Platos Laches - 1027 Words

During his lifetime Socrates’ various interactions with his fellow Athenians left his intentions debatable. Popular belief in Athens seemed to be that, â€Å"he [Socrates] was an evildoer, and a curious person, who searches into things under the earth and in heaven ¸ and makes the worse appear the better cause† (Plato, pg. 5) as stated by the unofficial charges against him in The Apology. After discussions, his interlocutor’s were left confused in a state of aporia, with no conclusion. And so while negative views of Socrates became increasing popular in Athens right up until his death, Socrates was, on the contrary, serving as Athens’s benefactor, opening up their eyes to the truth of world in which they lived in. In Plato’s Laches, Socrates†¦show more content†¦However, other Athenians eventually grew tired of Socrates’ extensive questioning and can be seen in The Apology putting Socrates on trial for it. Instead of taking Socrate s’ conversations for what they were worth, they labeled him as argumentative and a man who was corrupting the youth of the city. By breaking down his interlocutors’ various thoughts, ideas, and theses, Socrates was trying to reveal to them that they were not in fact wise and that the knowledge they thought they possessed was not true knowledge. Socrates himself was only considered wiser than his fellow Athenians because he considered his one piece of knowledge to be that he didn’t know anything. By breaking down, piece by piece, the arguments of those he conversed with, he intended for them to realize that their knowledge was relative and therefore meaningless in the grander scheme of things. By recognizing this, only then could they begin living a life in search of finding true meaning. In searching for meaningful things they would have to learn to question things. While he is on trial in The Apology, Socrates tells the jury that, â€Å"The unexamined life is not worth living† (Plato pg. 24) Living life without asking questions, and without inquiry, is not living life at all, and is ther eforeShow MoreRelatedHow Xenophon’s Oeconomicus is a Response to Aristophanes’ Clouds1043 Words   |  5 Pagespresents much of his thought in a manner that requires readers to constantly keep in mind Plato’s thought but also diligently strive to discern Xenophon’s voice. We can easily recognize the relation of Xenophon’s Apology of Socrates to the Jury to Plato’s Apology of Socrates and Xenophon’s Symposium to Plato’s Symposium, and recently it has been proposed that Xenophon’s Education of Cyrus is a direct response to Plato’s Republic exploring grave difficulties Xenophon has with the best regime.1 We may thusRead MoreSocrates s Philosophy And Critical Analysis1138 Words   |  5 PagesDialogues via Plato’s words Socratic dialogues are manifestations of discussions between Socrates and notable men of Athens. These involve a sequel of different questions on themes such as friendship, piety, courage etc. These dialogues serve to be indirect in nature and thus leave the reader to undergo through a catharsis and analyze the beliefs of Socrates. Laches (Courage) This is a dialogue based on strife of two fathers,Lysimachus and Melesias, along with Nicias, Laches, Stesilaus andRead More Plato Essay example1737 Words   |  7 PagesCritias, was the leader of the Thirty Tyrants who were installed in power by the victorious Spartans. One means of perpetuating themselves in power was to implicate as many Athenians as possible in their atrocious acts. Thus Socrates, as we learn in Platos Apology, was ordered to arrest a man and bring him to Athens from Salamis for execution. When the great teacher refused, his life was in jeopardy, and he was probably saved only by the overthrow of the Thirty and the reestablishment of the democracyRead More A life sketch of Plato and his works Essays891 Words   |  4 Pageshis broad shoulders. Plato was born in Athens, Greece to one of the oldest and most distinguished families in the city. He lived with his mother, Perictione, and his father, Ariston (Until Ariston died.) Born in an aristocratic and rich family, Plato’s childhood was indulged within luxury. But his life changed when he came across Socrates. Socrates, a Greek philosopher who lived from 470-399 BC. He devoted all his time with young citizens discussing philosophy and questioning their confidence inRead MorePlato s Views On The Virtue Of The Virtues Essay1256 Words   |  6 Pages(Republic 354c) Plato presents Socrates as believing in the unity of the virtues, skeptical of those who, like Meno, wish to treat the virtues as distinct objects of inquiry in dialogues such as Laches, Protagoras, Meno, the Republic, and Euthyphro. These dialogues provide good reason to deny that Plato’s Socrates believed in the numerical identity of the virtues. I shall argue that in the various virtues is one essence (or ‘virtue’), as revealed in a conceptual search for definitional clarity andRead MoreCan Virtue Be Acquired? An Examination of the Laches, Meno and Protagoras2955 Words   |  12 PagesCan Virtue be Acquired? An Examination of the Laches, Meno, and Protagoras In the Socratic dialogues of Plato, Socrates often argues against the pretence of knowledge in his interlocutors. In the case of the Laches, Meno, and Protagoras dialogues, the pretence is the knowledge of virtue, among other things. The Laches seeks a definition of arà ªte (virtue), the Meno examines the teaching of virtue, and the Protagoras offers a known expert the chance to defend that virtue can, indeed, be taught. UsingRead MoreThe Republic Essay1514 Words   |  7 Pagesboth Solon and Pisistratus. Platos parents were Ariston and Perictone, his older brothers were Adeimantus and Glaucon, and his younger sister was Potone. In keeping with his family heritage, Plato was destined for the political life. But the Peloponnesian War, which began a couple of years before he was born and continued until well after he was twenty, led to the decline of the Athenian Empire. The war was followed by religious movement that led to the execution of Platos mentor, Socrates. TogetherRead Mor e Sport, Education, and the Meaning of Victory Essay examples3416 Words   |  14 Pagessummed up in a word: winning. Is this a sign that we have lost touch with the age-old rationale for including sport in education? I argue that it need not be by showing that we value winning precisely for the virtues associated with it. I then take Platos traditional parts of aretà ª: piety, sophrosunà ª, courage and justice and show how they are manifest in modern athletic ideals of self-knowledge, discipline, courage and justice. To the extent that scholastic athletic programs develop these virtues,Read More Plato on Education as the Development of Reason Essay3512 Words   |  15 Pagesa person never falters to the end of life, this is no more than moral luck. One is still guilty on the level of the logos, and liable to blame and punishment not for what one does, but for what one could have done. The unexamined life, says Platos Socrates, is not worth living for men (Apology 38a5). Two central ideas of Western philosophy came together in this saying, and also a third, Socrates own great innovation. The novelty was not his turning towards man; in this he was but a childRead MoreGreek Philosophers Bible On The Ancient World And English I2969 Words   |  12 Pages Socrates enrolled in the army, fulfilling the position of a hoplite, a type of Greek soldier. He served in Athens military during the Peloponnesian War. Several accounts describe Socrates’ service in the war including writings from Alcibiades, Laches, and Socrates himself. Alcibiades describes how Socrates saved his life in the battle of Potidaea. The trial of Socrates was one of the most controversial trials in the ancient world. Socrates praised Sparta, Athens rival, because of their government