Socrates

Paper Summary:

In this article the writer discusses Socrates' examinations of himself and others. The writer examines Socrates' views through his writings and looks at his belief that by living the philosophical life, he has come to recognize a variety of ways in which he could have acted wrongfully. The writer discusses Socrates' view that by following his principles he has avoided many evils he might otherwise have committed. The writer concludes that unlike most people, who think they know how best to live when they do not, Socrates is aware that he does not know. He strives to benefit his fellow citizens by making them recognize that their worldly pursuits will gain them nothing until they rid themselves of their pretense to wisdom and begin in earnest to lead the examined life.

From the Paper:

"What Socrates asserts, is that through the elenchos Socrates examines the manner in which his interlocutors live. This aspect of Socrates' description of his mission has received virtually no attention in scholarly accounts of the elenchos. Other commentators typically see only that Socrates employs the elenchos on propositions, demonstrating the incompatibility of his interlocutors' beliefs, and (on some accounts) showing others to be more justified. But Socrates does not say that he examines what people say or even what they believe; he says he examines people, and as we have said, by this he means examining the ways in which they live. Socrates does not say that untested propositions are not worth believing or that unexamined beliefs are not worth holding; he says that the unexamined life is not worth living."

More papers on Socrates:

• Term Paper # 135758 : "The Guilt of Socrates"
• Essay # 86562 : "Plato and Socrates"
• Essay # 6193 : "Socrates and the Concept of Justice"
• Analytical Essay # 86480 : "Socrates and Plato's 'The Apology'"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: