Analysis Of The Arguments In The Apology By Plato
'The Apology” (originating from the Greek word ‘apologia’ meaning explanation) begins with Socrates defending himself in court by concisely and systematically dissecting and refuting all the accusations put forth by his accusers. In this essay, I shall attempt to expound and evaluate some of the arguments that I found interesting from the text.
Did Socrates corrupt the youth of Athens?
One of the more prominent accusations against Socrates was that he was “pestilential fellow who corrupts the young”. Socrates defends himself by claiming “The young men follow me around out of their own free will”. He then goes on to systematically dismiss all the charges brought against him by Meletus and his companions by using the Socratic method of Elenchus. He then tries to expose Meletus’ insincerity as he proves to the jury that Meletus does not even care for the youth.
I do not believe that Socrates was corrupting the youth of Athens. I think that through his Socratic ways of questioning and an undying thirst for the fundamental truth, he set an example for the Athenian youth to think for themselves and not to believe everything that was being told to them blindly. This is extremely critical for the progress of the society as a whole. If an idea is considered to be true, then there should be no hesitation to put it up to a discussion as it lessens any room for error. Now, it is understandable that this might lead to some inconvenience and discomfort to someone who has been following 'said idea' all their lives. However, in my opinion, it is better to be living in discomfort than to be living a lie.
Although, sometimes questioning authority where it is not necessary can prove to be adverse as it hinders the functionality of the society, doing it when deemed necessary is a vital part of progress. Consider the alternative; if no one questioned what was thought to be right at the time, we would still be under the impression that the Sun revolves around the Earth instead of the contrary or that Earth is at the center of the Universe. Therefore, in conclusion, I do not think that Socrates corrupted the youth of Athens at all but played a crucial role in the evolution of humanity.
Is death really an evil to be feared?
Despite an excellent defense, Socrates is found guilty by the jury and sentenced to death. He is not upset by these charges as he was already expecting them. He states that he is already nearing death and given the time it would have happened on its own accord. Moreover, he claims, 'those of us who believe death is an evil are certainly mistaken'. 'There is good hope that death is a blessing, for it is one of two things: either the death are nothing and have no perception of anything, or it is, as we are told, a change and relocating for the soul from here to another place'. Socrates elaborates on the fundamental fear of human beings: the fear of the unknown.
We, as human beings, tend to fear what we do not understand. This fear is actually very essential for the survival and evolution of our race. It keeps our senses heightened in unfamiliar situations. While this fear keeps us from getting extinct, it also limits our perception of reality. We fear death as we do not know what happens after we die. However, just because something is not known does not necessarily mean that it is an evil. In most religions, it is believed that upon death the soul leaves the body and is either transported to the heavens or is reincarnated. From a more scientific standpoint, while the process of dying might be painful, death itself does not harm us instead our soul just ceases to exist. Socrates sheds more light on this by claiming that it can be one of two things: It can either be a blissful, eternal sleep or a state of transition from one place to another which we might be called heaven or hell. Both of these situations while unfamiliar, are nothing to be intimidated over. In conclusion, it has been rightly said by Socrates, 'I go to die, you go to live. Which one of us goes to the better lot is known to no one, except the god'.
What is more valuable, knowledge or wisdom?
There were two dominant ideologies which were prominent during the Socratic era: The first being that of the Sophists who believed in the power of speech and manipulation. They did not care about the truth. They were pursuers of knowledge. All they cared about was to stay in power by persuading audiences through the power of speech.
The second ideology that was coming on the rise among the Athenian youth was the Socratic mindset. They were interested in morality, ethics and political philosophy. They were people who were looking for the fundamental truths and valued wisdom over knowledge. They used they Socratic method called Elenchus: which was a process of asking questions to a person who claimed to know the truth until they contradict themselves. Their outlook comprised of the notion that 'One will not look for the truth if that person does not even realize that he or she does not possess it.'
While defending himself against the jury of Athens, Socrates explains how the Oracle of Delphi claimed that 'No one was wiser than Socrates'. He then went on a quest to find a man wiser than he was but on closer examination, he discovered that people only appeared to be wise but weren't actually. He famously quotes, 'I am wiser than this man; it is likely that neither of us knows anything worthwhile, but he thinks he knows something when he does not, whereas when I do not know, neither do I think I know; so I am likely to be wiser than he to this small extent, that I do not think I know what I do not know'.
Knowledge can be defined as facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education. Whereas, Wisdom is defined as the ability to discern or judge what is true, right or lasting. I believe wisdom is more valuable than knowledge. A knowledgeable person only knows the technicality of a topic whereas a wise person knows how to utilize that knowledge in a useful manner. Knowledge can only encompass 'what' to think whereas wisdom shows us 'how' to think. A person can be extremely knowledgeable in his or her profession but be completely oblivious as to how to utilize that knowledge.
Therefore, to conclude I would like to say that wisdom is far more valuable than knowledge as wisdom is the intuition we use to distinguish between what we know is true and what is false from the information that we learn. Whereas, knowledge can be perceived as stagnant as once we think we know something we stop further inspecting it.
Was Socrates right in dying for what he believed in?
Socrates was charged with 'impiety and corrupting the youth of Athens. Instead of taking the popular route and appealing to the emotions of the jury he decided to stand his ground with reason. When he was eventually charged and was about to be sentenced to death, he claimed: 'I do not think it right to supplicate the jury and be acquitted because of this, but to teach and persuade them'. Socrates even rejected the opportunity to be exempted from execution and forego exile instead and stated that it is not possible for him to be quiet as it means disobeying the gods. Also according to him 'an unexamined life is not worth living for men'.
Some might argue that it was Socrates arrogance which ultimately led to his demise. When given the opportunity to present to the court what he thought he deserved he stated: 'If I must make a just assessment of what I deserve, I asses it as this: free meals in the Prytaneum'. Although this might make him come off as arrogant, he said this to enforce the fact that he was innocent and he did not believe that he had done anything wrong.
I believe that Socrates was right in dying for what he believed in. He was considered one of the greatest philosophers of that era and was even called 'superior to the majority of men'. If he had chosen exile or imprisonment over death then some would see it as him cowaring away from his principals. This would probably result in a decline in the Athenian youth's interest in philosophy. This could lead to a significant setback in history. Therefore, though tragic Socrates death played an essential role in empowerment of philosophy as we know it today.
