'Critical Analysis of The Apology of Socrates by Plato Essay\r'

'Socrates was an orator and philosopher whose primary interests were logic, ethics and epistemology. In Plato’s Apology of Socrates, Plato recounts the speech that Socrates gave currently before his final stage, during the exertion in 399 BC in which he was charged with â€Å" corrupt the young, and by non believing in the gods in whom the city believes, excessively cosmos a busybody and intervene gods c ar”. The name of the work itself is non compressed what it is appe atomic number 18d; here, Socrates is not apologizing, and merely verbalize in demurral of his judgements and actions †the word alibi is holdd in the context of its accepted center.\r\nDuring this apology, Socrates attempts to explain himself and the decisions that led to his action, educating his audience in the philosophical questions he chooses to pose. Socrates does not essay to avoid final stage in the trial; rather, his goal is to enlighten the public for the lead prison t erm before his own passing. Socrates was continuously fascinated with the solving of questions, both super and sm solely told; his approach was to use the Socratic mode of inquiry, wherein he would break the hassle kill into several questions, and then systematic ally find the answers to each question in order to find the larger answer.\r\nIt was a methodical and practical approach to show his ultimate quest for seeking the admittedly getledge. He says, â€Å"His wisdom is truly no-count”; this is indicative of his un resting search for more than and more dealledge (Apology 23b). According to him, ism starts by admitting that you are ignorant of the truth, which is what he does here. It is with this approach to philosophical questions and dilemmas †the use of Socratic irony †that Socrates chooses to engage with his audience and take the stand why he did what he did. The Socratic method of dialectical investigation utilized arguings to try and determ ine ethics and truth.\r\n twain techniques were primarily used by Socrates: first, he would create a hypothesis, and then he would investigate any potential conflicts with that hypothesis. Assumptions and presumptions would be challenged in order to discover what was true. Socrates focus on valuing cerebration above all else. His primary method was ask questions, evolution hypotheses, and testing them to see if the evidence support them. Socrates, for the most spell, levers the integrity of parliamentary procedure, and feels as though a group of slew coming together to form a community should be respected by honoring the social contract.\r\nAt the aforementi cardinald(prenominal)(p) time, in that location are aspects of the self that are more important than a common whole, and a society must be made up of individuals that quest after the principles divided by the whole. One should not be forced to be gift in a military personnelner inconsistent with their beliefs; an id eal society is comprised of individuals who may all subscribe to the contrastive philosophies but are suitable to see and except others idea the same time. As Socrates mentioned in the text that a psyche should be judge by what he have down, not by his behavior.\r\nIt is lonesome(prenominal) then that justice can be really served. Socrates’ approach to the trial is admirable; instead of expressing panic or despondency at the prospect of his vivification ending, the universe instead maintains his calm and simply, effectively explains his emplacement. He presents himself as the ideal philosopher, being unbendable in his justification for his actions and privation to jazz up his audience. Using his own use of attribute of speech and his Socratic principles, he breaks down discussions he has with characters much(prenominal) as the Delphic oracle, Meletus, and more to expound his ideas.\r\nThe beginning of Socrates’ argument relies on the aforementioned ackno wledgement of Socratic irony †the most philosophical piece of music is the one who admits his ignorance, and is able to point break the ignorance of others. When the oracle of Delphi told Chaerephon that no one is wiser than Socrates, he chose to go on a jaunt to deal with this paradox; he knew he was ignorant, so he could not be wiser than everyone else. To that end, he questioned politicians, poets and craftsmen, it coming to the ineffable finishing that none of them knew what they were blathering slightly either.\r\nAt that end, Socrates claims he began to see himself as a representative of the oracle’s row; instead of pretending to know a great deal, he chose to profess his ignorance and be honest with himself some it (23e). To that end, he was able to act as himself and maintain his integrity. During the trial, Socrates holds everyone else to the same standard; when he talks ab issue Meletus, his accuser, he calls him out on not very caring about what he pr ofesses to care about †namely, the charges against Socrates.\r\nThrough the trial, Socrates has turn out not only Meletus do not care about the matter he mentioned in the charge, also he has no idea what is he talking about either a lot or a little, Socrates cleverly seduced Meletus go into his trap, by using the anger that Meletus hold against Socrates. Because transparent thither are some much(prenominal) cleanse answers for Meletus to answer. Socrates had very specific ideas regarding what effected ‘the good sprightliness. ‘ To him, the most important value a person has is sexual morality, and the good life is spent looking for the Good. This was known as the love of wisdom.\r\nSocrates had little regard for earthly affairs, and the framework or pleasurable social functions that some spate business leader consider to have to ‘the good life’; instead, he thought that the beat out thing to do in life is to â€Å"pursue the love of wisdom ,” instead of â€Å"money, and reputation, and public honor” (Apology 29d-30b). He defended this by living the philosophy, and emphasizing certain virtues that were purported to be the best things that tenderity could offer itself. By avoiding the search for wealth and instead developing as peck, Socrates attempted to build a community of better individuals.\r\nSocrates firmly believed that a higher order should be followed when conducting one’s life; whenever divine leave conflicts with world authority, one must follow divine authority first. â€Å"Gentlemen, I am your grateful and devoted servant, but I owe a great subjection to God than to you; and as long as I draw breath and have my faculties I shall never check out practicing philosophy” (Apology). He feels he has a duty, as a philosopher, to constantly question and examining the universe of discourse around him to find answers, since his professed ignorance frees him from pretending he alr eady knows said answers.\r\nAll of these arguments chin-wag heavily on the charges against Socrates; in essence, tidy sum scornd his questioning and argumentation, as vigorous as the perception that he was affront those whom he was interrogating. Socrates lamented the focus on material wealth and power, at the expense of eschewing inborn exploration and philosophy. â€Å"Are you not repentant that you give your attendance to acquiring as much money as possible, and besides with reputation and honor, and give no attention or thought to truth and disposition and the perfection of your intellect? ” (Apology).\r\nHere, he is reprobate his audience (and the people of Athens) for not operative toward the greatest good, which is the study of self and the existence around them; this is the reason for his interrogating, and the very thing they are punishing him for. If he has to be irritating and annoying to his peers, so be it; he allow not stop until he improves the snuff its of the people he lives with, â€Å"and all day long I impart never cease to settle here, in that respect and everywhere, rousing, persuading, and reproving every one of you” (Apology 30e). This is a bold statement that proves his use of his abnegation to educate the people of Athens as to their own problems.\r\nIn his second speech, after the jury voted guilty, He provided his version of penalization that he thinks he deserves. Obvious there could be a better representation to persuade the jury, unfortunately it is not how Socrates wants it to down. He keeps denying the penalty and showed no respect to the jury. The evidence to his action is Socrates knows the life he will have will never be the same, and if the life is not turn out as he wanted, then it is not worth to living. He believes what he does is the best life for merciful being, and he was move to teach the audiences a lesson.\r\nHe notes that it might have been possible for him to save his life by begging the court’s mercy and appealing to them. However, he did not do this; this was not out of ignorance or ineffectiveness in his approach, but he wanted to be honest and candid about his opinions †namely, that the jury and those who were charging him were afraid of his criticism. To Socrates, it is better to die as an honest man who is unafraid of his convictions than to live having sacrificed them. Because of that, he wants to authorise an example of himself to the jury, proving a life lived frankly is one which lends greater peace.\r\nIn his nett argument, when the jury votes to execute Socrates, he regarding his threatening death plays into his central thesis. According to Socrates, there are two kinds of death: death as annihilation (you go to peace and feel and experience nothing more) and death as transmigration (where you have a soul which goes somewhere else). Definition is defended by Socrates; the annihilation should be looked forward to like you would lastly going to sleep, and transmigration would simply allow him to talk to other great figures like bell ringer and Odysseus and learn from their wisdom.\r\nAgain he use this argument to reiterate his central idea, such as people think they know about death but they actually not, and people needs keep examining, questioning, until the end of their life. In the end, Socrates even wishing his opposition well; he feels that, if you are a good man, you have nothing to devotion in the life or the afterlife. He does not begrudge or hate his accusers and merely wishes to teach others to place the human good over the materialism and that pervert his peers.\r\nHis last words are, â€Å"Well, now it is time to be off, I to die and you to live; but which of us has the happier prospect is outlander to anyone but God” (42a). After all Socrates is one of the best philosophers in the human history, unfortunate he is fail to learn the most people in his age, the method of his is f ull of satirize, harsh, and direct to the sensitive position of people’s mind, it may assoil the â€Å"problem”, but come with extensive consequence. However, he understood it, he knows what he have down, may someday bring him to the trial even death, the determination of him prosecute the goodness is unparalleled.\r\nEven many people thought his ideas is incomprehensible, and he said in the text that he is not a good citizen, unperturbed he is as good as a human being can be. After I read the Crito, his death sentence, to him, was the unfortunate but understandable result of living in a society that oversaw its peers. Despite his innocence, and the belief that the Athenian government was in heroic need of mixed bag, he still abided by its rules; he believed that one can change the system from within, but you must still adhere to the decisions that society makes.\r\nIn conclusion, Socrates’ defense at the trial, portrayed in Plato’s Apology, was simpl y another platform by which he sustain his philosophies about the virtue of thinking, self-improvement, and acting as a part of a greater whole of civilization. He was punished and put to death for asking too many questions and corrupting the young, when in fact he was simply wishing to point out the ignorance of his peers (which he also shares).\r\nThe principle of Socratic irony, wherein people are most philosophical when they admit they know nothing, was something that Socrates was trying to get other people to admit; despite their professed knowledge, they truly were ignorant, and so they were learning nothing by not reconciling this attitude. While the trial did not save his life, Socrates did not care †his goal was to show people the true meaning of living a human life, as well as demand greater examination of themselves.\r\n'