Socrates, Philosophy and the Good Life Essay

Plato’s “Defense of Socrates” follows the trial of Socrates for charges of corruption of the youth. His accuser, Meletus, claims he is doing so by teaching the youth of Athens of a separate spirituality from that which was widely accepted.

In seminar this semester, the readings have frequently included the writings of old pieces of history half forgotten, and the thoughts, opinions, and advice of philosophers who lived before the birth of Christ. A subject that has surfaced often in the readings is that of virtue. What it means to be virtuous, how to live a virtuous life, and virtue’s effect on happiness were addressed in several of the readings. Plato’s Crito, Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle, and History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides all describe in some way the relationship between virtue and happiness. In this essay I will analyze the relationship between virtue and happiness in these texts and discuss the similarities and differences in how the two are said to relate in different texts.

He asks Meletus whether the charges from his deposition are true; that he ruins the youths by " Teaching them not to believe in the gods in whom the city believes but in other new spiritual things” (26b) — to which Meletus reacts that it definitely is. Socrates starts by approaching Meletus for an explanation of the charge. He asks whether the allegation is that he has faith in new divinities or is it that he doesn't trust in any god at all, and hence it is his skepticism that defiles the youths (26c). Meletus answers in the positive to the charge of skepticism—it is Socrates' agnosticism that ruins. Socrates then utilizes his well-known strategy and turns the men of Athens attention to thoughtfulness regarding the irregularity in the charge that he presents new spiritual things (27b- 28a). He goes ahead to demonstrate that Meletus' case of confidence in new spiritual things is in inconsistency to agnosticism which cannot hold to any spiritual view. Socrates practices various basic analogies to strengthen this point. He says that faith in human activities involves confidence in people, that confidence in horsemen's exercises involves confidence in horses, faith in woodwind playing involves a confidence in woodwinds, and henceforth confidence in spirits (which are generally the offspring of the gods) likewise involves belief in the divine beings

It is understandably difficult to decipher what Socrates believes himself amid all his questions and circling discourses. Interpreting Socrates is made increasingly more difficult by the fact that he is available today only as a literary character created by Plato. Perhaps the most insight is available in Plato’s text, the Apology, documenting the trial of Socrates when he is brought to court by various Athenian citizens on charges of impiety. As he is forced to discuss himself in relation to the subject of divinity, there is quite a lot to be gleaned from his discourse in this text. Additionally, Plato’s works Crito and Euthyphro take place around the event of the trial,

Socrates is known to be a very wise man and speaks from the heart. Whenever he talks to a person he questions their answers. By asking several questions to test their knowledge and to see if they know what they’re talking about. He feels that people should think outside the box and theirs more than what the Gods think. People should be able to give out their opinion even if they are right or wrong. But living in Athens everyone believes in the Gods. If you do wrong the Gods will be angry and they will turn their back on you. 
 In the chapter Euthyphro, he was surprise whenever he seen Socrates in the courthouse. Meletus did a lawsuit against Socrate because his been corrupting the youth by teaching them not to believe in gods. They

During the time of Socrates, religion and law should be respected and followed. In Ancient Greece, men who hold a citizenship of a city-state such as Athens must conform to all their laws and religion. Religion at that time was very important and valued. If anyone tried to change it or question it would be doomed to death. This what happened to Socrates because not only did he question the God but he was also corrupting the younger generation according to the courts (Plato 2 and 4). For a man in Ancient Greece he should be a pious person. As I mention earlier one must submit to the gods and make offering to them.

Throughout the Apology, Socrates prides himself in truth. He reasonably attempts to convince the judges as well as the people of Athens of his innocence. Socrates explains why the accusations against him are unreasonable, given his necessity to obey his virtues and purpose. However, he also mentions that he will not beg against punishment, given that he cannot fear what he does not know, death and the afterlife. Through his argument he challenges the court and essentially discredits his morality as he declares that even if he was released under the condition of abandoning his practice of questioning people, he would have to disobey (Apology 29d-e). Plato’s Socrates says, “...I will obey the god rather than you, and as long as I draw breath and am able , I shall not cease to practice philosophy…” (Apology 29d-e). The argument being that he questions people in order to spread goodness and knowledge simply because he cares about all those in the city. His purpose revolves around educating both the young and the old to prioritize truth and the soul’s state instead of being focused on materialism and power because realistically, one’s wealth does not correlate with one’s intellectuality. Consequently, Plato’s Socrates mentions that one must be most focused on one’s knowledge since it is the only attribute that leads to power, greatness, and wealth.

Socrates expressed many beliefs that opposed the commonly held beliefs of many of the elite members of Athenian society. For instance, he believed in divine power—that gods could use their powers to affect life on Earth—but he did not believe in many of the gods that most Greeks believed in. For Socrates, focusing on what is moral, or right, and on how people should best lead their lives was more important than focusing on what the gods wanted. In addition, he emphasized the search for knowledge related to important moral issues, such as justice. Because of this, he often questioned people about their beliefs and criticized the democratic system of Athens

Meletus claims in his deposition that Socrates believes in godly activities, but now he is saying that Socrates does not believe in gods at all. In order to prove Meletus wrong, Socrates has to show the jury that he believes in some type of god. According to Socrates, he believes that spirits are gods or children of the gods, so it follows that Socrates believes in gods, which is on the contrary to Meletus’ accusation in his sworn affidavit. Ultimately, Socrates concludes that Meletus made this deposition because he did not have true wrongdoing to accuse him

SOCRATES Socrates was a Greek philosopher who lived between 470-399 B.C. He turned Greek attention toward questions of ethics and virtue and away from those of the heavenly bodies. Socrates spent much time in the Agora (marketplace) where he held conversations with townspeople. Socrates believed that real truth could be found out through thought and collaboration with others. He was known for exposing ignorance, hypocrisy, and conceit. Despite having many followers, Socrates was disliked by most Athenians. At the age of 70, he was convicted of atheism, treason and corruption of the young. He was originally ordered to leave Athens, but chose to drink poison instead. This great man valued the law over his life, and so he chose to drank

Indeed, in his own speech, Socrates never claimed to believe in the gods he is accused of disbelieving. Instead, he admitted to your claim, and countered, “I do believe in spirits” (Plato, The Apology, §27d). He said so in an effort to deny his strict atheism, but he never refuted the imperative claim of disbelief in the Athenian gods of this city. For, perhaps upon closer examination, Socrates would understand your concern of his disregard for such specific gods who have such a powerful influence over his and our daily

The next step in the line of reasoning that supports the thesis of this paper is that Meletus contradicts himself by saying that Socrates both believes and does not believe in the Gods. Socrates begins by asking Meletus if he thinks that Socrates has corrupted the young by "teach[ing] them not to acknowledge the gods which the state acknowledges, but some other new divinities," and Meletus agrees that this is the reason for his accusation. However, Meletus further states that Socrates is a complete "atheist," meaning that he does not believe in god at all. This inconsistency in Meletus' answers refute the entire accusation that Socrates is an atheist because Meletus already has established that Socrates teaches "other men to acknowledge some gods, and therefore that [he] does believe in gods, and [is] not an entire atheist." This can also be presented as an argument in which our first premise is (P1) that Atheists do not believe in Gods, our second premise is that (P2) Socrates believes in God, and our conclusion therefore is that (C) Socrates is not an Atheist. This logically proves that Meletus is incorrect in his reasoning and that Socrates is not guilty of teaching the youth not to

Once more then, let us take their affidavit against me, as if they were another set of accusers. This is how it runs: It says that Socrates is a criminal, who corrupts the young and does not believe in the gods whom the state believes in, but other new spiritual things instead... It says I am a criminal who corrupts the young. But I say, gentlemen, that Meletos is a criminal who is making a jest of serious things by prosecuting people lightly...

Socrates advocated for himself that he just did everything he thought good, right to men of Athens. He tried to demonstrate that he was not wisest man in Athens; that people thought they know something when they do not know. Today, instead of that, people try to get another way to get what they want; don’t care about conscience. Socrates also thought he had an ethical obligation to live with philosophy life and exhorting people to care for the perfection of soul. He did his mission over and over time; because he believed that his obligation; that he owed a duty to the truth.

Socrates was a classical Greek philosopher that was born in Athens, Greece around 470/469 BC. He served in the Athenian army and fought in many battles. When Socrates retired from fighting in the army, he began focusing on expressing his beliefs. He wasn’t the typical “teacher” or “preacher”; he was a very critical and analytical thinker that helped guide his students and the Athenians during his time. Through his teachings and beliefs, Socrates had positive and negative influence on the people during his time and modern time. Although he is credited as one of the founders of Western Philosophy, Political Philosophy, and Ethics, his teachings was in disagreement with the teachings of the democracy of Athens, which led to him being put to