Socrates Arguments Against The Apology

Words: 565
Pages: 3
Open Document
The Apology gives a clear image of a man of a certain type: a self-confident, generous and indifferent to his success man. His name was Socrates and he was not even afraid of the death penalty because, as he stated, his death would be worse for the people that kill him than for himself. Socrates was charged with several things and was able to find strong arguments in his defense, against all of these charges. One of the charges against Socrates was that he corrupted the young. He gives a couple arguments against this and in one of them he compares the young with horses. After Socrates asks Meletus some questions, they come to conclusion that everybody but Socrates improve the young. At that moment, Socrates states that, the same as horses, the young can only be improved by one person whereas “the majority of people, if they have to do with horses and make use …show more content…
In his defense, Socrates states that acknowledging daimonic activities and not acknowledging the existence of daimons, is the same as acknowledging music and not acknowledging the existence of musicians, which is impossible. He continues by saying that daimons are believed to be either gods or the sons of gods and if he belives in daimons, he also believes in gods. With this argument, Socrates showed that Meletus was contradicting himself and his words sounded like “Socrates is guilty of not acknowledging gods, but acknowledging gods”. I believe that this argument was strong and helpful for Socrates. He found a smart way to turn Meletus’s words against himself, therefore making him look foolish. It would have been harder for Socrates to defend himself if Meletus stated which specific gods Socrates didn’t believe in. A lot of lawyers today try to find flaws in logic or contradiction in peoples’ words, if they don’t have enough evidence. This strategy is helpful and often helps to fight against a
Show More

Related Documents: Socrates Arguments Against The Apology

Plato Final Draft Essay

going to discuss the argument of Socrates being a corrupter of the youth of Athens and does not receive the gods of Athenian belief but introduces other divinities. To corrupt the youth Socrates would have had to do them harm, which he did not. Socrates claims if he did corrupt the youth he did so unknowingly. (Plato’s Apology 125) Meletus claims that Socrates is an atheist that does not believe in the gods of the state. (Plato’s Apology 143) In my essay I will argue that Socrates was not an evil-doer…

Words 1399 - Pages 6

Failure Of The Virtue In Socrates's Apology

Abdelraouf Ismail Apology In Apology, the dialog begins with Socrates standing trail and making a short speech. In his speech Socrates will respond to the accusations, rumors, and claims made against him. These accusations arose from various things Socrates did, of which, testing his wisdom. Socrates visited a number of different people whom claimed to be wise. In each event, he put the person’s reputation to the test. In each case, the individual failed the test, to be wise. These wise men eventually…

Words 546 - Pages 3

Socrates: The Dichotomy between Aristophanes and Plato’s Depictions Essay

Socrates: The Dichotomy between Aristophanes and Plato’s Depictions Ignorance: the condition of being uninformed or uneducated; this basic definition is crucial to understanding one of the most controversial figures in ancient Athenian society: the philosopher Socrates. The man’s entire life was devoted to proving the fact that no one actually knew what they thought they did; that everyone lived in ignorance. This viewpoint earned Socrates many enemies, so many that even a renowned playwright…

Words 1496 - Pages 6

Essay about Politics and Right

its context. Each word is carefully placed and should therefore be taken as a whole group rather than as individual parts. Accordingly, in order to analyze Plato’s declaration in Apology 32a, we must also look at Apology as a whole as a reference to this sample. Several significant dialogue advancements evolve Socrates’ reasoning towards this statement, each pertaining to his own life. Personal experience, therefore, is the driving force behind, if not the solitary reason for, his assertion. The…

Words 1082 - Pages 5

Meletus's Argument In The Apology Of Socrates

one Athenian citizen created a new outlook on philosophy. Socrates was a Greek philosopher in Classical Greece living from 470 BC to 399 BC. He was proclaimed to the wisest man in Greece by the Oracle at Delphi and with that proclamation decided to become a philosopher. Before Socrates’ time, philosophy explained the natural world and the physical elements in it. Socrates was different, and inquired about ethics and morality. “With Socrates comes a sustained inquiry into ethical matters—an orientation…

Words 1269 - Pages 6

Anaxagoras and Aristophanes Essay

roles in Plato’s Apology PL 201: Introduction to Philosophy Doctor Geoffrey Batchelder In The Apology: Defence of Socrates, Plato records the trial and sentencing of his mentor and teacher, Socrates. Socrates, though he would argue otherwise, is a very wise man and a great orator and debater. If the record of this trial is accurate, and we can assume that it is through the cross-examination of other records, Socrates makes his case very…

Words 965 - Pages 4

Socrates: Plato and Aristophanes Portrays Socrates Essay examples

Socrates, an ancient Greek philosopher, was a man seen in various ways by many. The diverse personalities given to him by others have drawn both praise and criticism. There are many literary works that portray Socrates to be an all-knowing educator as well as corrupt and immoral teacher. In Aristophanes’ “The Clouds”, he takes a satirical approach showing Socrates as a sophisticated, yet impatient teacher that used his knowledge of philosophy and rhetoric in his teaching techniques to educate individuals…

Words 1358 - Pages 6

Socrates The Apology Analysis

In “The Apology” written by Plato, Socrates is a man on trial for impiety and corrupting the youth of Athens. In the Athenian justice system, over 500 jurors are faced with deciding Socrates’ fate. Throughout the trial Socrates uses “harm” differently than others and states that even death would not harm him. In this paper, I will argue against the claim that death can’t harm him because his argument rests on two premises that are not true. Socrates does not give an exact definition of “harm.” I…

Words 1192 - Pages 5

Crito's Escape In The Apology, By Socrates

In The Apology, Plato has documented the speech Socrates made at the trial, in which Socrates was defending himself against the accusation of inventing new deities, not recognizing gods, and corrupting the youth, by Meletus. During the trial, Socrates mostly talks in an honest and direct manner, and presents examples, and explanations, in order to persuade jury members to acquit him of the charge. After, Socrates rests his defense, by a narrow margin, jury finds Socrates guilty. Afterwards, Socrates…

Words 174 - Pages 1

Charge Against Socrates Analysis

Date Charges against Socrates Socrates was one of the classical Greek philosophers who lived in Athens. Socrates is most renowned as one of the founders of Western philosophy. Socrates is portrayed in Plato's dialogues that have made him renowned in the field of ethics. Philosophers like Aristotle referred to Socrates in words that linked him to the doctrine of ‘Virtue is Knowledge’ this is through Aristotle’s Magna Moralia. The author of the book Socrates against Athens views Socrates as a person…

Words 665 - Pages 3