Socartes is a very admirable person in my opinion, especially considering his circumstances. Even though he was considered ugly, was in total poverty, and had many other what we would consider hindrances, Socrates made the decision to embrace who he was and make the most of it. In Socrates case, he felt compelled to advise the youth of Athens to think for themselves, and develop their own opinions on varying subjects. But, to me, what made Socrates an excellent historical figure is he would teach only those willing to listen, he wouldn't force his opinions on others. Although, Socrates would always argue his points to those trying to disprove him, he never backed away from what he thought.
Moving on to the Apology which was written by Plato giving an account of Socrates's trial by the Athenians. I personally liked the reading, even though some of the reading was slightly challenging to grasp, particularly when Socrates was explaining different "truths" about varying subjects. But the main point that kept reoccurring to me was the Athenians were so stone set on killing Socrates strictly because they didn't want to change. Socrates never did anything but "toe stomp" on the political and justice system of Athens. So, what bothered me was the Athenians were more set on killing a man, than self-examination of their systems. Everyone, even now, tries to condemn others while turning a blind eye to what could be fixed with themselves.
I completely agree that socrates was, and still is an admirable figure. The way that he was willing to stand up and voice his own thoughts, when everyone else was blindly throwing their faith into what was already in place, never daring to question it. I really liked how you touched on the fact that the high-ups were more set on killing Socrates for refusing to swallow his pride, when in fact if they had swallowed their own and evaluated the truths of Socrates teachings, history would have played out quite differently for not only Socrates, but many philosophers who followed..
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that you mentioned self-examination. That is what Socrates was all about, questioning everything, even one's own morals and beliefs. I think you are very right in saying that the jurors were set on killing him. It's sad to think that Socrates spoke for so long on men making their own decisions by examining the facts and it did basically nothing for him.
ReplyDeleteI really like Socrates as a person. He didn't really care what others thought of him as long as he knew he was doing the righteous thing. Really good point made about the Athenian's system.
ReplyDeleteGreat points, Adam. I especially appreciated your connecting it to modern times.
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