Analysis Of Socrates

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The great Greek philosopher Socrates made it his life mission to pull the pompous weeds from the virtuous garden of Athens. On his quest to prove many Athenian celebrities were not as wise as they thought, Socrates was accused of corrupting the youth. His accusers claimed he set a poor example by continually challenging public figures, and more importantly, challenging authority. Socrates was convicted after he refused to denounce his teachings, but was given a choice of punishment. He did not wish to suggest a punishment because he considered that to be an admission of wrongdoing, so he was sentenced to death by the jurors. Shortly after hearing of his fate, he made a puzzling remark to the judges: “…and believe this as a truth that no evil …show more content…

You must attempt to see the world from that person’s shoes. At that point, you will be well-equipped to analyze what they truly meant. In this case, the addition of “in life or after death” is crucial to deciphering this riddle. With the understanding that Socrates devoted his life to becoming increasingly more virtuous, and the fact that he was wrongfully executed by his fellow Athenians, I believe Socrates was referring to how a good man will not allow evil influences to change his moral standards. It is this refusal to change one’s moral code that makes the man good. A good man cannot lack morality, and an immoral man cannot be good. I also believe Socrates’s mention of the afterlife hints towards how a person’s legacy cannot be ended by evil, just as we still study Socrates’s teachings hundreds of years later. Evil can only prevail over a person’s morality and legacy if the person allows it, but a good person will …show more content…

Although Socrates’s physical life was ended prematurely, he has arguably never died as his legacy lives on. Becoming a martyr holds a certain weight that cannot be attained from anything else. Socrates literally died for what he believed in, making him seem even more dedicated to the public sphere. If a man is willing to die for what he believes in, those who survive him will investigate his beliefs to learn what made them so profound. If anything, the evil they put him through by means of false accusations propelled his legacy more than his teachings. Today, he is more well-known than any of his accusers, which I believe Socrates

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