Plato&Socrates Excellence in Virtue Essay Example for Free

PlatoSocrates Excellence in Virtue Essay â€Å"Socrates’ positive influence touches us even today† (May 6) and we can learn a great deal about him from one of his students, Plato. It is in Plato’s report of Socrates’ trial a work entitled, Apology, and a friend’s visit to his jail cell while he is awaiting his death in Crito, that we discover a man like no other. Socrates was a man following a path he felt that the gods had wanted him to follow and made no excuses for his life and they way he lived it. The passage I have chosen from Plato’s Apology is the main passage to which Socrates believed in until his death and gave the basis for his life and they way he chose to live his life. It is this passage that makes clear all of Plato’s writings and perhaps why even in living his own life he chose emulate and follow Socrates and ultimately became one of his better-known students. To prove this, the paper is organized into four sections. In the first section, I will give the key passage, along with some textual context to give background details. In the second section, I will provide some relevant biographical/historical information about the author and the time period for when the text was written. In the third section, I will provide a detailed analysis meaning and arguments of my key passage and in the fourth section; I will explain the meaning of three passages that support the key passage of the paper. However, before we can move any further into this process, I will present my key passage on which this paper is based. key passage. â€Å"As long as I have breath and strength I will not give up philosophy and exhorting you and declaring the truth to every one of you whom I meet, saying as I am accustomed, ‘My good friend, you are a citizen of Athens, a city which is very great and very famous for its wisdom and power-are you not ashamed of caring so much for the making of money and for fame and prestige, when you neither think nor care about your wisdom and truth and the improvement of your soul? ’ If he disputes my words and says that he does care about these things I shall not at once release him and go away: I shall question him and cross-examine him and test him. If I think that he has not attained excellence, though he says that he has, I shall reproach him for undervaluing the most valuable things, and overvaluing those things that are less valuable. This I shall do to everyone whom I meet, young or old, citizen or stranger, but especially to citizens, since they are more closely related to me. This, you must recognize, the god has commanded me to do. And I think that no greater good has ever befallen you in the state than my service to the god. For I spend my whole life in going about and persuading you all to give your first and greatest care to the improvement of your souls, and not till you have done that to think of your bodies or your wealth. And I tell you that wealth does not bring excellence, but that wealth and every other good thing which men have, whether in public or in private, come from excellence. † (Baird Kaufmann 29-30). In this passage Socrates is our speaker and he is presenting his defense against the charges that have been brought against him by Meletus, Anytus, and Lycon. The charges they have brought against Socrates are for corrupting the youth and worshipping gods other than the ones all other Athenians worshipped at that time in Ancient Greece. This passage is one of many times that Socrates brings to light the fact that what he has been doing by going around questioning people about their beliefs is commanded by the gods and that he should not be put to death for doing what has been asked of him. Socrates presents many times that what he is doing in trying to get people to not just question what they believe, but to work on the improvement of their souls. He believes and so states in the passage that wealth and fame do not bring excellence to a person’s life, but you become a better person first by improving your soul and that is actually where excellence can be found. Once a person has done this then they can concern themselves with other matters. Stating that you first turn your attention inward and then outward to the larger society could sum up the general message of Socrates. While he does not explicitly say this one could reasonably interpret from Socrates defense that he believes the reason for the charges that have been brought up against him are due to a lack of understanding by the Athenian public of his mission and purpose as well as the authority he has to do it. This is what he is attempting to do in this passage, explain what he has been doing and that the god of all Athenians commanded him to do this work and that he has done nothing wrong. historical/biographical information. Though Socrates ran no formal school, one can find in any number of books on Plato, that he was a student of Socrates in Ancient Greece. According to Baird and Kaufmann Plato probably first began following Socrates sometimes in his twenties, though one cannot be sure of the exact date (4). The Apology, along with Crito, are just a number of texts written by Plato on the teachings and beliefs held by Socrates. â€Å"The Apology is generally regarded as one of Plato’s first and as eminently faithful to what Socrates said at his trial on charges of impiety and corruption of the youth† (Baird Kaufmann 5). The time of Socrates trial was around 399 B. C. in Athens, Greece and â€Å"many contemporary scholars maintain that Plato’s Apology was writing within the first two to three years following Socrates’ trial and execution† (Brickhouse Smith 1). The charges against Socrates were corruption of the youth and worshipping some other god rather than the ones commonly held to be believed in by other Athenians. It is important to note as reported by Brickhouse and Smith that, â€Å"Athens had only just concluded the Peloponnesian War. The effects of the war had been disastrous on her economy; factions blamed each other for her defeats, and suspicion and power-mongering were rife† (19). By this very fact they were looking for someone to blame for their problems and Socrates was an excellent choice. It should come as no surprise â€Å"that Athenians looked for the guilty among thinkers like Socrates. After all, by their very nature and regardless of their particular persuasions, such intellectual challenge established wisdom and tradition† (Brickhouse Smith 19). Then the charges brought against Socrates and his trial were a course of action that the Athenians could see nothing wrong with at that time. Socrates was definitely a man before his time. Socrates was placed on trial for the questioning he did of others because he was pushing people in their long-held beliefs, which probably gave rise to fear. Even though Socrates felt justified in his actions many did not hold that same theory. In fact, May states, â€Å"most people would be quite irritated if someone criticized their moral beliefs. Imagine conversing with someone who continually pointed out the weakness in your beliefs† (5). There are very few people that when pushed into why they believe what they do can generally come up with a concrete answer as to why they believe that way. In my opinion, much of what people believe in is based on tradition; either from your own family or culturally and many times occurs as a combination of both. Plato’s dialogues are perhaps a fair representation of Socrates’ teachings however, he does not give a consistent portrait of Socrates (May 20). May goes onto say that â€Å"character ‘Socrates’ is portrayed differently in some of Plato’s dialogues because in some of them. Plato is writing in order to chronicle the historical Socrates, whereas in others, Plato uses the character ‘Socrates’ as a mouthpiece of his own philosophical position† (20). â€Å"Although Plato originally started to write his dialogues in order to chronicle the historical Socrates, he eventually started to write dialogues that were devoted to Plato’s actual philosophical views† (20). It was this writing that caused Plato to formulate his own views in an attempt to answer some of the questions that Socrates had posed along the way (May 20). Regardless of which Socrates is speaking the message however is the same in that excellence can be found in virtue over any other thing a person may possess. In addition, Socrates did not do any writing himself so all we have to go on is what Plato presented to us in his various texts. anaylsis In this passage, Socrates is telling the Athenian jury that he is innocent on the charges brought against him and why he is innocent. This passage is of extreme importance of understanding and interpreting Plato’s writings because it is a theme that is repeated throughout his works. Our character Socrates feels that people should be more concerned with the perfecting their souls more than anything else in their life. He believes that in his quest to help people find their way he is actually doing as the gods dictated. Socrates also states that the only reason his is wise is because he knows that the only thing he does know is that he does not know anything worth knowing (Brickhouse Smith 129). In fact he so states in his defense when he says â€Å"I am wiser than this man; neither one of knows anything that is really worth knowing, but he thinks that he has knowledge when he has not, while I, having no knowledge, do no think that I have, I seem, at any rate, to be a little wiser than he is on this point: I do not know what I do not know† (Baird Kaufmann 24). Socrates believes that it is really the gods that are wise and humans do not possess any wisdom. He believes that the best a human can do is to work on improving their souls and it is through this action that a person can achieve a life of excellence. In fact, in a later section of the Apology, Socrates even states, â€Å"an unexamined life is not worth living† (Baird Kaufmann 34). That statement speaks to the true nature of Plato’s writings and how he wanted to impress upon others to live a better life. May even supports this idea when she states, â€Å"Socrates claims that the meaning of Apollo’s oracle that humans cannot possess wisdom. Remember, Socrates does not believe that even he possesses wisdom, as he believes that real wisdom is the property of God† (44). While taking into account the turbulent times of Athens one could easily understand why that anyone questioning â€Å"the establishment† would gain much notoriety and attention. While repeatedly Plato reports that Socrates felt he was doing gods work others were not as easily persuaded. Change is never welcomed by a society, because change means the known is questioned and people are stretched in ways they had not anticipated. One can find numerous examples of this throughout time ranging from slaves being released to live as free men, the flight of Kitty Hawk, Hitler, and even as recent as the presidential race of 2008 which was highlighted by frequent reports that Barak Obama was a terrorist. All of these things created change in the world around them and opened up countless avenues to others while many people stayed behind too scared to move forward. Reeve states that, â€Å"Socrates presents himself†¦ as someone who questions others in the matters of virtue and who examines or refutes them by mean of an elenchus when they have answered inadequately. † (x) An elenchus is Socrates’ characteristic method of inquiry and refutation some might consider it badgering (Reeve x). He also presents himself as a servant of Apollo whose mission has been divinely inspired and it is not simply to question people. â€Å"But to get them to care about virtue and their psyches – their souls – above everything else. † (Reeve x) Even in his later work of the Crito, in which Crito comes to visit Socrates in prison offering him a chance to escape, Plato does not have Socrates change his beliefs and escape to a foreign land. â€Å"In the Apology, Socrates claims that a human being has only one thing to consider namely whether one is acting rightly or wrongly (28c). This is repeated in the Crito when Socrates states that his duty to consider just one question, whether it would be right to escape or wrong† (May 78). As he continues to examine the option before him Socrates cannot come up with any reason why it would be right for him to escape and that to do would be morally wrong and go against everything he has stood for his entire life. The selfish action of escaping would have disastrous results and wipe out years of Socrates work. One can easily see how Plato has carried the message of Socrates throughout his writing and used it to his benefit. In order to be considered wise by Plato, a person needs to examine their beliefs and knowledge to better their soul before any other task is undertaken. It is this that will last far longer than any wealth, power, property or prestige that is attained. Because as Socrates says â€Å"I spend my whole life in going about and persuading you all to give your first and greatest care to the improvement of your souls, and not till you have done that to think of your bodies or your wealth† (Baird Kaufmann 30). supporting passages. This is the first of three passages that supports the fact that the passage quoted at the beginning of this paper and ultimately makes clear all of Plato’s writings and gives further insight into Socrates’ life. â€Å"But then I again proved, not by mere words but by my actions, that, if I may speak bluntly, I do no care a straw for death; but that I do care very much indeed about not doing anything unjust or impious. That government and all its power did not terrify me into doing anything unjust† (Baird Kaufmann 31). This passage comes from Apology shortly after the key passage in which Socrates is defending himself against the charges of corrupting the youth and worshiping false gods. In this passage he is telling how that when ordered by the government to bring Leon the Salaminian to them so that they might put him to death he chose to live by his values even though he was defying the government. He goes onto to explain that it is a person’s actions that mean more than the mere words they utter. He states how that even in the face of death he chose not to anything unjust or impious, but to live according to the gods decree for his life. He goes on to say that if the government of The Thirty had stayed in power he would have certainly been put to death, but he did not care one way or another. He is saying in no uncertain terms that he will not be coerced or bullied into doing anything that goes against the will of god. The position that he takes shows that he is strong-willed and a man who is true to his word and that even if this current group of Athenians puts him to death he will not fight them unnecessarily. This passage relates to the key passage by showing that by following one’s beliefs and doing what is right and just helps to lead a person closer to excellence in virtue and to living a better life. The second passage also appears in the Apology and comes after Socrates has been found guilty by the Athenians of the crimes of which he was accused and now is speaking about what a suitable punishment might be for him. â€Å"And if I tell you that no greater good can happen to a man than to discuss human excellence every day and the other matters about which you have heard me arguing and examining myself and others and that an unexamined life is not worth living, then you will believe me still less† (Baird Kaufmann 34) Plato is once again writing in reference to the first idea presented by Socrates that in order to be great people should first improve their inner self and not worry about things outside of themselves until they have reached that point. It is only by doing this that a person can achieve an excellence in their virtue far greater than any material possession or status one may achieve. Socrates is again stating that he has only been doing what the gods have asked of him and that he has been attempting to impress upon others the importance of personal virtue rather than material gain. He is again stating how he personally did that and was only attempting to get others to see the world as he saw it. In fact, Socrates believes that death is not justice in his case, but since he has lived his life as a pauper that he should be sentenced to life in the prytaneum, which is the town hall of Ancient Greece used to house distinguished visitors and guests (Dictionary.com). He states in there he would be forced to live a life in complete opposite of what he has known since it would be rich and lavish and in addition he would receive three full meals a day. This according to Socrates is the polar opposite of the way he has been living and would actually be a punishment to him since it goes against what he has been doing. This passage relates to the key passage by not only re-stating what was said previously, but provides further evidence that Socrates was committed to the cause of excellence even after he was sentenced to death. This third passage comes from Plato’s Crito when Socrates’ friend Crito visits him in prison. â€Å"Are we to start our inquiry from the premise that it is never right either to act unjustly or to repay injustice with injustice to avenge ourselves on any man who harms us, by harming him in return? Or do you disagree with me and dissent from my premise? I myself believed in it for a long time and I still believe in it. † (Baird Kaufmann 43) Crito actually bribes a guard in order to be allowed into Socrates’ prison cell and Socrates is not at all pleased by that action because it is an unjust act. The purpose of his visit is to convince Socrates to escape and continue to live a free man. Crito informs him that many people are willing to help him escape and continue his work of helping others in another country where he will be free from the narrow-mindedness of the Athenians who have sentenced him to death. While many people would jump at an opportunity to escape and continue to live their lives, even if it meant being a fugitive, Socrates refuses. But here again we see that Socrates is adamant about his position. In the above passage he states that it is wrong to escape because it would mean going against everything for which he has stood and argued for his entire life. He feels that it would a mistake to escape and repay an injustice with an injustice; there is no virtue in that action. He believes even as his death nears that what he has stood for; looking for excellence in virtue and by becoming a better person by looking inward first to improve the soul, that he is correct and nothing will veer him off his course. This passage ties to the key passage by showing how through his actions Socrates believed that living justly and rightly were more important than living a life where a person would simply exist because they were following the dictates of others and not living, as they truly believed. conclusion In conclusion, the key passage from Plato’s Apology that I have discussed here is the critical point of all his writings. In the key passage as well as the three supporting passages I discussed one can see how living a life of excellence as found through virtuous actions was the central theme throughout his writings. One can easily see why Plato would have chosen to be a student of Socrates and spend a great deal of his writing career recalling the events of Socrates life and death. At the time of his writings and Socrates’ death, Athens was in need of a good and moral hero and Plato chose Socrates to help others learn that success was measured not by material goods but through good actions based on right motives. Works Cited Baird, Forrest E. and Kaufmann, Walter. From Plato to Derrida. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall. 2008. Print. Brickhouse, Thomas C. and Nicholas D. Smith. Socrates on Trial. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1989. Print. Dictionary. com. n. d. n pag. Web. 22 Nov. 09. May, Hope. On Socrates. Belmont, California: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, 2000. Print. Reeve, C. D. C. Socrates in the Apology: An Essay on Plato’s Apology of Socrates. Indianapolis, Indiana, 1989. Print.