Plato composed the four dialogues Euthyphro. Apology. Crito. and Phaedo. They were meant to offer insight into Socrates’ trial and subsequent death. Each work is a unique look at Socrates and his teachings. They range from questions on piety, to Socrates final thoughts about death and the afterlife. In each dialogue, Socrates emphasizes logic and rationality. The Socratic Method often ends up with vague or unresolved statements. Socrates did not intend to answer questions, but rather to cause his listeners’ beliefs to be re-examined and to see their errors.
The central theme of the dialogues is Socrates’ trial, as described by Apology. Socrates decides that he will address both the old charges and the new ones brought against him so as to prove his guilt. He is accused for corrupting Athens’ youth and not paying proper homage the gods. Socrates replies, “I do not possess wisdom.” Socrates knows that he cannot be a teacher because of this. He is only considered wise, therefore, because Socrates understands what he can’t teach. Socrates is accused of making enemies of himself and others because of his specific questioning style. This, in turn, is the reason he was brought to trial. Socrates is not trying to make people look foolish. This is the result of Socrates’ efforts to encourage Athenians to challenge their own beliefs and to prove them.
Socrates’ primary accuser, Meletus, claims that “every Athenian improves and elevates [the youth]; all except for [Socrates].” Logically this statement cannot be true as one person cannot be the root of all wrongdoing. Meletus’s primary accuser claims that, “Every Athenian improves, elevates, and enlightens [the Youth]; except for [Socrates]..” Logically, such a statement is not true. One person cannot be responsible for all wrongdoing. Socrates equates the situation once more to horses, a simpler subject. He shifts their focus by comparing the situation to another less complicated subject, horses.
The other element of charges made against Socrates concerns the allegation he doesn’t pay the proper homage of Athens to its gods. Original charge against Socrates: he is an atheist. Socrates answers this accusation by asking, “Can a guy believe in gods and not demigods? He’s saying that you can’t believe in demigods unless you believe first in the fathers of demigods. Socrates is known to use logical arguments in order to refute both new and older charges.
It is reasonable to assume, at this stage, that Socrates’ charges will be dropped and he will be freed since he has so succinctly and quickly proven them false. Socrates was right to assume that Athens had many enemies because he’s ultimately doomed to die. Even though he is facing death, Socrates refuses to abandon “the principles which we recognized as just.” Socrates doesn’t show fear at all and even claims, “he was expecting his result.” He believes that exile would be worse than dying because he would have to reject his home, his people, and the questions posed by him. Socrates continues to say that he had been convicted to allow his fellow Athenians to “escape the accuser”. Human nature is to avoid that which is unknown; people do not want to accept that their ideas could be flawed. Socrates says that his calm demeanor is because he hopes death will be a good thing. He saw the inevitable, honest and realistic death. Socrates saw his death as an honest, realistic and inevitable event.
Socrates main objective in his dialogues was education and the advancement of virtue. He chose to die than leave his community, a testament to the impact that Athens has left on future generations as well as those who lived in the past. We, as a culture, are amazed at the advances made in ancient Greece. They reflect our own realities. In fact, the history of humanity as a group has been characterized by similar patterns. Many political and human rights which are prevalent today have their roots in the suffering and struggles of men of reason. Even after all these advances, the people of the modern world still have the same goal as the ancient Greeks. We strive to pass on the Ideal of the Polis to future generations, and to leave a lasting legacy.
