Philosophy is the search for the ultimate unknown or truth. However, sometimes Philosophers should look for the unknown in the form of death. In both “The Trial,” by Franz Kafka and, “The Apology,” by Plato, death is brought out as an active theme. Death is discussed in multiple ways by the main characters in each text. In “The Trial,” Josef K sees death as the ultimate escape from his trial. He is seen as inhuman and treated terribly when convicted of a crime he does not know about. Josef constantly thinks about suicide and is psychologically tortured by his conviction. In “The Apology,” Socrates, on the other hand, welcomes death and describes it as the unknown. For him, either an afterlife exists or there is eternal slumber in death. Both Socrates and Josef K see death as the ultimate escape from this world. They see death as the unknown. For them the unknown is better than their situations living life on Earth. Socrates, in the “Apology,” welcomes death by facing his trial with courage. In his defense …show more content…
For I think that if one had to pick out that night during which a man slept soundly and did not dream, put it beside the other nights and days of his life, and then see how many days and nights had been better and more pleasant than that night, not only a private person but the great king would find them easy to count compared to other days and nights.” (Plato, 40D).
However, Socrates is not afraid if there is an afterlife saying, “If, on the other hand, death is a change from here to another place, and what we are told is true and all who have died are there, what greater blessing can there be, gentleman of the jury?” (Plato, pg. 40E). Socrates finds death welcoming as it brings either a fresh new start or eternal rest for him. He will never know and that entices him to find out what death really