Hello reader in this blog I'll be sharing my understanding about the Socrates: Life and Trial thorough various video's. So, let's begin....
Socrates: Life and Trial
Socrates was an ancient Greek philosopher, one of the three greatest figures of the ancient period of Western philosophy, who lived in Athens in the 5th century BCE. A legendary figure even in his own time, he was admired by his followers for his integrity, his self-mastery, his profound philosophical insight, and his great argumentative skill. He was the first Greek philosopher to seriously explore questions of ethics.
Socrates wrote nothing. All that is known about him has been inferred from accounts by members of his circle, primarily Plato and Xenophon as well as by Plato’s student Aristotle, who acquired his knowledge of Socrates through his teacher. The most vivid portraits of Socrates exist in Plato’s dialogues, in most of which the principal speaker is “Socrates.” However, the views expressed by the character are not consistent across the dialogues, and in some dialogues the character expresses views that are clearly Plato’s own.
Socrates could have saved himself. He chose to go to trial rather than enter voluntary exile. In his defense speech, he rebutted some but not all elements of the charges and famously declared that "the unexamined life is not worth living." After being convicted, he could have proposed a reasonable penalty short of death but initially refused. He finally rejected an offer of escape as inconsistent with his commitment never to do wrong. Socrates was a widely recognized and controversial figure in his native Athens, so much so that he was frequently mocked in the plays of comic dramatists.
when Socrates was given the cup of poison, his last words were, "Crito, we owe a rooster to Asclepius. Make sure to pay it." Socrates, who never wrote any books, has his life documented by his two disciples, one named Naftan and the other named, as you know, Plato, also known as Aristophanes.
Socrates joined the army and took part in several battles. The story of Socrates becoming a philosopher is pretty interesting. In Athens, there was this area called Delphi where the Oracle lived, which was kind of like a fortune teller. People in Athens believed that the Oracle had the blessing of Apollo, who was a deity with the power of prophecy according to Greek myths.
The story goes that once a guy went to the Oracle and asked him who the smartest person in the world is. The Oracle replied, "Socrates." When the guy came back to Athens and told Socrates about it, Socrates was amazed. As Socrates didn't find any smartest thing among themselves, so Socrates started wandering around the markets of Athens, grabbing people and asking them what justice is, what goodness is, what evil is.
The method of question and answer that moves forward is called the Socratic method, which is still used today for philosophy and logic. Anyway, besides the Socratic method in philosophy, Socrates made significant contributions to the field of ethics. When you ask a person who smokes cigarettes, they know that smoking is harmful to health, yet they still smoke. The answer to this question is often given that the person lacks willpower, courage, or is unable to let go of their weakness. It's like the weakness of will.
The person knows the truth, but they find it difficult to follow. As Socrates said, it's wrong. According to Socrates, every person knows what the danger of something is, but they are unable to resist the benefits that come from it.
The solution to this is what Socrates calls "self-examination". There is a famous saying associated with Socrates that "The unexamined life is not worth living", meaning that life has no meaning without examining your own life.
Socrates asked a question, "Tell me, what is beauty? Is only a human beautiful, or can animals and inanimate objects also be beautiful?" The answer was that whatever is made for a specific purpose fulfills that purpose perfectly.
Let's first understand the allegations which were against Socrates. There were two allegations - first, that Socrates insulted the gods of Athens, and second, that Socrates corrupted the youth of Athens."According to Roman philosopher Sisir, Socrates is worth quoting. He was the first person to bring philosophy down from heaven and stand it among common people.
Socrates, one of the founding fathers of Western philosophical thought, was on trial. Many Athenians believed he was a dangerous enemy of the state, accusing the philosopher of corrupting the youth and refusing to recognize their gods. However, Socrates wasn’t feared for claiming to have all the answers, but rather, for asking too many questions.
Socrates himself may not have been the most subtle Socratic teacher. Historians believe he was deeply critical of Athens’ particular brand of democracy, and known to pass those concerns onto his followers. These subversive beliefs were distorted in public forums and thought to have inspired two of his pupils to treasonous ends. It was likely for these ideas Socrates was brought to trial, and eventually, sentenced to death. But even on his deathbed, artists depict a serene philosopher.
Plato's apology is one of the most famous pieces in the history of not just philosophy but world literature in general depicting the trial of Socrates it is not actually him apologizing but instead it is his defense against the charges that's what the Greek word apologia means after all if you've ever heard of a Christian apologist or something like that and been confused now you know it means someone who defends something not apologized for it since Plato was actually present at the trial it.
So here blow I'm attaching the video which will help you to provide information about the Socrates life and trial.
I hope this would be useful,
Thank you.
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