"The unexamined life is not worth living." -Socrates

This is the quote that affirms my belief in questioning every aspect of life from authoritative figures to the origin of my own opinions. It also strikes fear deep within the hearts of those who confor

st of the world. Theaetetus, who claimed to have knowledge, failed to explain knowledge to Socrates. Socrates used questions to prove that knowledge is neither perception, nor true judgment. Socrates knew it was a display of ignorance to appear knowledgeable (Kolak 13).

d. The great minds that were truly into self-advancement were the only people Socrates could convey his messages to. The second problem was that Socrates was a horrible teacher (Russell 14). He never professed to being a teacher, but he was the only person in the world that had ever viewed a good life as the abandonment of material possessions and the yearning for virtue; in fact it took nearly fifteen hundred years before anyone could follow up and expand on his works (Plato and Aristotle could grasp but not expand). To use Plato’s parable, Socrates had brought the sun into the cave in order to show people how they should live their lives. To his detriment, he lacked the finesse of persuasion, only teaching by realization. His form of questioning didn’t intend to but often came off brash and arrogant. His aggressiveness toward publicly displaying his wit, by examining opposing views and exposing the ignorance of those who held them, did grab the attention of Athenians,!

To Socrates, goodness and virtue were synonymous. He believed that virtues are the key to living a good life, and without them, nothing else can be appreciated. This relates to his underprivileged existence. He could chase after the "Athenian Dream’ of being a consumer, keeping up with the "Homers", but he felt that the acquisition of wealth didn’t bring virtue or goodness, but that virtue brought wealth. He wished for everyone to attain virtue and attempted to shift people’s understanding of knowledge, so they could live a good life. His noble intentions were not to glorify his name or teachings; he simply had insight he felt compelled to sharing with the rest of the world.

Socrates was convicted on all charges by only thirty votes (“Jury” 2). It was time for the prosecutor and defendant to propose their own punishments, and the senate was left to decide which to choose. In the Athenian court system, in keeping with their pacifist ways, it was usually the case that the lesser of the two punishments was chosen (usually exile over death). It was no surprise that Meletus selected the penalty of death. Socrates deduced that he had committed no crime; therefore, a worthy punishment for the services he provided the city would be, "A stipend for the rest of my life to support me in my criticism of the citizens of Athens." This was fitting, considering the confusing defense he had just given on his behalf. The senate didn’t agree with Socrates and sentenced him to death (Allen 44).

Socrates was a courageous and virtuous man, but I am of the opinion that he became frustrated with society's apathy toward his revelations. Socrates didn’t seek people to engage in conversation, but he was a well-known philosopher who welcomed discussion. The irony of his death was that it came when he was seventy years old. In 400 B.C., this was exceptionally old. It is worth noting that the man was clearly close to his death, and while not deathly ill, he had outlived most of the pampered Athenians around him.

While researching the very three-dimensional character of Socrates, I ran across a self-description he gave in a dialogue that best describes him. Only he could invent such a relationship between his profession and a midwife. I find it ironic that he likens himself to a midwife and the stonecutters are almost the wisest men in Athens. Both of these professions were identical to his parents’. His comparison to a midwife refers to his assistance in giving birth to new ideas. He said by interrogating he could birth his interlocutor’s own thoughts. While he might have been skilled at the enticing new ideas to come out, he was equally skilled in abortion.

Some topics in this essay:
Odysseus Woodruff, Jowette Conclusion, Truth Beauty, Sophist Antiphon, Century BC, Jowette Using, Views Despite, Peloponnesian Wars, Jowette Socrates, Introduction Life, life socrates, citizens athens, death socrates, claimed knowledge, political leaders, fear death, own ignorance, socrates didn’t, gaining knowledge, socrates responded, truth opposite ability, opposite ability improve, bad effect truth, effect truth opposite, mankind person bad,