According to the Oxford dictionary, a gadfly is a fly that bites and agitates livestock. In Plato’s Apology, it is claimed that Socrates compares himself to a gadfly that is attached to the city of Athens (29e). Then, in 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. mentions Socrates in his letter to the clergymen and compares himself to Socrates claiming, “so must we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society…” (89-90). In both passages, there is an importance to be a gadfly in society and by being a gadfly, both men are able to create a change in their societies.
Death isnt always refering to a body even though we often times think of it that way. In the memoir Night by: Elie Wiesel there are many instances of non-physicals deaths thoughout out the events that occur. In this memoir the examples of figuritive death are non stop. Three main instances are the death of freedom,the death of identity, and the most important the death of faith. Death is not just physical but figurtive displayed by Elie Weisel in the memoir of Night.
To begin, I will be discussing the authors and his thesis. Apology, Crito, and Phaedo was written by Socrates’ apprentice Plato. In these books, Plato is narrating the events leading up to Socrates’ death. He begins in Apology tells us the readers of the court proceedings and conviction of Socrates. In this first narrative Plato is in the words of Professor Jeff McEwen “acting as a court scribe.”
In Plato’s dialogue Apology, Socrates is standing trial for two crimes; impiety and corrupting the youth. During the three speeches Socrates delivers during his trial he discusses why he is fearless when faced with many of the things humans fear most, including being hated, accused of serious crimes, being threatened with punishment, and being put to death. Being Hated To begin, Socrates does not fear being hated because he understands that the reason why he is disliked is due to his attempt to understand the underlying meaning behind the Oracle of Delphi’s prophecy. When Socrates addresses the anticipated questions about his reputation, he tells the jury the story of his friend Chaerephon who went to the Oracle of Delphi and asked if
Plato’s Apology is in the words of Socrates. The apology explains what Socrates though of death as he awaited his death after being condemned for not believing in God. He believed after death, one would either go to another world or be in a state of nothingness. He had the theory of death being a place where one would learn about life and talk to people that no longer walk the Earth. He supports his argument that death is a gain by explaining that he, Socrates, will get to speak to famous poets and past heroes.
Examining one’s life can bring many joys. There are many things that give people the idea that their lives are meaningful. These ideas could be the pursuit of pleasure and happiness, entertainment, sports, power and money, possessions and security, being famous and success, meeting other people, knowledge and every other thing that can give the smallest amount of happiness to the person. In the apology Plato describes Socrates’ venture to question people would were wise and content with their wisdom, but when they asked a series of questions to test their wisdom they were revealed not to be wise and were now upset. The flaw in that was that these people did not examine what had happened to them and did not learn from it.
Socrates was a greek philosopher who found himself in trouble with his fellow citizens and court for standing his grounds on his new found beliefs from his studies about philosophical virtue, justice, and truth. In “Apology” written by Plato, Socrates defended himself in trial, not with the goal of escaping the death sentence, but with the goal of doing the right thing and standing for his beliefs. With this mindset, Socrates had no intention of kissing up to the Athenians to save his life. Many will argue that Socrates’ speech was not very effective because he did not fight for his life, he just accepted the death sentence that he was punished with. In his speech he said, “But now it’s time to leave, time for me to die and for you to live.”
Socrates was a man that was in search of the truth about wisdom. However, it became more then just a search when it brought him to trail of accusations. As a philosopher Socrates was known to overdrawn ideas and to frustrate anyone he was talking to. He is always in search of a better idea and for anyone who has experienced Socrates could assume he is making up his own actualities. This becomes evident in “ Apology” written by Plato, where Socrates was brought in charges for corrupting the minds of the youth and not believing in the Gods.
The ‘Apology’ is a form of dialectic philosophy. It illustrates the charges brought upon Socrates and the self-defense he demonstrates during the trial. Socrates is accused of ‘corruption of the youth’ and ‘impiety’. Socrates is found guilty of having faith in the wrong Gods and Meletus accuses him of not acknowledging the sun and moon as gods but as masses of stone. Socrates is accused of studying things in heaven and below the earth.
Death is an ambiguous entity which leaves most in it’s path desolate and forgotten. Though it’s reasoning and terminus are unknown, it’s intentions are clear and should be respected while revered. The Platonic dialogue Apology by Plato supports my analogical view that Socrates belief that death is nothing to be feared is flawed and misleading. This is supported through Socrates ideas of the destination for the soul, his assumptions on the state of death and his idea of the rewards of the righteous.
Part 1: Definitions and Examples 1. Epistemology- can be defined as the breaking down and interpretation of knowledge • Example: In the Euthyphro, Socrates questions what the meaning of piety is, and why certain actions are pious. 2. Metaphysics-
Abortion is a subject matter that is widely regarded as an ethical issue all over the world. Abortion brings both pro-life and pro-choice advocates into debate as to what the right decision and law is in regards to terminating a fetus. Both sides of believers believe in their own stance and passionately think that their beliefs are the way all should live by. The stance on pro-life is one generally taken by Christians and in particular the Catholic Church. They gain this belief from their faith where “being” a Christian means one’s life and views needs to align with God’s therefore following the Holy Scripture and teachings in a strict manner is essential.
The term “apology comes from the Greek word apologia which means to defend. In this essay I would like to explain why I believe that The Apology by Plato should be classified as pity and fear, in regards to Greek tragedy. I believe that this is true because I can personally empathize with Socrates; this will be discussed later on in this essay. A tragic hero is considered to be an individual with an intellectual flaw or error, Socrates fits this description; Socrates failed to understand that he could not empathize with the jurors because they simply wanted him to acknowledge his prior offenses, while he only sought out telling the truth and not sullying his own moral code. Socrates should be considered a tragic hero because he had an intellectual error, not an ethical one.
Have you ever gone to a cooler and inside it was cold? Have you ever wondered why? Well, Mrs. Houghton, my 6th grade teacher asked us the same questions and wanted us to figure it out. So, she gave us an assignment that would help us learn why this happens.
Socrates was a great philosopher of the Greek world. He was quite an atypical and distinctive person. Being different from all the other philosophers of the land, Socrates was teaching his students ideas totally out of the ordinary from what the society believed was right. As a result, he displeased many people so much that they decided to get rid of him. Socrates was put to trial, accused of spoiling the youth of Athens, tried and sentenced to death.
