Plato's "Trial And Death of Socrates"

Paper Summary:

This paper is on Plato's "Trial And Death Of Socrates" and analyzes the two dialogues in the book, namely, "The Apology" and "The Crito", in reference to Socrates's claims. This paper also attempts to identify Socrates as a man of honor with strong moral ideals. Evidence is provided that shows how Socrates attempted to guide his fellow men on the path of righteousness.

From the Paper:

"Socrates bravely defends himself by suggesting that he had never attempted to corrupt the youth or cause them to become non-believers. He states, "What has caused my reputation is none other than a certain kind of wisdom. What kind of wisdom? Human wisdom, perhaps" (Benjamin Jowett, The Trial And Death Of Socrates). He then relates the story when he and his friend, Chairephon went to Oracle in their youth. The Oracle claimed that no one was wiser than Socrates was and since then Socrates made it his duty to find any man who had greater wisdom than him. In his quest, Socrates questioned the beliefs of poets, politicians and theologians, only to find that they were not as wise, as they had appeared to be. Socrates proclaimed, "In my investigation in the service of the god I found that those who had the highest reputation were nearly the most deficient, while those who were thought to be inferior were more knowledgeable" (Benjamin Jowett, The Trial And Death Of Socrates). This act obviously exposed many highly ranked men and earned Socrates a bad name. Socrates believed that an unexamined life was not worth living, and if he had agreed to accept the right of the court to judge his thoughts than he had indeed lost his honor. He openly professed that his followers represented his ideas for him."

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