Socrates As Suicidal In Plato's Five Dialogues

Socrates could easily be viewed as suicidal due the portrayal put forth in Plato’s Five Dialogues. First, there is the Apology. Numerous times Socrates was given the opportunity to defend himself in a manner that what would be persuading to the jury, but he seemed to have sullied each and every chance. He gave a compelling argument for why his actions were not the crimes he was accused of committing, yet did so with harsh logic with never an appeal to the emotions. He believes such appeals, for instance bringing his family to court, would be beneath him while acknowledging it would have aided his case with, “you will more readily convict a man who preforms these pitiful dramatics in court… than a man who keeps quiet” (Plato 39). Socrates also

Such is the case for the Buddhist monk Quang Duc who burned himself alive in protest of the Vietnam War and the Diem regime. Other monks followed his lead, showing they too found such an act to be just given the circumstances (Sanburn). In response, compassion was garnered for his cause, demonstrating an overall acceptance of his dire action. Likewise, kamikaze pilots could be viewed as having sacrificed themselves for a spiritual purpose. The translation for the root, kami, is gods which illustrates the religious implications of the act (Szczepanski). Kamikaze were thought of as honorable in their culture and their ability to commit themselves to a greater cause was revered. Plato would assert the deeds of the monks and kamikaze pilots would permissible under the premises used to justify Socrates’ suicide. He may not have agreed with the religion these martyrs used to derive these beliefs; nevertheless, he could have related to the concept of dying if it was the will of the gods. Socrates himself alluded to his own death being the decision of the gods as his “divine sign” did not oppose the actions he undertook which led to the sentencing of death (Plato

Society today rarely in approving of this justification. Those who try are often stopped by others if possible. They can even be put under watch and held in medical care against their will to prevent further attempts. They are offered alternatives such as therapy, anti-depressants, and lifestyle changes in order to better manage their condition. If one has success and do actually commit the deed, their memory is typically marred with stigma with the claims that they were crazy, selfish, or taking the easy way out (Cowan). Similarly, Plato would disapprove of suicide due to depression. He would assert suicide is only for those who are going to die regardless due to factors out of their control, which would not apply to the depressed. Instead, he would propose they attempt to alter their life. He would suggest they manage their depression by cultivating their wisdom as “the soul of a philosopher achieves calm from such emotions” (Plato 122). This conviction in the ability to change one’s emotional state for the better further demonstrates another connection between the beliefs held by Plato and by people