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Guidance questions (but your journals do not have to be limited to answering them)
1. What is in common among politicians, poets and craftsmen according to Socrates?
2. Why Socrates thinks he is wiser than them?
3. What does Socrates consider as his contribution to Athens?
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Why Socrates thinks he is wiser than them?
ReplyDeleteSocrates was very humble and doubted he was the wisest man in the world. So he set out on a quest to prove he wasn’t the wisest man. In fact, Socrates thought that the politicians, poets, and artisans were wiser than he. He decided to set out on a mission to prove his theory. First, he approached one of the most prominent politicians in Athens to examine his wisdom. In doing so, he proved that this politician wasn’t wise and in return the politician hated him because he exposed the politician as being unwise. Socrates then sought to examine the most accomplished poets whom he thought to be wiser than him. Socrates asked the poets the meaning of some of their most elaborate writings in an effort to see if they were wiser than he. Unfortunately, he found that the poets were just as ignorant as the politicians. Finally, Socrates examined the artisans and observed that even the most eminent artisans made the same mistakes as the poets and the politicians. Hence, they were all pretenders.
In sum, Socrates believed he was wiser than the politicians, poets, and artisans because he acknowledged that only god had true wisdom and that the wisdom of men is little or nothing. In addition, Socrates believed men who were considered to be inferior were wiser than the ones who were pretending to be wise.
What does Socrates consider as his contribution to Athens?
ReplyDeleteSocrates only speaks of the truth. Without the truth Athens cannot be set free of a deep sleep and of laziness. Socrates is accused of corrupting the youth of Athens. Apology is the not the definition of out modern understanding; Socrates's speech is in defense of his wisdom given by the oracle at Delphi. The man in which is responsible for bringing these charges to Socrates is Meletus, who sees the laws as a way of improving the youth of Atehens. Although Socrates doesnot deny this as truth, he challenges this thought brilliantly. Socrates is good at proving the false wise men as not wise or pious. Wisdom has been given directly to Socrates and he feels it his duty to reveal politicians, artisans, and even poets and such as men who are not wise as they say they are.More so ignorant. Socrates shows and admits that he is wise but knows nothing, that he is ignorant to prove his speculators as ignorant, in fact Socrates does not even take himself to serious. He justifies philosophy through his speech. For Socrates, wisdom and virtue are closely connected, so his efforts serve to improve society as a whole. We are all wise once we become aware of the "truth". That's how Socrates would defend wisdom.
Alea M. Smalls
This is the writings of Plato "APOLOGY"
ReplyDeleteI believe that Plato was an honest man that didn't mean anyone any harm.I believe that he spoke the truth in court.However, I also believe that the people of the courts wanted him dead for a less obvious reason .First there's the matter of the time in the past when social customs was different and a large number of people was less educated than people in this day and time.I believe that Plato was a nonconformist,he didn't conform to the laws of the people.However,he didn't willing do anything to break those laws.I believe that Plato was helping people by sharing his perspective with them.Although the judges of the court felt that Plato was committing a serious crime by speaking the truth which was different from the normal funtion of things during that moment in time.Which placed Plato in the position of posing as a threat to the people at large.I gather from the writing of Plato "APOLOGY" that he was envied by many not for anything that he has done but for who he was.Which I consider to be and independant person that lean to their own understanding and not the understanding of other's.In another I believe that Plato was a leader and not a follower.From my understanding Plato was a man with a different unique perspective than the average man in his day and time.
Jonathan Hicks
Jonathan Hicks
"Apology" by Plato
ReplyDelete1. What is in common among politicians, poets and craftsmen according to Socrates?
2. Why Socrates thinks he is wiser than them?
In "Apology" by Plato Socrates is on trail for not believing in the gods, and also for corrupting the minds of the youth of Athens. While on trail he gives a speech, the "apology", to defend himself. During the speech he talks about the oracle of Delphi. He said that the oracle of Delphi spoke to him and told him that there was no man wiser than him. Socrates didn't believe in the oracle and decided to go on a mission to find a man that was wiser than he was. He first encountered a well known politician. Socrates found out very quickly that the politician was not as wise as he was portrayed to be. He went on to a poet since poets can put fine words together and can create thoughtful writing. But just like the politician, the poet was not wiser than Socrates. For the last person that he went to see was an artisan. Socrates was very much disappointed when he found out that the artisan was not a wise man after all. Therefor Socrates found himself to be superior and wiser compared to everyone he meet. Also he acknowledged the fact that men who were poor and inferior were wiser than the rich men who were portrayed to be wise, but really weren't.
Sheila Lopez
Apology
ReplyDeletePlato may be the called the Father of western philosophy. Whether other philosophers accepted, adjusted or denied his philosophy, it sparked the growth of western philosophy. Plato in simple English says a naïve ignorant man is wiser than politician who is nothing but an impostor, a poet who does not understand his own writing, and craftsmen who pretend to of any importance. Plato claimed this because he believed that only the gods know the whole truth which is what makes them divine. This in which means any knowledge men possess is irrelevant and far from the truth.
-Yohan Kim
Plato felt strongly about his teachings that even in his after life he felt he needed to spread his knowledge to everyone. In result of his mission he felt that politicians , poets, and craftsman all considered very intellectual and wise really weren't, just appeared to be. He considered himself to be wiser because most of what they spoke, they didn’t understand or make sence to him. It's unfortunate that people at that time were so closed minded, that someone with a different perspective in life came introducing something new and the people around took him as being a criminal.
ReplyDeleteIt’s interesting to see how Socrates handles himself in the courtroom. I’m not sure how the courts even worked during his time and era but Socrates was definitely a man way beyond his own time. Socrates even goes to ask the judges to excuse him for the manner in which he talks because it was comfortable with him. This is really interesting here to me here because he starts be excusing the way he speaks and then continues to speak in a highly calm and dignified manner which makes him seem even more intelligent. Socrates also continues to tell the people he isn’t ignorant by acknowledging that he knows nothing. This is strange to me because I take it that he understands that the world is so much bigger and that his knowledge is nothing compared that of a god which is suppose to know everything.
ReplyDelete-Kaven Kim
Socrates think he is not the wisest person out their,so to prove his theory he set out on a quest to find a person who is wiser than himself. First he went to the politician who he began to ask question, but only to find out that the politician was not as wise as they think. then he went to the poets where he quote some of the most elaborate passages, only to find out that they are the same case as the politician who think as themselves as the wisest but to find out their are not. He then went to the artisans, thinking they might know more since they were workmen. He soon proved that wrong because they were like the others where their own wisdom overshadowed and defect them.so to some his up Socrates is the wisest out of them all and he is better off by himself.
ReplyDeleteGaneshwari Latchman
Apology, by Plato Socrates
ReplyDeleteSocrates proudly mocks those who were considered to be wise in society in the courtroom. However, he acknowledges that despite being told of his intellectual superiority by the oracle of Delphi, that he is only wiser than the supposed wise men because his wisdom is not deriven from ignorance.
Despite his death sentence, Socrates doggedly sticks to his belief that he is responsible for awakening the youth of Athens into productivity.
I took notice of how he excuses himself in court and continues to speak in a casual and articulate manner, setting himself on a higher level of his peers with subtlety.
Even though Sacrates was told by the oracle of Delphi of his intelligence he remained doubtful. To prove his point that he is not the wisest man, he seeks out known intellectual men. A politian, a poet, and an artisan but to his dissapointment, he finds that these men were not wiser than him at all. They knew little of their own work and less than Socrates did. He talks in the courtroom in a calm and reserved but obviously dominating tone to everyone, even the judge. Even though he was going against the other "wise" men, he had to speak the truth because the truth was the one thing the youth of athens was being denied. In the end, Socrates embraces the fact that he is indeed intellectual beyond many others but that even he remains ignorant before God and only God is the true wise being. The only entity who knows absolute all.
ReplyDelete-Victor Lam
Socrates believed that a common trait amongst politicians, poets and craftsman is that they do not understand the meanings of the things that they say so elequently. In his search for wisdom, Socratese finds that he was better off as he was before he analyzed those who were considered to be wise. Socratesse believes that the gods are the only ones with real wisdom and those who claim to be wise are really not. With that being the case Socratese believed he was wiser then everyone else becuase he found that those who were proclaimed wise were really not. Socrates brings up an issue that throughout history has guided and affected peoples beliefs. This is when in his defense,Socratese denounces the claims against him of those old and those new.In our lifes we find that when we are young, we adopt the beliefs that are passed down by those that are older and assume that what we are taught is the truth. Throughout history,many people decide to follow negative beliefs about others based on reasons that someone else said was the truth. We rarely break away from the collective and rather generate our own perspective and beliefs by doing research and getting to know the very person we are critiquing. This shows that so many problems that people have with other people is based on that many of us are simply followers and we choose not to want to learn about others based on ignorance,laziness, and the fear of what we do not understand.
ReplyDeleteWe don't understand wisdom; therefore we will never attain it. Socrates’ in all he had attained gained an insight on life. So many of us walk this earth with no purpose, no meaning, no reason for being and that perplexed his mind. When people don't understand, they fear what they don't understand and that's how his accuser saw him. They were threatened by the knowledge he possessed, the same knowledge and wisdom we all possess if we open up our mind. President Franklin D, Roosevelt said it best, “Only Thing We Have to Fear Is Fear Itself”. In the end all he wanted was for everyone to have an open mind rather than close yourself off to one idea.
ReplyDeleteThe gods consider socrates to be the wisest man out there.But socrates did not consider himself as wisest man in Athens.So he sets out to find anyone who wiser and have more wisdom than him.First he to politican and began to ask questions and soon realize he was not really wise.Socrates tried to explain to him that was not really waise and the consequence was he hated Socrates.He then went to the poets thinking would be wiser than him.Socrates quote some of the most elabroate passages,In an instant realize not by wisdom do poets write poetry but by a sort of genius and inspiration.Lastly Socrates went to the artisians thinking they craftwork would make them waiser him but soon realize they are not.Socrates is wiser than the politican, poets and the artisans and have more knowledge and wisdom.
ReplyDeleteI’d heard of Plato’s Apology before, but I didn’t know anything about it other than the name. Upon reading it, I was surprised to find that it is actually more of a defense than an apology. After a bit of research, I discovered that the original title, Apologia, actually does mean a sort of courtroom defense.
ReplyDeleteI am intrigued at how the wisdom referred to in Apology isn’t so much about knowledge as it is awareness. Socrates felt he was the wisest because he was aware that he knew nothing, whereas those whom he interviewed believed they knew truths that, to Socrates, were completely false.
Plato’s Apology definitely gave me perspective on how wisdom is more than just knowledge.
-Travis Fought
Zenith Isidor
ReplyDeleteAccording to Socrates politicians, poets, and craftsmen were wise men that accused him of not believing in Gods they believed in and because they thought that he was corrupting students with studies that other citizens did not believe it was true. However, Socrates stood up while in court to defend himself and to make clear that he did not consider himself a wise man at all. On the contrary, he thought that there were other philosophers who were wiser than him and that they were also judged and condemned to death unfairly. Moreover, Socrates stood up and gave his statements of all the wonderful teachings he taught his students and that he believed they learned a lot from it. Socrates also questioned politicians and poets what was the meaning of being a wise man, and in doing so since the politicians and the poets did not know what to answer the only react Socrates gained was hatred from these people because they thought that he did it to embarrass them. All in all, Socrates believes that he has contributed a lot to Athens because of the great teachings he taught young adults and because he believes that while the court was in session the majority wanted him to be death, but at the nearly end when the votes were ready to be counted he noticed that the number was even and that he had changed a lot of people’s idea towards him. At the end Socrates believes that may be death was better than being alive because he did not wanted to be part of a lie that all these people had against him.
Socrates is a very wise person and he outsmarts the people of time with simple things to get what he wants. The situation in the court is an example of him playing smart where he pleads with the judge to lenient and bear with him since that system was new to him. There was no need for such an excuse but he plays smart on them.
ReplyDeleteAccording to Socrates politicians, craftsmen and poets are like diviners or soothsayers who say many fine things but do not understand them. Socrates considers himself wiser than them because a prophetess of an oracle confirmed he was the wisest and he exhibits that by learning the ways of those who claim to be wise but realized they were worse than him. I believe a wise person is the one who considers himself as ignorant and learn from other which Socrates did.
He believes he awakened the youth of Athens into productivity through his teachings.
Response to "Apology" by Plato
ReplyDeleteHeadstrong is the first word that comes to mind after reading the apology. An oddly fitting term for one of the wests and histories most famous philosophers, Socrates. His demeanor in court is a prime example of his ability to move through words and the processes of thought going on in whatever situation, even at his own trial. Keeping in mind that he was keeping in mind the most probable outcome, his execution, Socrates was still able to move his way through the fallicies presented by his accusers. Was this out of desperation or or clairvoyance? As I've said before, headstrong is the word that comes to mind. Even after Socrates is sentanced he muses that his punishment should be the upkeep of the Prytaneum as he can only be accused of a sort of lazyness. What man, knowing he will most likely be put to death, would joke about something like that? It's at this point that we can see he has given up on convincing the court and had never planned on doing so in the first place. Most today would call him a fool for not pleading his case with more of an acceptance of accusations in order to show humility and possibly gain further favor but not that man. His convictions and truth were stronger than his life or maybe that's all his life was. As one who held no connection to the material world, other than his daily life, this was the only thing he could hold to and those things existed even beyond him. So what fear should he have? But what kind of father is he? Holding to convictions over the continued care and life with his children but in his last words he shows his love for them in asking his friends to treat them as he did society. Headstrong and an inspirational man for those who look for life beyond what is given, Socrates was a fool in the most honarable sense of the word.
The common trait between poloticians, poets and craftsmen according to Socrates is that they are all considered to be emn and women of wisdom. They are all respected by the people for being the wise ones of society. Another thing that Socrates says they have in common is that while they are thought to be persons of great wisdom, they are actually not very wise at all.
ReplyDeleteSocrates believes himself to be wiser than other men for this reason: While he, like other men knows very little, he is the only one who seems to realize this. The others have a sort of distorted view of things. They think that because they can create things that take skill and intelligence that they are wise. Socrates says that those triats are not the same as wisdom. He feels that he is better off then them because he realizes this.
Socrates says that his contribution to Athens is that he has tried to do good. He has gona and sought out men and made them think about whether they were good people of not. He says that he has done his god's biding and has acted justly.
i believe that Socrates is a very wise man. he is a man that is able to look at things more than one way, he is not afraid to question things to see if it make sense, if it really exist or even if there is an additonal piece or idea to it. Thats how politians and creaters think in order to make the best possible decsions. there is nothing wrong is challeging theory because most of the times there is always more than one way to look at something,and when you have that capability your mind become verseitile to certain information. With that being said i believe that Socarates is a very wise man because he question something that one questioned an he develop idea in my opinon to support his theory. did Socrates have an impact on citzens in the court room? his words open many eyes including the youth of the Athens
ReplyDeleteReflection on “Apology” by Plato
ReplyDeleteThe men of Athens have accused Socrates of corrupting the youth and putting them under the impression that there is no god. It seems to me that he was falsely accused of such actions for the simple fact that he stated he would let god choose the outcome of the trail. Socrates was speaking only doing what he has always done and that was to teach at no cost to his students. The common thing that Socrates found among the politicians, poets, and craftsmen was that they seemed like wise men as they were knowledgeable in certain aspects, but appear to be ignorant as they were under the under the assumption of knowing everything. Socrates also stated that he knew common men who are wiser than those politicians, poets, and artisans who all claimed to be wise.
Luis Mercedes
Socrates possessed knowledge in a way that he didn't show that he was the wisest, but he knew exactly where he stood. Even though he knew nothing, his view of things was different than those among him.
ReplyDeleteThis was more of a defense than an apology, the case being that he was smart enough to plead his case and let the judge listen to him since all this was new. The men in the court were all believed to be the wisest since they had "knowledge" of things, but it took more than knowledge... its took wisdom, something that Socrates had.
All of this has giving me an interesting perspective on the difference between knowledge and wisdom, you might say. Knowledge is acquired, while wisdom might have to do with your capacity to truly understand more than just knowledge.
Socrates' Apology
ReplyDeleteSocrates' goal was to see if he could find one man truly wiser than him. In an effort to prove that he was not the wisest man around, he questioned men with established reputations, who were believed to be the wisest in Athens. He went about interviewing politicians, poets, and craftsmen, causing him to come to the conclusion that these men were not wise because they all thought they knew more than they actually did he found that after examining their moral values, they were not wise, as they had appeared. Eventually Socrates earned a bad reputation because his study exposed the men's ignorance. This made the claim true of his old teacher that he is the wisest person only because he recognizes his own ignorance.