Critique on Plato’s Apology of Socrates Essay

Socrates was a great philosopher of his clip. There came a point in his life when his beliefs were questioned and his instructions doubted. He was charged for evil workss and incorrect behaviors. His accusers said he made people see the worse as better and passed them on as truths. They besides said that he corrupted the young person and that he did non believe in the Gods recognized by the province. Socrates addressed the Athenians in defence of his philosophical life.

He appealed to the Men of Athens to hear him out and exert cautiousness in judging him because he had all the replies for them. He said he was a wise adult male and his wisdom came from the prophet.

He believed in Gods contrary to what they accused him of. He taught the young person of virtuousnesss and denied he corrupted them. He ne’er feared decease every bit much as he feared the unjust… The Athenians wanted to cognize how Socrates became a celebrated wise adult male and where he got his wisdom from.

A philosopher like Socrates engaged people in treatments. He gave learned sentiments and replies to the most enigmatic and hard inquiries that frequently confronted ordinary heads. When these people were convinced and enlightened they went off with nil but congratulationss and esteem for Socrates. grounds why they called Socrates. a wise adult male.

Many people came to him to larn more. It can non be said that wisdom is something one is born with.

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In the instance of Socrates his wisdom came from the prophet. He had godly counsel in his instructions. One with a godly counsel taught non merely what was good and what was right but besides lived by those dogmas. The prophet was besides what kept Socrates from haughtiness. Socrates knew he was wise because he knew that the wisdom he possessed meant small or was nil compared to God’s infinite wisdom. A philosopher may be wiser than any adult male. but is ne’er wisest. as lone God is.

Socrates was asked why he did non portion his wisdom with the province and gave it sound advice. The prophet was the interior voice or the scruples of Socrates. When he was a kid the prophet prevented him from making what he intended to make. The prophet ne’er ordered him to make anything which was why he ne’er entertained the ideas of going a politician. He will ne’er be any good to the province by going one. Good and righteous work forces in political relations did non populate long to make more good. Towards the terminal of the test. when Socrates was sentenced to decease. Socrates mentioned the prophet once more.

The prophet did non oppose what he said or stopped him from go forthing the house which was unusual if something bad was to go on. In the terminal. Socrates was happy to decease because the prophet had meant it for him. A philosopher was sought after for wise advocate and Socrates who sought the advocate of the prophet. The prophet symbolized the Divine Guidance which was the beginning of wisdom of Socrates. It strengthened his defence because it proved that his wisdom came from the Godhead and non from immorality. Socrates tested to convert the Athenians that he believed in Gods.

At the start of the test began with a mention to God under whose name he said he will do his defence. God symbolized the highest authorization that Socrates subjected himself to. He respected a merely and righteous authorization. Socrates warned the Athenians that should they harm him. they will transgress against God. God had a intent for him in the Athenian personal businesss of the province. He was to agitate the province up whenever it was in daze. If they killed him after the test the province will everlastingly be in stupor as there will be no 1 to agitate it up.

He was non one to travel against the province over any affair because God meant him to assist maintain order and non chaos. He must to talk up whenever that province was in disregard of its responsibilities. He knew what his duties were to the province and knew that he must maintain them. for God. God was the authorization over and above the province. Socrates gave the province its due topographic point. an authorization under God and originated from God. God was acknowledged by everyone as merely and righteous. To believe in God meant that Socrates conformed to the ways of God and it followed that he was merely and righteous besides.

The impact of this in his defence was that Socrates. foremost of all was non an atheist as alleged by his accusers. Second. he was respectful of authorization. God and the province. Third. he was a good adult male who kept the ways of God. God as the Supreme Being is the symbol of the highest. merely and righteous authorization. Socrates was given the opportunity to travel free on the status that he stopped learning and talking to people. He refused outright because he would be negligent of his authorization from the prophet to travel and learn Virtues to work forces. Virtues symbolized cognition.

It is a virtuousness to cognize right and incorrect and to do enlightened picks of right over incorrect. He had promised God that he will go on to learn for every bit long as he was able. He taught the people to set more value on the enrichment of the psyche. the chase of truth and wisdom alternatively of deriving material wealth. celebrity and glorification. A individual with virtuousness knows his existent worth. he ne’er underestimates neither does he overrates himself. He reminded them that their psyches must take precedency over their individuals and their ownerships. He taught virtuousnesss to anyone who came to him. immature or old. bad or good. rich or hapless.

As a instructor he counseled them to take good and righteous lives. He was like a caring parent or brother. Those among the immature who had heard him talk became reasonable grownups. The charges against him were incorrectly. He ne’er corrupted the young person with the sort of learning he did. There was nil greater for him than to obey the bid of God to learn the people about virtuousnesss. The cognition that a philosopher portions with his pupils is a good defence for the philosophical life. while confuting that he was a corruptor of the young person.

Virtues or cognition that he shared should convert the Athenians that Socrates was a virtuous adult male who sought the enlightenment of others. Teaching others so that they may non be nescient and so that they may take virtuous lives can non be said as evil workss. Taking others to the way of righteousness can non be called corruptness. Socrates should be vindicated of the charges against him as they were groundless and strictly prevarications. Socrates was ne’er sorry for the sort of life he lived even if it finally led him to his decease. Death was symbolic of the good for Socrates.

Death to salvage a friend. decease in defence of a right. decease for one’s moral strong beliefs was all good deceases. A individual who feared decease lacked wisdom. because he feared the unknown. Socrates feared perpetrating unfairness and incorrectly more than he feared decease. When he was a senator. the generals were on test for go forthing the organic structures of the slain in a conflict. They were all tried at the same clip. which he opposed because it was illegal. He was the lone 1 in resistance. In malice of the menaces of impeachment and apprehension he stood his land. He took the hazard for jurisprudence and justness. Those were in the yearss of democracy.

His resoluteness ne’er wavered even during the oligarchy. When Leon from Salamis was to be executed he with four others was ordered to convey the Salaminian to the rotunda. He refused and alternatively went place. He faced possible decease without fright. What he feared most so was to side with unfairness. When threatened with decease or temptation of being saved from decease even if it meant making incorrect. he would instead decease a thousand times. For Socrates decease is good. He philosophized that it was a province of deep slumber or one of blankness. Either manner it is a reposeful province. It is a province that we ne’er experience in most of our darks.

He likened it to a journey which all of us will take at some point in our lives. In decease we will one time once more see those friends and heroes who have gone before us. There will besides be those victims of destiny worst than his with whom he will be able to compare notes with. In the test of Socrates. decease was associated with good. Socrates was ne’er afraid to decease for he was certain something good was bound to go on to him. That should stifle the desire of his accusers to inquire decease for Socrates. Why wish the best for person whom you wanted punished for misbehaviors. The prophet symbolized godly counsel.

It proved hard for Socrates to claim that his wisdom came from the prophet from the God of Delphi. His lone believable informant was a dead adult male. A brother of the dead adult male was present in tribunal but he did non volunteer as informant. Socrates did non name him as informant to confirm his narrative. The prophet called him wise. His wisdom was come-at-able for the ordinary adult male. He did non claim that he had extraordinary wisdom for that would non be true. The instruction of Socrates was about righteousness. justness and humbleness. These are plants of goodness that logically will arise merely from the Godhead.

God is a symbol of authorization. What God commanded Socrates to make he followed. Between the God and province. Socrates placed God foremost. A philosopher has regard for authorization and that should convert the Athenians that Socrates was a good adult male. He would really likely base on balls on this virtuousness to others. Virtue is a symbol of cognition. Socrates shared his doctrines with others so that they may be enlightened. He taught merely the good as his wisdom was from the Godhead beginning. In his test he made the Athenians know that his accusers know nil of what they were impeaching him of.

As they were non-believers. with whom he had non shared his wisdom. his accusers remained nescient. Death is the symbol of something good and pleasant. something one should non fear merely like Socrates. The Work force of Athens will see Socrates as a adult male of bravery who was non scared of decease and an enlightened adherent of the Godhead who treated decease as a journey. a deep sleep or a crossing over. In the test of Socrates we found a adult male with a strong religion in God. despite accusals of godlessness. He chose right over incorrect all the clip even at the menace of decease and injury.

He lived what he preached carried a meaningful and purposeful life. He wanted to convert the Athenians that learning the right values and lauding the virtuousnesss in people was no corruptness. An evil actor would make no such thing. No sum of force per unit area or menace or temptation would compromise his values. He kept God’s bid to him to go on learning at all cost to him. This came from a true truster of God and non from an atheist as Meletus had accused him to be. A philosopher would learn merely things that would be of value to people every bit good as those things that will make the individual tremendous good.

A philosopher’s step of value puts the religious over and above the physical and the stuff. That is what separates the ordinary adult male from the philosopher. The wants of the ordinary adult male is of this universe and the philosopher’s is of the higher kingdom. There were many lessons learned from the statements of Socrates in his defence. They let us into the head of a philosopher with its deepness. wit. fluency. play and humor. It is hard to understand a philosopher because he is in a degree all by himself. His logic is simple and clear at the start but he can be confusing towards the terminal.

It is diverting how they turn one’s statement against his ain like what he did to Meletus. Socrates’ statements are excessively profound for the ordinary head to follow. A philosopher’s life is excessively dull to wish for oneself and excessively unsympathetic to want. He goes for the simple and unsophisticated. He is non attached to the stuff. He can work with no wage and treasures the fulfilment in making the occupation for God and fellowmen. It is adequate wage for a philosopher that others learn of truth and wisdom from him. Socrates helped us understand the life of a adult male for others. as a philosopher really is.

Socrates was a adult male with a strong religion in God. He placed God above all else. God represented the authorization in his life. He would make anything God commanded him to make. out of great regard. A philosopher who regards God in such high regard is worthy of trust. He could feign to cognize so much because people hold his every word as truth. Socrates was non that sort of philosopher. He could presume power like a God but Socrates did non. He thought of himself as wise because he accepted that his wisdom and power were non the ultimate. Philosophers have all the replies. Their cognition is deep and expansive.

They can speak about anything and everything. They spoke with authorization. They have the gift of cognition. They derive their wisdom from the Supreme Being who is all-knowing. As such they speak merely of the merely and the righteous. They portion the cognition with the people who go to them for their good advocate. They lead simple lives without the unneeded furnishings. They care for their psyche more than their physical and material concerns. The portion with their fellow work forces what they valuable ownership. cognition. Socrates was all the above. The Philosophers were brave work forces who fear incorrectly more than they fear decease.

There was no manner they would be swayed from their strong beliefs because of the menace of penalty. Neither will they halt from making what is right to be saved from injury. They will decease for a friend. be hanged for a good cause and crush for their beliefs. The Philosophers were no ordinary persons. They endured because of their religion. their doggedness and wisdom. They may hold been misunderstood but they have been understood more. Their bequests live on. long after they are gone. Works Cited “Socrates’ Defense. ” 1994-2000. Apology by Plato. Translated by Benjamin Jowett. 10 May 2008 hypertext transfer protocol: //classics. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. edu/Plato/apology. hypertext markup language.