Who is the real Socrates the humble man or the heroic figure
Plato's "The Apology" begins with Socrates standing accused of impiety and,possibly the worst of the charges, passing his impiety on to the youngpeople he supposedly corrupts. The book concentrates on his defense.Basically, Socrates makes two major arguments for his innocence, the firstof which may have come across with some cockiness, that he was simply doingas he believed the gods wanted him to do, as the wisest of all men.The oracle at Delphi had stated that no one was wiser than Socrates, andever since this time, Socrates made it his mission to find someone wiser,as he did not believe he could possibly be the wisest. This mission led tothe sharp criticism of Athenian leaders and eventually resulted inWhile his defense may seem cocky, Socrates was actually anything but. Thewise philosopher would travel throughout the city, seeking out those thatwere perceived as wise in their trade, whether it was politics, poetry, oreven woodworking. He would sit down, pick their brains, and usually leavethem upset and angry, as he would have proved that although they perceivedthemselves as wise, they were in fact not.While this may seem cocky, Socrates humbly claimed to know nothing the
Socrates, despite his humble attitude, shows a heroic nature. He openly admitted that he was not wise, and it was mostlikely this humbleness that annoyed those he had humiliated the most. Herepeatedly tells everyone that he actually knows very little, and that truewisdom lies in understanding one's ignorance. As Socrates spoke with more and more people, a group of followers wanted tohear him question the wise. However, Socrates admits that he does not know how to accomplish thishimself. He refuses to admit that he should be punished, as thisconfession would mean admitting having done something unjust or impious,which he believes he has not. He would conclude that the meaning behind the oracle'sstatement was that because Socrates realized that as a man, he knewnothing, he was the wisest, in that, if you are nothing but a simple manand you believe yourself to be wise, you are very much mistaken in the eyesof the all-knowing Gods. He admits that he isnot a teacher and proves that he was never paid or employed as a teacher. He builds hisdefense, not as a man who is desperately pleading for his life, but as aproud man who will not bow before any jury or prosecutor. This admission of flaw shows that Socrates, unlike the pretentiouscitizens who were disturbed by his lines of questioning, did not pretend toknow everything; he did not even pretend to know what is best. Socrates, being the wise man he is, knows that he will die for his beliefsif he does not succumb to the demands of the jury. In this light, Socrates emerges as a heroic figure, willing tosacrifice his life for his beliefs and showing others that their lives areworthless if they cannot think independently. Many people feltthat he was ridiculing them. He clearly states his plans for asociety in which every man is assigned a place in society. Thus, he believes in thetraditional set of gods, whom he perceives as wildly superior to him.
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