Essay Sample about The Life of Socrates

"Socrates, a wise man, a thinker,"(Apology, 18b). What do you think of when you hear the name Socrates? Socrates was a well-renowned philosopher who was sentenced to death when he was 70 years old. Today we are going to pick apart the main points made in Plato's Apology of Socrates. The Apology as a whole is a defense of Socrates and, more specifically, the way of life for which he stands as well as his impact on the political community. He stood for free will and free thinking. He didn't feel that the general way of thinking was the correct way to think and live, so he spoke out against it. This turned him into public enemy number one at the “age of seventy years old,”(Apology 17d). 

First we need to dissect Socrates's way of life. How did he live and why was he sentenced to death? "For this is the virtue of a judge, while that of an orator is to speak the truth,"(Apology 17a-18a). Socrates's life was to live by his truth. His thoughts were what made him who he is. People would crowd him to hear his ideas yet, judges waited until he was 70 years old to bring him into judgment. For those who do not know, The Apology is a write down of what Socrates says at the trial where he is charged with not recognizing the gods the state favors, inventing new deities, and corrupting the youth. Additionally, Socrates lacked a fear of death. This lack of fear came from not knowing and not believing in God. He spent most of his life philosophizing, and debunking many politicians and promoting atheism.  For him, God has always worked according to the standard of rationality. However, this idea of ​​divinity omits the traditional idea of ​​prayer and sacrifice. Motivated by the hope of material reward, Socrates's theory of God seemed to be completely useless for the city's most important rituals and sacrifices. If God is all good, they will benefit mankind, whether or not men sacrifice them. The jury of the trial may have thought that Socrates had cut off his religion from its practical roots and the relationship with the city's civil identity, without expecting material rewards or protection from the gods. ‘Nevertheless, let this proceed in whatever way is dear to the god, but the law must be obeyed and a defense speech must be made,'' this further supports his prosecution in his eyes as just the majority being threatened with his ideas (Apology 19a). To add, in the apology of Socrates there’s a lot of what we see today. We have someone who’s speaking out against the majority mindset and the democracy feel store and therefore they have kind of a social responsibility to shut it down because the fact that he has ground to influence so many people and anyone within democratic power doesn’t want the majority to think like the minority most of the time. All in all he was guilty but he was influencing new ways of thinking which is why even today we still use the Socratic method.

This way of life improves the political community because it allows them to think in certain ways this also creates different groups in different ways of thinking for example today we have Republicans and Democrats these two major groups that influence the political community but I think as we see in today and as we see in the reading that these two groups the right in the wrong per se polarize each other instead of coming to a common ground because we all want to reach a common goal. Plato's defense of Socrates advances the debate that  later became an element of the standard defense of freedom of expression. In Plato's story, Socrates states,” though this too seems to me to be noble, if no one should be able to educate human beings…men is able, going into each of the cities, to persuade the young–who can associate with whomever of their own citizens they wish to for free,’ argues that people have to believe what they believe and should be corrected rather than punished (Apology 18e-19e).  Therefore, the only appropriate remedy for false or evil teachings is a true and rational argument. But the Athenians never seriously thought about how to teach good to their citizens and why they should remain true to the city and its traditions. Only when citizens  question these traditions can anyone gain political knowledge, which alone can lay such loyalty on a solid foundation. Sadly the apology moves to say,”by default, for no one spoke in my defense,”(Apology 18c). That is what many people feel today. Afraid to speak against the majority. The polarization in today’s society has become something so feared. With that, Socrates turned into one of the first human beings to inspire human beings to impeach what's proper or wrong? He might ask inquiries to all of society to set up what turned into exact and what turned into awful which might later form the felony conduct in Western society. Socrates puzzled over what would be the excellent manner to live, and his solution turned so impactful that many philosophers took his solutions of their very own explanations.

Primarily, Socrates loved the correspondence of human beings. He cherished being attentive to them, experiencing their troubles and their approaches to thinking. His speeches concentrated on the significance of morality, bravery and loyalty to truthful ruling. He in particular taught the teens of rich households now no longer to over-fee fabric items however to have an extra hobby of their spirits. He believed that human beings had the functionality to remedy problems via simply logical thinking. This remains applicable as ever as his theories are crucial to trendy Western Philosophy. To add, there are many things that Socrates said and did that helped aid modern day society. The example is the fact that we still use the Socratic method. The Socratic method develops critical thinking skills by showing students how to identify weaknesses in discussions. Knowing what weakens the debate allows them to strategize the debate at a higher level. By teaching students to answer questions quickly, we prepare for a quick cross-examination by a judge. Being constantly prepared and alert teaches us accountability.  In addition, Socratic teaching methods are useful for students planning to work in areas of law that require more "on their own feet" thinking. Two such examples include litigation and negotiation.  The Socratic method is also used to help arouse curiosity in students. By making them think in different ways about various subjects, it encourages them to wonder how things could be different. Additionally, it takes learning from a passive experience to a participatory experience. This also plays into the persecution of Socrates and his influence on the youth. 

All in all Socrates was a very influential person. His way of thinking has influenced generations of people and his methods continue to carry on in modern day society. His ways of thinking continue to be thought about in today’s society. He was persecuted due to his way of thinking and how he was influencing the youth to think in different ways and not believe everything they are told. He created somewhat of a liberating anarchy within this new found way of democracy in Athens. Socrates, though guilty; will continue to influence generations of critical thinkers.