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Socrates Goodness In The Apology

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In the Apology, the trial of Socrates brings about questions regarding the legitimacy of god(s) and the corruption in educating the youth. As the speaker for his own defense, Socrates understands that the only mode of proving his innocence is through forward and honest speech to highlight his own position of wisdom and his impact on the people around him. Although Socrates is ultimately found guilty, he tells the jurymen to “keep this one truth in mind, that a good man cannot be harmed either in life or in death…”1 I argue that the goodness in Socrates is highlighted by his ignorance towards the welfare of his own being. Socrates did not intentionally choose nor train for the life he was given. It is under these circumstances that he was found charged with worshipping other gods and corrupting the youth, to which the townspeople did not …show more content…

The goodness within Socrates is irrefutable, as clarified by the gods. As exhibited by his non-publicized yet keenly public teachings, Socrates only considers the wellbeing of the general population. He educates in order to positively affect the common welfare; he does not educate to acquire his own personal benefits. It is the selfish act of only focusing on one’s own self interest that defines the difference between a good man and a bad man. To enunciate on the prevailing threat of life versus death is to distract the true intention of a good man. The risk of death stops one from living. Death, to Socrates, is that of a blessing, for it could either mean nothingness or change.3 If Socrates cannot teach during his life, he has another opportunity to do so in the afterlife without the condemnation of corrupting the

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