Comparing Socrates In Plato's Euthyphro And Apology

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In Plato’s Euthyphro and Apology, many Athenians believed that Socrates was a wise man but Socrates was humble enough to admit he did not know everything. The oracle at Delphi made the claim that Socrates was the wisest man of all which puzzled Socrates because he knew he was not wise. In the Apology, Socrates states that after hearing the claim, he set out to find a wiser man than he and when he did he would return to the oracle to refute the claim. This claim gave Socrates the motive to search for wisdom by having dialogues with men who believed they were wise. Socrates concluded that these men were not wise at all, but they believed they were. In the Apology, Socrates states, “I am better off than he is – for he knows nothing, and thinks that he knows. I neither know nor think that I know” …show more content…

These were serious charges and if found guilty Socrates would be put to death. Socrates was searching for a way to save himself and the chance meeting with Euthyphro at the court would give Socrates a glimmer of hope of escaping a death sentence. Euthyphro was in court to present charges of murder against his father and made the observation of, “how little they know what the gods think about piety and impiety” (Euth., p. 12). When Socrates heard this statement, he believed he could face Meletus in court to tell the court the meaning of piety, prove that the charges against him were false, and thus he would have to be found not guilty. Socrates uses his Socratic method of discovering the definition or meaning of this fundamental human

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