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Socrates 1. One of the most important charges, brought against Socrates at his trial, was accusation of atheism. He used to say unexamined life is not worth living, which can be considered as appeal to reason, rather then to belief. Socrates considered peoples ability to operate with abstract categories as such that differentiates them from animals. What Socrates could have meant by saying this is that only those who are capable of logical analyzing can be considered as humans, in full sense of this word. Therefore, there are a lot of people who only appear to be humans, while they cannot be referred to as such, because they do not use their intellect for examining their lives.
This is why, according to Socrates, it is better not to exist then to lead an anomalistic existence, while being only formally referred to as man. 2. According to Socrates, the essence of wisdom resides in the realization that we know little or nothing. We can both agree and disagree with this statement. On one hand, it is important to maintain healthy skepticism, when it comes to acquiring a new knowledge.
On the other hand it is only through gaining an objective knowledge that human civilization can progress. Scientific knowledge can be incomplete, but this is only the objective knowledge. It is not but pure accident that world religions resort to science, in order to prove the validity of their religious dogmas and not the other way around. 3. The reason why Socrates accepted death, instead of resisting it, is because he lived according to the principles of his own philosophy. His approach to the issue of death was stoic. By drinking poison, Socrates was able to prove himself as being fully objective, as philosopher.
Socrates used to emphasize that peoples opinions do not hold the universal value. The biggest virtue that the individual can attain is being able to adjust his life to his own notions of what is right and what is wrong. The philosophical doctrine can only be considered as academically valid, when it is able to affect peoples lives on practical level. Socrates simply wanted to add legitimacy to his system of ethical beliefs. 4. The condemnation of Socrates must be examined in the context of contemporary socio-political situation in Peloponnesian peninsula at the time. Socrates was the citizen of Athens, in time when this city-state was in war with Sparta.
Socrates used to criticize Athens democratic policies, while pointing at Sparta as the example of perfect state. Promoting social instability, in time of war, has always been thought of as the great offence, throughout the history. Therefore, we can say that the citizens of Athens had a good reason, when they wanted to silence Socrates. At the same time, people could benefit from Athens turning into authoritarian state, because during the war, democratic government cannot sustain countrys military efficiency. Nevertheless, the social restructuring can only be undertaken prior to war or after the war. Socrates mistake was that he began to promote such restructuring in the middle of military conflict with another state, which was viewed as something inappropriate.
Therefore, it appears that Socrates condemnation was being well deserved, on his part. 5. In order for the individual to be considered as true intellectual, he must be continuously questioning the surrounding reality. Michel de Montaigne knew this very well. This is why he said: To philosophize is to doubt. Only open minded individual can attain excellence in the field of philosophy, because his way of thinking can never become dogmatized. Socrates appears to have known this principle, even before it was being defined by Montaigne.
He continuously doubted even the validity of his own knowledge. Still, it would be wrong to suggest that Socrates was skeptical of logic, as philosophical method. He never doubted the fact that only an empirical observations can serve as basis for any philosophical doctrine. Today, we are forbidden from doubting whether multiculturalism benefits our society, for example.
This is because that our empirical observations contradict the idea that it is possible to attain a multicultural paradise. There is no doubt that if Socrates came to life today, he would be ostracized in the same way as thousands of years ago. Bibliography: Gould, James and Mulvaney, Robert. Classical Philosophical Questions. 12 th ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2007.
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Research essay sample on Individual Can Attain Philosophical Doctrine Socrates
