this man was said to be the most intelligent in all the land during his era he modestly denied untill he himself had come to realize the truth of it, after speaking so truely about what he stood for he was viewed as a threat to the system of governing and was offered a choice shut up or die he was arrested and poisoned Socrates lived during the time of the transition from the height of the Athenian hegemony to its decline with the defeat by Sparta and its allies in the Peloponnesian War. At a time when Athens sought to stabilize and recover from its humiliating defeat, the Athenian public may have been entertaining doubts about democracy as an efficient form of government. Socrates appears to have been a critic of democracy,[17] and some scholars interpret his trial as an expression of political infighting.[18] Claiming loyalty to his city, Socrates clashed with the current course of Athenian politics and society.[19] He praises Sparta, archrival to Athens, directly and indirectly in various dialogues. One of Socrates purported offenses to the city was his position as a social and moral critic. Rather than upholding a status quo and accepting the development of what he perceived as immorality within his region, Socrates questioned the collective notion of might makes right that he felt was common in Greece during this period. Plato refers to Socrates as the gadfly of the state (as the gadfly stings the horse into action, so Socrates stung various Athenians), insofar as he irritated some people with considerations of justice and the pursuit of goodness.[20] His attempts to improve the Athenians sense of justice may have been the cause of his execution. According to Platos Apology, Socrates life as the gadfly of Athens began when his friend Chaerephon asked the oracle at Delphi if anyone were wiser than Socrates; the Oracle responded that no-one was wiser. Socrates believed the Oracles response was a paradox, because he believed he possessed no wisdom whatsoever. He proceeded to test the riddle by approaching men considered wise by the people of Athens—statesmen, poets, and artisans—in order to refute the Oracles pronouncement. Questioning them, however, Socrates concluded: while each man thought he knew a great deal and was wise, in fact they knew very little and were not wise at all. Socrates realized the Oracle was correct; while so-called wise men thought themselves wise and yet were not, he himself knew he was not wise at all, which, paradoxically, made him the wiser one since he was the only person aware of his own ignorance. Socrates paradoxical wisdom made the prominent Athenians he publicly questioned look foolish, turning them against him and leading to accusations of wrongdoing. Socrates defended his role as a gadfly until the end: at his trial, when Socrates was asked to propose his own punishment, he suggested a wage paid by the government and free dinners for the rest of his life instead, to finance the time he spent as Athens benefactor.[21] He was, nevertheless, found guilty of both corrupting the minds of the youth of Athens and of impiety (not believing in the gods of the state),[22] and subsequently sentenced to death by drinking a mixture containing poison hemlock.[23][24][25][26] Bust of Socrates in the Vatican Museum According to Xenophons story, Socrates purposefully gave a defiant defense to the jury because he believed he would be better off dead. Xenophon goes on to describe a defense by Socrates that explains the rigors of old age, and how Socrates would be glad to circumvent them by being sentenced to death. It is also understood that Socrates also wished to die because he actually believed the right time had come for him to die. Xenophon and Plato agree that Socrates had an opportunity to escape, as his followers were able to bribe the prison guards. There have been several suggestions offered as reasons why he chose to stay: He believed such a flight would indicate a fear of death, which he believed no true philosopher has. If he fled Athens his teaching would fare no better in another country, as he would continue questioning all he met and undoubtedly incur their displeasure. Having knowingly agreed to live under the citys laws, he implicitly subjected himself to the possibility of being accused of crimes by its citizens and judged guilty by its jury. To do otherwise would have caused him to break his social contract with the state, and so harm the state, an unprincipled act. If he escaped at the instigation of his friends, then his friends would become liable in law.[27] The full reasoning behind his refusal to flee is the main subject of the Crito.[28] Socrates death is described at the end of Platos Phaedo. Socrates turned down Critos pleas to attempt an escape from prison. After drinking the poison, he was instructed to walk around until his legs felt numb. After he lay down, the man who administered the poison pinched his foot; Socrates could no longer feel his legs. The numbness slowly crept up his body until it reached his heart. Shortly before his death, Socrates speaks his last words to Crito: Crito, we owe a rooster to Asclepius. Please, dont forget to pay the debt. Asclepius was the Greek god for curing illness, and it is likely Socrates last words meant that death is the cure—and freedom, of the soul from the body. Additionally, in Why Socrates Died: Dispelling the Myths, Robin Waterfield adds another interpretation of Socrates last words. He suggests that Socrates was a voluntary scapegoat; his death was the purifying remedy for Athens’ misfortunes. In this view, the token of appreciation for Asclepius would represent a cure for Athens ailments.[20]
Posted on: Fri, 21 Mar 2014 17:31:56 +0000
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