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Sophists Vs Socrates Research Paper

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Appreciation of Philosophy Essay #2 Socrates vs. Sophists Believing Socrates was a Sophist can be a common misconception in Greek history. Although they have similarities, such as moving in the same circle, teaching, and having the same subject matter, there are only two given differences that set them apart. The fact that Socrates looked for objective truth through dialectic, while the Sophists believed in relative truth and taught that through rhetoric, clearly separates them. Questioning if Socrates was a Sophist is not an unintelligent question at all. Many have pondered this because both taught in Athens. Although Socrates denied teaching, this claim is false. He even contradicts himself later in the Apology stating, he doesn’t …show more content…

were professions who charged for their teachings. Thus, they already differed from Socrates in the sense that Socrates never charged money for his teaching. “This is, of course, perfectly consistent with his claim that he has nothing to teach” (Melchert 64). Socrates did not charge for his practices, because he insisted he did not know what is; therefore, nobody can teach what they don’t understand. The other main difference between the Sophists and Socrates is, the Sophists understood the truth to be relative. They believe that each individual is the final judge of how things are. This thought developed into the view that there is no real knowledge or truth, “the whole point is to enable their practitioner to win through rhetoric” (Melchert 64). The Sophists used rhetoric to persuade audiences in specific situations, regardless if it were true or not. On the other hand, Socrates believed that truth is objective, meaning that there were right and wrong answers to moral questions that went beyond opinion and popular sentiment. He believed that the best way to come to knowledge of the truth is through dialectic. Dialectic is “questions that make us think again, questions that make us uncomfortable and inclined to be defensive” (Melchert 66). Socrates used this dialectic method to reach a universal truth by questioning and always using rational reasoning when teaching. This allowed individuals to come upon

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In this play the Socrates here doesn't sound like the Socrates from the Apology or the real life Socrates. The real Socrates doesn't actually teach per say, he teaches in a way that makes you yourself use your brain. He makes you question everything and understand things based on your own perception. The writer of this play clearly felt as if Socrates was a major problem in his society for allowing people to actually try to think outside of the box and ask questions. He most likely enjoyed the fact that everyone were robots and all thought alike and believed in the same thing because it brought no need to bring out discussion.

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Socrates believed that knowledge was neither taught nor learned. He wanted people to know that in the process of questioning there is recollection. His point was that, in learning certain truth, such as mathematics, the mind "recollects" truths which it had known from a previous life. He demonstrates this by questioning an uneducated slave boy who worked in Meno's house. Socrates asked the boy a question about geometry in order to demonstrate to Meno that he is not teaching him but that the boy is recollecting things in order.

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One could also argue that Socrates seemed to want the truth, not so much for others but for his own well being. As oppose to King,

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Doing so would result in a weak soul that is full of ignorance. Socrates had developed an understanding that came from within. This gave him

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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.”

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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.

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Through dialect and an exchange of his ideas, what Socrates had preached during his time has been passed down by his student Plato. A few things that Socrates had taught to his pupil is that the obvious things may not

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To this day only portions of the Sophists’ writings have survived and they are mainly known from Plato, a philosopher who helped lay the foundations of Western philosophy and science. Plato studied philosophy under the guidance from Socrates. Plato discusses his view on the Sophists’ thought, although his attitude is generally hostile. Due to his opposition, he is largely responsible for the modern view of the sophist as a stingy instructor who deceives. In some cases, such as Gorgias, some of his works survived, allowing the author to be judged on his own terms.

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The Apology is one of the numerous recorded dialogues about Socrates. It talks about the trail of Socrates who is arrested on the charges corrupting the youth, not believing in the gods of the lord, and for being a Sophist. Socrates is not believed to have written any books; the apology was written by his student Plato who was at his trial. In this paper, I will discuss I will be talking about the charges laid against Socrates and how he defends himself.

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Making enemies and becoming the topic of conversation, the Athenians began to view Socrates as a threat to their beliefs and way of life and sought to end it. In order to end this, Socrates was accused of blasphemy (Mod1SlideC7). Socrates’s accusers took him to court and after Socrates did not play their game by asking to be sent into exile, and in the end, he was sentenced to death. After reading the textbook and Plato’s writing influenced by Socrates, I realized that in the period of his life Socrates was indeed truly a threat to the Athens society, because he looked for answers that no one else bothered to find which challenged their culture.

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I think that it is a little ironic that Socrates, the man who was all about intellect, had an intellectual error. Socrates was a man who focused on the truth, and unfortunately he failed to realize that the truth might not be what everyone else was focused on. In relation to what I stated earlier here is some in text evidence; Socrates said “to disregard the manner of my speech- it doesn't matter how it compares- and to consider and concentrate your attention upon this one question, whether my claims are

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Philosophical thinking uses three acts of the mind: understanding, judgement, and reason. In order to have a sound argument all of the concepts must be applied. Socrates didn’t want to please the people by saying or doing what they wanted him to say or do. Socrates thought it was not important to seek wealth or fame; he was concerned with truth and virtue. He wanted to create an impact on humanity by relying on the truth and shining a light in people’s lives, even if they put him on trial.

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Socrates advised people to think critically and express themselves, since at the time Athens allowed for free speech. He also created what is now referred to as the Socratic Method, a form of critical thinking based off of a question and answer form of teaching. Socrates “taught people to question their beliefs about such issues as the proper role of government.” Socrates’ take on free expression and methods of questioning authority are ultimately what led to his demise.

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    While Socrates practiced his intriguing  method,  he held a very impartial standpoint when it came to talking to his subjects. According to Socrates,  this unbiased  standpoint that he held is considered to be

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