Socrates Defense Against The Criticism Of Plato s Apology

After the introductory remarks, Plato’s Apology continues with Socrates’ defense against the â€Å"First Accusations,† because his accusers are many, and of all ages: the older accusers have persuaded the youth to speak and think badly of Socrates, and given that they were at an age of influence, the lesson stuck. The old accusations that Socrates has to address first and foremost are: â€Å"Socrates is guilty of wrongdoing in that he busies himself studying things in the sky and below the earth; he makes the worse into the stronger argument, and he teaches these same things to others.† (Plato 19b) Socrates proceeds by explaining where these slanders come from, since for them to appear in the first place, there should be something in his being that†¦show more content†¦However, Socrates was not the one who inquired to the oracle, but his friend Chaerephon: he asked if any man was wiser than Socrates, to which Pythian answered that there was not. Because of this answer from the Delphic god, Socrates decided to go on a quest in order to understand what the god meant, because Socrates did not consider himself wise. His discovery of his human wisdom comes from this philosophical mission that he undertakes, because the gods have knowledge that those that are not divine do not, therefore there has to be some truth in the oracle’s answer, and Socrates gives himself this mission to find it. This mission consists in going to see wise men, poets and craftsmen, to rebut the oracle’s answer, because they are known for their knowledge and people even pay for it. He vi sits his first so-called philosopher, where he â€Å"inspects† him, only to realize that he is nothing more than an ignorant whom is unacquainted with his ignorance. Socrates proceeds by trying to make him aware of his lack of knowledge, which counteracts to the wise man disliking him, and those hearing Socrates’ comments as well. These are his very first haters, and his very first realization that he holds a certain kind of wisdom because he’s more aware of his lack of wisdom and admits it, whereas the wannabe wise man believes that he is wise, tells others that he is wise, and doesn’t admit he is not when told, but his consciousnessShow MoreRelatedComparing Twentieth Century Political Thought Leo Strauss And Richard Rorty1421 Words   |  6 Pagesthe true ‘philosophers’ will clue into the work’s intricacies and subtle message. Strauss believes that it is necessary for philosophers to disguise their ideas due to a long history of pe rsecution against great thinkers. This list of those persecuted ranges from classical thinkers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle, to modern thinkers including Descartes, Spinoza and Kant, to name but a few. As a result Strauss claims that there must be a distinction between the masses, who are ruled by mere opinionRead MoreSocrates and the Apology1136 Words   |  5 Pagesbest sources of information about Socrates philosophical views are the early dialogues of his student Plato, who tried to provide a faithful picture of the methods and teachings of the great master. The Apology is one of the many-recorded dialogues about Socrates. It is about how Socrates was arrested and charged with corrupting the youth, believing in no god(s) (Atheism) and for being a Sophist. He attended his trial and put up a good argument. I believe that Socrates was wrongfully accused and should