improvements come from a small group of specialist, while the corruption comes from most people. 5. What is true for horses is true for all living and artificial things. The conclusion that can be made about these premises is that Socrates is not the one who is corrupting the youth because he is a specialist in this field. In addition, the real corruptors of the youth are the greater population of Athens because they are not specialist on teaching wisdom. What important about this conclusion is that even though... Free Essays on Socrates Socrates was born in Athens on 470?BC and died on 399?BC. Socrates was the son of Sophroniscus. Socrates received the regular elementary education in literature, music, and gymnastics. Later he familiarized himself with the Sophists. Socrates followed the talent of his father he also believed in the power of argument over writing. For that reason he spent the greater part of his life in the marketplace and public places of Athens, engaging in discussion and argument with anyone who would listen or who would submit to questioning. Socrates was unattractive in appearance and short of height but was also very tough and self-controlled. He enjoyed life greatly and achieved social popularity because of his ready wit and a keen sense of humor. Socrates was very obedient to the laws of Athens. He believed that he had received a call to practice philosophy and could serve his country best by devoting himself to teaching. He wrote no books and set up no regular school of philosophy. All that is known about his personality and his way of thinking is taken from the works of two of his well-known scholars: Plato, and the historian Xenophon. Plato portrayed Socrates as hiding behind a profession of ignorance that enabled him to go through arguments with great facility. Justice, love, virtue, and the self-knowledge that he instilled, were the basis of his teachings. He believed that all vice is the result of ignorance, and that no person is bad. Socrates was also the teacher of Aristippus. Although a patriot and a man of deep religious belief, Socrates was regarded with suspicion by many of his colleagues, who disliked his attitude toward the Athenian state and the established religion. He was charged in 399 BC with neglecting the gods of the state and introducing new divinities. He was also charged with demeaning the morals of the young. He was condemned to die. Socrates proposed only to pay a small fine because of his value to the state as a... Free Essays on Socrates â€Å"Socrates† The most interesting and influential thinker from a Logic perspective was Socrates, whose dedication to careful reasoning transformed the entire enterprise of Philosophy. Since he sought genuine knowledge rather than mere victory over an opponent, Socrates employed the same logical tricks developed by the Sophists to a new purpose, the pursuit of truth. We know much about his life, methods and results from the writings of his students such as Plato, as he himself never wrote anything. The problem some scholars have with Plato is that he had a tendency to interject his own theories and commentary into dialogues that were presented to the world as discussions between Socrates and other famous figures of the day. During his life, Socrates utilized four aspects in his approach to philosophy. They are; Ironic Modesty, Questioning Habit, Devotion to Truth, and Dispassionate Reason. His philosophy, sadly, ultimately lead him to trial in the Athenian court, where he was sentenced to dea th. Rather than give up his philosophy, he chooses death. His friends even came up with a foolproof plan to free him, but as the plot was starting, he calmly engaged in a rational debate of the moral value of such action. Socrates reasoned that 1) One ought to never do wrong, 2) But it is always wrong to disobey the state, 3) Hence one ought never disobey the state. Since avoiding his sentence of death would be such an action of disobedience to the state, Socrates is not compelled to escape. In the end, Socrates himself was entirely convinced that these arguments hold, so he concluded that it would be wrong for him to escape from prison. As is many similar cases before, his actions conformed to the outcome of his reasoning. Socrates chose to honor his commitment to truth and morality even though it cost him his life.... Free Essays on Socrates k ´rtz) (KEY) , 469–399 B.C., Greek philosopher of Athens. Famous for his view of philosophy as a pursuit proper and necessary to all intelligent men, he is one of the great examples of a man who lived by his principles even though they ultimately cost him his life. Knowledge of the man and his teachings comes indirectly from certain dialogues of his disciple Plato and from the Memorabilia of Xenophon. In spite of conflicting interpretations of his teachings, the accounts of these two writers are largely supplementary. 1 Life Socrates was the son of Sophroniscus, a sculptor. It is said that in early life he practiced his father’s art. In middle life he married Xanthippe, who is legendary as a shrew, although the stories have little basis in ascertainable fact. It is not certain who were Socrates’s teachers in philosophy, but he seems to have been acquainted with the doctrines of Parmenides, Heraclitus, Anaxagoras, and the atomists. He was widely known for his intellectual powers even before he was 40, when, according to Plato’s report of Socrates’s speech in the Apology, the oracle at Delphi pronounced him the wisest man in Greece. In that speech Socrates maintained that he was puzzled by this acclaim until he discovered that, while others professed knowledge without realizing their ignorance, he at least was aware of his own ignorance. 2 Socrates became convinced that his calling was to search for wisdom about right conduct by which he might guide the intellectual and moral improvement of the Athenians. Neglecting his own affairs, he spent his time discussing virtue, justice, and piety wherever his fellow citizens congregated. Some felt that he also neglected public duty, for he never sought public office, although he was famous for his courage in the military campaigns in which he served. In his self-appointed task as gadfly to the Athenians, Socrates made numerous enemies. 3 Aristophanes burlesqued Socr... Free Essays on Socrates The results of recent scholarship on the subject of Socrates seem to make more and more imperative a fresh interpretation of his baffling and enigmatical figure. In recent years there has been a marked tendency to deal with all the great ancient thinkers in terms of a consistent pattern of development in their thought and to see them not, as it were, full grown and maturely developed but in the slow process of growth and evolution. The genetic method has been applied to Plato with marked success by generations of scholars and has culminated in the monumental work of Lutoslawski. Prof. Werner Jaeger's book on Aristotle seems to me to establish quite clearly the validity of applying a similar method to Aristotle. It is not, therefore, surprising that a suggestion made as long ago as 1811 by Wolf in his edition of the Clouds should in recent years be revived and that there should be a fresh disposition to believe that the Socrates of the Clouds and the Socrates of the Apology represent quite different and in a sense even contradictory stages in his development as a thinker. As evidence for this tendency we need only cite the introduction to Mr. W. R. F. Hardie's Study in Plato (page 6). One of the most important contributions of Prof. A. E. Taylor to the understanding of Socrates was made in his Varia Socratica - the perception that the trial was closely bound up with the political strivings of the time. But before an adequate explanation of the development of Socrates was possible, it was necessary to see much more clearly than has heretofore been possible, the relation of Socrates to the political struggles and social currents of his time. This could scarcely have been done until the ingenuity of a number of scholars had reconstructed the case for the prosecution as it was offered in the lost pamphlet of Polycrates. This piece of reconstruction removes much of the problem of the relation of Socrates to the politics of his times from t...