We didn't get to talk much today about the Apology but, no worries, I will make sure that the entire class on Wednesday centers upon analyzing this extremely rich text. For Wednesday though be sure to pinpoint what parts of the text showcase Socrates' individual courage against the fear of death as well as political courage to stand against the masses. More importantly, describe how Socrates' courage turns upon his self-professed divine mission. In short, how does Socrates connect philosophical activity to carrying out a "divine work" and how does this relate to his understanding of human wisdom?
See ya Wednesday,
Dr. Layne
Socrates professes his courage through recounting times when he did not change his logical actions because of a fear of death. He believes that he is serving the gods by spreading his knowledge to others, and would rather disappoint the jury and face death than upset the gods by not performing his duty. His idea of philosophy is the importance of the soul over body and wealth, so he will not hesitate to correct and teach one who is putting inferior things over superior things. Doing this will in actuality be good for the community by bringing it closer to the gods. Since Socrates understands wisdom as the admitting of ignorance, fear of death makes no sense, because one cannot fear what one does not know; a fear of death implies that one has made an assumption about death.
ReplyDeleteSocrates displays, above all else, a loyalty to the truth, or at least what he believes to be true. How the truth affects him does not appear to be his concern. Even when the jury makes their decision, he commends them for acting in the pursuit for the truth. That he keeps this mentality and remains true to his belief (the truth, or at least a person's pursuit for the truth) portrays true courage. Socrates holds his belief above his own life, which shows courage in the face of death. Since Socrates' mission is to live a true life, a rational life, the act in which he discerns his beliefs above all else shows his courage, even more than the actual words he says.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, that he speaks in front of his peers portraying courage, as that's a fearful experience in itself.
The class previously concluded that courage cannot exist without fear or a loss. According to our definition, Socrates cannot be said to be courageous against death. Socrates sternly states that "either the dead are nothing and have no perception of anything,or it is, as we are told a change and a relocating for the soul to another place". Additionally, he remarks that "that death is a blessing". One who claims death to be a blessing definitely does not fear it. I have not known a man who wittingly fears a good as if it were an evil. If one uses the class' definition, Socrates does not have courage in face of death.
ReplyDeleteHe does, however, have political courage. He persists through slander and a court trial to defend his beliefs. He maintained his course of action for the gods despite the hatred it brought to him, and ultimately he died in his attempts to serve the gods. He gains strength and insight, insight that he does not relinquish even while nearing death, because of his piety. In this sense of political and religious courage, it is difficult to argue that Socrates was not brave and resilient.
Several times throughout the Apology, Socrates refers to his philosophical investigations as a divine calling, a task given to him directly from the gods. Part of Socrates' individual courage to both remain true to himself as well as stand against the mob mentality of society is his determination to hold fast to what he believes he was meant to do, and who he was meant to be, rather than caving in and fitting the mold of his society. I believe this is one of the most definitive definitions of courage we have studied yet. Not only does Socrates accept his fate without fearing death. In fact, he claims he would rather die defending himself with reason than to try to squirm away from death through other means. Furthermore, he is calm and understanding and holds true to his belief in reason, showing consistency, which I believe to be another sign of a courageous being. For to be consistent is to not be swayed by society or the tides of life, but to remain true and firm in one's beliefs, in one's core. And all of this relates to Socrates' ideas about human wisdom because he believes in the truth, and the truth itself is a consistent entity, something that does not shift like the sands or change at a whim, but endures both storm and siege. Therefore, as Socrates is consistent in his actions and his dedication to a thoughtful life, which was his divine calling, he embodies his beliefs of human reason and courage even to his death.
ReplyDeleteThe courage Socrates shows throughout the text is highlighted in this quote: "I would much rather die after this kind of defense than live after making the other kind." He boldly faces death by the hands of his equals, and tries to convince them of their wrongdoings up until his sentencing. He tries to tell them that he was following the guidance of Apollo to find the true "wise men," even when this made him many enemies and led to his eventual conviction and death. When he refuses to acquiesce to the will of his sentencers, he shows a brilliant courage. Socrates wanted to live life as a wise man, and when he speaks of not fearing death, because only the foolish would claim to know what happens in the afterlife, he embodies his definition of a wise man. In the end, his own self-fulfillment makes him wise and the "threat" of death cannot overshadow this.
ReplyDeleteSocrates tells the jury that Apollo has told him through the god's oracle at Delphi to test to see if people are truly wise or not. Socrates asks the worker about his or her trade, and he concludes that those who claim to know everything are the weaker individual and Socrates claims to be wiser than he or she. This is Socrates' "divine work": to philosophize about human wisdom and distinguish who is a wise man and who is not. His courage is shown in this "divine mission" through the way he readily makes enemies by calling men "unwise" and yet he refuses to stop. His courage shines through by not bending to others' wills, he sticks to what he believes is right despite the protests of others.
Socrates intrigues me as a character that displays high levels of emotional and mental strength. He displays courage against intrinsic forces which is his own personal fear of death and against extrinsic forces which is the judgment of the jury. Socrates does not fear death because it is a neutral phenomenon. It can be a great honor if one dies for the sake of not being able to live a “worthy” life and it can be an evil if one chases after death to avoid pain and despair. Socrates remains solely committed to his beliefs no matter what consequence he has to endure, his actions are in harmony with his words, which is a commendable attribute I must say. Socrates constantly appeals to the fact that he is obeying God’s orders by following with his philosophical work and to turn away from this would be to turn away from his “divine mission.” He also relates human wisdom to the ability to discern what one doesn’t know and accept that, rather than pretend to know something as this merely gives a false sense of knowledge.
ReplyDeleteTo start I would like to say that Socrate's is not really courageous when it comes to death. He says himself that one cannot fear what one does not know, and he claims to not know the truth behind death. So how can we call him courageous to face death when he doesn't fear death at all? I assume it all depends on how you view courage, and if one must fear what they boldly face to be considered courageous. In my opinion, since he does not fear death, he isn't really facing his fears for his cause. Now onto Socrates carrying out a “divine work.”
ReplyDeleteSocrates states that his work as a philosopher is the will of god. He claims to have been given this gift, and it is his mission to question others. It is his mission to rectify those who think the inferior things have greater importance then the most important things. It is his job to persuade those of all ages to care for the best possible state of their soul over the state of their bodies and wealth. He claims to have been attached to the city by god and he must question and reproach others to persuade them to care for virtue. He talks about going and questioning those that think they are wise, to discover if they truly are as the claim. In his opinion the most important knowledge is knowing and admitting what you do not know. Claiming to know something one does not, makes them unwise. His over all mission is to educate and question those who believe to know what they do not, for they are not truly wise until they can admit their lack of complete knowledge.
One of Socrates' most noble examples of courage is his courage to face unpopularity. His explantion of where the slander against him came from displays this quite well. He is not afraid to continue his mission searching for wisdom in spite of the growing unrest against him.
ReplyDeleteSocrates knows that laws of Athens. He knows that the penalty for most crimes committed is death, yet he does not try to lie or distort facts or make peace. He states his facts solidly and calls out Meletus to point out who improves the young instead of trying to appease the anger of his accusers.Socrates says that no man should look to death to death for guidance through life, but he should examine his actions, whether they be good or bad that determine the man's life. Fear of death is pointless because we cannot know it, so Socrates is not ashamed that his life has lead him to his execution.
Socrates views his philosophy as a god-given mission. this is evident in the hypothetical situation he gives to the jury. If he were able to live and not philosophize or die, he would rather die and obey the gods rather than men.
The biggest evidence of Socrates standing up to death is when he tells the jury that he would rather die than betray the gods. He is basically saying that he would die because he believes in a higher power that will reward him. His "courage" comes from his loyalty to the gods, particularly Apollo. In following his supposed gods' wills, he believes that his human wisdom is divine. In my opinion, Socrates wasn't courageous. He basically hid behind the veil of divine will and centered most, if not all, of his argument on the basis that he is under divine will and philosophizes based off of that.
ReplyDeleteSocrates seems to exhibit courage in the face of death. Except, can it be considered bravery if he was never afraid of dying? Or is he just not scared because he is ignorant of what death is? He actually brings up this point himself, saying "To fear death, gentlemen, is no other than to think oneself wise when one is not; to think one knows what one does not know." He argues that death may just be a new beginning, so there is no reason to be afraid. I'm not sure if this is bravery, or ignorance, or wisdom.
ReplyDeleteIronically, it is Socrates' courage that leads to his execution and stop him from being able to help the masses become more brave. They execute him because they fear his ideas. He is very bold during his trial, calling people out for contradicting themselves and accusing the masses of being ignorant. Boldness, however, is not the same as courage. Although I am currently not completely persuaded either way, I will say that Socrates behaved bravely.
Socrates is brave because he clearly sacrifices those things he admits he values and desires to follow what he considered to be the good- this mysterious message from the oracle,but perhaps nothing more than a metaphor for the call towards enlightenment. He faces death, something all humans, on an evolutionarily level, fear, and he also suffers poverty and un-popularity. His courage comes from sacrificing his desires for what he considers to be the good.
ReplyDeleteWell, by my definition (which, despite my best efforts to be open-minded, has not changed since The Iliad, though it has become less stable), Socrates doesn't, in fact, demonstrate either courage against the fear of death or political courage - at least, not explicitly. As Andrew so accurately pointed out, Socrates doesn't actually fear death, for to him it is either a blessing or simply nothingness. There is the possibility of political courage, but he seems too sure of himself (having finished the reading, I might even label it arrogance), and that, by my definition, means that courage is unlikely. So rather than saying that his courage turned upon his divine mission, it would seem that his self-assurance (or arrogance) was his ultimate undoing. That said, though, perhaps he wasn't undone at all. If he were truly guided by the god, and such guidance failed to impede the results of the trial, then perhaps he merely completed his divine mission. If students thousands of years after his death continue to learn by his example, then perhaps the infamy surrounding his death is what the god wished his last act to be, so that he may philosophize through us forever after.
ReplyDeleteThe single word I would ascribe to Socrates in this text is “integrity,” meaning loyalty to one’s values and convictions. In other words, Socrates allowed no breach between his ideas and his actions. He would not sacrifice his convictions to the convenience of others. He refused to act out of accordance with his ideas, even though his actions forced certain members of society to stir from their ignorant slumber; from their somnambulant lives. For this he was hated, and this is what he points out when he shatters Meletus’ argument against him. He demonstrates that Meletus, Anytus, and Lycon do not bring this case against him for any of the reasons they named, but rather for their hatred of truth (truth that disagrees with their ignorant convictions).
ReplyDeleteBy claiming loyalty to the divine, Socrates means that he searches out truth, and that, although he vexes the other Athenians, he has a higher authority to answer to, namely reality as created by the gods. Socrates’ claim to wisdom lies in the paradox “I know that I know nothing.” This demonstrates Socrates’ modesty and piety. An atheist would not wish to acknowledge the ignorance of humans, as Socrates does in this passage. It would be threatening to them, just as human greatness and scientific progress has always threatened religion.
Socrates does not sacrifice his values or even himself through his actions. If he hadn’t chosen death, if he had given the jury the plea they wished to hear, he would have lived, but he would have renounced his identity. What is existence without identity? Socrates refused to forfeit his essential characteristic: the full use of his mind, and instead he chose to face the unknown: death.
As we discussed in class, Socrates' courage is shown through his direct truth when addressing the jury. He places his beliefs and his self-professed divine work above everything else, including his own life. Even though the jury's verdict, in his eyes, is foretelling of their character, he doesn't do anything but tell them the complete truth and let them react to it how they want. His courage comes through here, not only because he explains his position, but because he entrusts his life in the characters of the jury.
ReplyDeleteIn Socrates speech after he learns of his conviction, he outlines and emphasizes his courage. In a crowd of people, many of who think he should be put to death, he states his beliefs, though they differ with those of society. Socrates pronounces that to philosophize is his divine work; however, this contradicts the belief of society because the general consensus is that philosophy contradicts religion in that philosophy argues against the existence of the gods. Socrates comes out and says though that these two subjects are, in fact, connected, so connected that for him being a philosopher is divine. Because of this, Socrates has a wisdom that most others lack. He can not only appreciate both philosophy and religion individually but also rely on their overlap as a basis for his beliefs.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the text, Socrates shows great amounts of courage. The section right after his death sentence most clearly demonstrates his courage to face death. Socrates describes how he does not fear death, but rather acting wicked. To him, it would be wicked to disregard his self-respect and lower himself to begging for his life. He would rather do the honorable thing and place his fate in the hands of truth. It takes great courage to do what one believes is right and honorable when one is not certain it will save them from death, especially if the less honorable option is more likely to stay the threat of death.
ReplyDeleteSocrates additionally shows courage in trying to fulfill his divine mission. To accomplish this task, Socrates believes he must give people wisdom, the wisdom that they are not wise and in fact, know very little. Understandably, this makes some people quite angry and in Socrates words, makes him quite “unpopular.” Because the knowledge he gives is not well received, Socrates must be courageous in order to continue with his task. The easier route would be to give up and stop angering people, but instead, Socrates persists and works toward what he thinks is right by educating people in his unique way. This shows courage because Socrates risks his public approval and eventually his life all in the pursuit of the greater good. Socrates knows that courage is risking some aspect of one’s self in order to achieve something greater than one’s self. In this case, the thing that is greater than the individual is human wisdom.
Just as a note, I used a different translation, so some of my quotes might be different.
ReplyDeleteThere are multiple instances in the text where Socrates is very courageous in the faces of both death and the polis. These things are often related. Socrates tells of a time when he was a senator for the tribe of Antiochis. He witnessed political corruption and miscarraige of justice and was the only one to protest. He says: “I made up my mind that I would run the risk, having law and justice with me, rather than take part in your injustice because I feared imprisonment and death.” Socrates knows well the chances of both death and angering the masses, and yet he listens to reason and he listens to virtue and he protests the injustice he sees. Do we not rank history’s most courageous on the standards he is employing?
As for his implementation of divine work, in comes hand in hand with his courage. It is this work that makes his courage necessary. To continue his divine mission, he must work against the grain of the government, and that has obviously put his life at risk. “Men of Athens, I honor and love you; but I shall obey God rather than you, and while I have life and strength I shall never cease from the practice and teaching of philosophy, exhorting anyone whom I meet after my manner, and convincing him [...]”
This Divine work takes courage. Courage itself is an exercise in philosophy. His work has brought him to a point where most men would fear death, but he does not. Socrates himself says it best: “For this fear of death is indeed the pretence of wisdom, and not real wisdom, being the appearance of knowing the unknown; since no one knows whether death, which they in their fear apprehend to be the greatest evil, may not be the greatest good.” Why fear what we do not know? Why should any man fear death? Why should Athens fear Socrates’ teachings? I interpret the above comment to mean that feigned wisdom is to fear, because it is assuming that you know what it is you are fearing. True wisdom is knowing that you do not know.
Socrates raises a question to the jury: "What counter-assessment should I propose to you, gentlemen of the jury?" He recognizes that whatever he says to them will be moot points: they are going to sentence him to death. He doesn't sacrifice his values or his actions: with this statement he recognizes that he had no chance of prevailing. He demonstrated his courage by attempting to beat them, despite all the odds.
ReplyDeleteSocrates thought it was his divine mission to live the good life and, in the process, show others in Athens how to live the good life. Upon his death, or right before it, these two missions conflict. On the one, you have his mission to live the good life requiring him to die, and on the other you have his mission to teach others end in one final lesson. His final display of courage, to give his life to the cause of philosophy and the good life when an easier alternative was offered, shows his ultimate view on human wisdom: through use of wisdom and reason one can live a good life and, hopefully, a good death.
ReplyDeleteI believe extremely deeply in Socrates's philosophy on death. Namely, he wonders why humans fear death so much, when we know so little about it. It could very well be the greatest blessing a man can receive, yet we look upon it as the greatest evil. His lack of fear of death stems from the fact that he admits to have very little knowledge of it, thus no reason to fear it. Once again, he exhibits the "ignorance is knowledge" aspect of his philosophy. He also expresses his good doings in politics by giving the example of him personally voting against an unjust and unlawful decision made during a time of war.
ReplyDeleteHe ties this all in with the divine by claiming that by virtue of existing, and doing all that he does, the gods will it. If they don't will it, then he will simply die, and no replacement will follow, but he is very sure that even if he were to die, the gods will replace him with another just like him.
The underlying fact is that Socrates seems to believe human knowledge to be insignificant in the grand scheme of the universe (as I mentioned (sort of) in my previous blog post). He seems to believe it is the gods' will to have him reveal to humans their own ignorance. Because of that fact, it seems to me that the gods wish for humans to be aware of their own ignorance. In a more literal or realistic sense, human knowledge will ultimately lead us no where. So what if we know all there is to know? What will we do with that knowledge? It seems to me that human purpose is to have as much knowledge as possible, but is eventually a fruitless ordeal. Perhaps that is what Socrates is aware of, and thus would rather seek the more peaceful life of ignorance. Thus, knowing that others merely think they know much gives him insight enough to see their ignorance and their unawareness of the grand scale of life and the universe.
Socrates, obviously a courageous individual, had a lot of 'showcase' moments of courage. Aside from many I found in the first chunk of text (before the jury finds him guilty) where he refuses to put aside his passion for finding the truth there are many more direct displays of his opposition despite looming death. My favorite came soon after he finds that he's been sentenced to die:
ReplyDelete"You think that I was convicted through deficiency of words - I mean, that if I had thought fit to leave nothing undone, nothing unsaid, I might have gained an acquittal. Not so; the deficiency which led to my conviction was not of words - certainly not. But I had not the boldness or impudence or inclination to address you as you would have liked me to address you, weeping and wailing and lamenting, and saying and doing many things which you have been accustomed to hear from others, and which, as I say, are unworthy of me. But I thought that I ought not to do anything common or mean in the hour of danger: nor do I now repent of the manner of my defence, and I would rather die having spoken after my manner, than speak in your manner and live. For neither in war nor yet at law ought any man to use every way of escaping death."
this quote not only showcases and partially explicates Socrates courage in the face of death it shows the connection between Socrates philosophizing, or seeking of the truth (in his case true wisdom NOT human wisdom) and his divine work of unending inquiry.
Socrates became not a man, but an idea, a philosophy personified. He lived on after death through his ideas. Part of the reason why he was so influential was that he became a martyr. Martyrdom creates a large amount of respect; the fact that he gave up his life for his cause is powerful, because most other people view death as the ultimate evil, the least desirable circumstance.
ReplyDeleteSocrates made his life so much different from any other person's life in his generation. He sacrificed his entire being to teach to his community what he believed to be the truth, for no cost. No matter how many times Socrates said he wasn't wise, he knew he was wise. Everyone knew it. He also knew that he was going to get into trouble with the authorities if he kept teaching his beliefs to people, but he didn't stop. He showed courage by openly defying a higher power so that he could spread his wisdom.
I was so surprised that, after all that Socrates had said (nine pages of speech?), the jury voted to execute him anyway. I thought he would get off the hook for sure, even though I think I knew this was how he ended up dying. Some people said that he didn't beg for his life; this doesn't mean he didn't value his life. He did try to bribe the jury, after all, with one silver piece.
Socrates believes that it his divine mission to live the good life and the good life is to think and not bending to others’ will if it will go against living the good life. Socrates shows this throughout the trial since he is courageous to stand up to the jury and plead his case yet not beg them to acquit him. Since Socrates believes that it better to not be concerned about wealth, he finds that people who think they are wise because they had have lots of experience in one field to be, in fact, unwise. On the other hand, he thinks he is wise because he knows that he doesn’t know and can accept that.
ReplyDeleteBy examining the wisdom of himself through his "divine quest" and trying to live the way he thinks he is supposed to, he learns the true nature of the wisdom of mankind. This reflects the idea of philosophy because to learn the general, you must first learn the specific. To learn about mankind, you must first learn about yourself. Socrates knows this, and by evaluating himself as lacking wisdom, he can determine the ignorance of mankind. And if mankind is ignorant, he can not live the good life. Socrates, in his courage, is just trying to spread the good life, and like most who try to improve mankind, he is chastised for it.
ReplyDeleteSocrates sees his "divine quest" as fulfilling his potential as a human being. He therefore tries to become as enlightened as possible, eventually alienating himself from society by asserting that everyone, including himself, is ignorant. Socrates swears to continue in this mission even if it means his death. He shows courage by squaring against society and death itself in order to follow what he believes to be the divine purpose in his life.
ReplyDelete