A Dialogue with Socrates

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Plato sets the standard for what was to be considered as 'justice' in his representation of the way a government should be obeyed and the concept of virtue in the manner to which an individual reacts within the boundaries of justice; however, the circumstances by which Socrates makes his point seems counteractive to the premise of his arguments. The author points out that the paradox of truth, the inability to find truth when the truth is not known, allows Socrates to demonstrate in practical terms what epistemology means; the theory of recollection is his answer to the paradox of truth. The paper concludes that Socrates believes (and seeks to prove in ?The Meno?) that true virtue is a matter of rational principles, and these cannot be merely relative, any more than mathematics can be relative, but his argument is out of place and disjointed.

From the Paper:

"While serving his time before the execution in solitude, Socrates tells of an incident where he was ordered to bring a man to his execution by the oligarchy of the Thirty, which was then in power. He chose, first, not to physically interfere with their wishes but also chose not to obey their orders as he considered them morally wrong (462). By his actions, he seems to be saying that a man must follow his conscience above the rule of the law."

More papers on A Dialogue with Socrates:

• Analytical Essay # 147009 : "Socrates and His Dialog With Euthyphro About God's Will"
• Argumentative Essay # 32257 : "Socrates' Defence"
• Essay # 6193 : "Socrates and the Concept of Justice"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: