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Development of democracy in athens
Development of democracy in athens
Political life athens
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Development of democracy in athens
Development of democracy in athens
Political life athens
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
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.
Comparing Socrates words in the Republic for the philosopher to rule to the words of the Apology where philosophy is viewed as something that is punishable by death, this is where the defense or importance of philosophy is realized. For if the philosophers were the ones to rule, nobody would question whether or not what they were doing was right or wrong because the philosopher-kings make the rules through wisdom and knowledge. Plato wants to paint a portrait of the philosopher as not only something the city should want to have, but also as someone who would be fit to rule above all others. This contrasts, again, to the points made by the jurors to Socrates in the Apology for they saw Socrates as someone who brings the city
Yet, Plato’s Apology shows another side of Athens; they are closed off to change and punish those whose ideologies differ from those guiding the people. To consider what Pericles might have felt about the changes in Athens in “The Apology,” how people and new ideas were put on trial, he would likely be ashamed the society he once held so high.
A: III. The Apology of Plato: what was Socrates saying? A comparison and contrast of the rhetorical strategy of Socrates in FS 11, Plato’s Apology to the rhetorical strategy of the speaker in the Athenian law court speech you read for your report. Find all you can that is unconventional and counter conventional in what Socrates says.
Methodology This is a study of interviewing Hooter employees to understand how they feel about consumer habits and self imaging inside the work place of Hooters, the restaurant and out. Through interviews it gives the interviewer a better chance to get to know the interviewees (DiCicco-Bloom & Crabtree, 2006). It gives a better understanding in what it takes to become a Hooter employee. Interviews were used to pertain information due to the fact that it’s more personable, as well as efficient in understanding the employee. It is the most familiar way with collecting data.
The play, Plato’s Apology and Oedipus the king explains how both men have good intentions on improving life for mankind, but due to their actions both suffer from terrible consequences. Plato’s Apology is the story of the trial of Socrates; he is being accused of corrupting the youth, challenging the belief system of the Athenians. The play Oedipus the King by Sophocles, explains how Oedipus unwillingly committed patricide and married his mother. As a result, this leads to his downfall.
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.
In Plato: Five Dialogues: Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Meno, Phaedo, the account of Socrates’ life during his time in jail until his execution, is told through Plato’s point of view. In these dialogues, Socrates shares his philosophical beliefs on many subjects –one of them being the obligations of the citizen. This belief is illustrated in Crito, which is a dialogue between Socrates and his longtime friend Crito. Along with Socrates is Martin Luther King Jr. who has also expressed his beliefs on the obligations of the citizen in his “Letter from a Birmingham jail”. Both Socrates and King create social tension in order for individuals to better themselves in the world they live in.
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.”
It would seem that the reasoning that Socrates uses about halfway into the Apology (just after he has finished speaking with Meletus) for why it would be illogical to fear death should also work inversely. That is to say that the very same reasoning would also seem to suggest that it would be illogical to look forward to death. Therefore, when Socrates suggests, towards the end of the dialogue, that he is actually looking forward to dying, one might be tempted to conclude that he is contradicting his own logic. However, on closer examination of the wording and the context of these two discussions of death, one can see that he has, in fact, not contradicted himself, after all.
While reading Book 3, I was struck by Socrates’ views on what constitutes acceptable poetry in his ideal city, which would “expunge all that sort of disparagement [of death]” (386c). Socrates explains that this censorship is necessary in order to inculcate an ideal form of justice, claiming that some kinds of poetry “should [not] be heard by men who are supposed to be free and to fear slavery more than death” (387b). Here, I think Socrates means to say that we should have the strength to uphold our rights/principles of freedom, instead of fearing the unknown nature of death, which he also articulates in Plato’s Apology – “Well, now it is time to be off, I to die and you to live; but which of us has the happier prospect is unknown to anyone but God” (42a).
The importance of “The Apology” and Socrates is that he served as a symbol towards the fundamental question of the “why” in life. Socrates argues that in a society like Athens where the ability to ask these types of questions are denied, the overall happiness of its citizens will eventually perish. The reason being that material objects can only satisfy the soul for so long. This is why Socrates felt that it was his duty to remind the leaders of Athens of the importance of their humility. He chose to seek wisdom within himself
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.
In Plato’s Apology, Socrates uses religious appeals, proof by contradiction WC and various examples to argue for his innocence in court. Socrates is forced to argue for the sake of his life to prove that he is not guilty. Socreates’ speech, however, he is not apologizing for anything instead, the word comes from the Greek word “apologia,” that translates to a speech made in defense. Socrates begins his argument by stating the reason he thinks he is being accused is because of his reputation with the citizens of Athens.
His personal defense is described in works two of his students: Xenophon and Plato. Both of them wrote papers called Apology, which is the Greek word for “defense”. In this essay I used Apology by Plato as the main resource, since it contents a more full account of the trial of Socrates and his words. Despite the fact that the philosopher attempted to defend himself and explain the reasons for saying and doing the things he did, it did not do any good for his justification. On the contrary, Socrates’ words seemed to make the jury harden their hearts and condemn him.