Socrates View Of Death Analysis

In Plato’s Apology Socrates’ was on trial for corrupting the youth and for spreading atheism. Socrates defended himself in the trial saying that he was just performing a service to the god that complimented him saying that he was wiser than anyone else. Ultimately this defense did not work, therefore he lost the trial. He was sentenced to death. Most people would be sad, scared, or distraught over this sentencing, but not Socrates. He didn’t view death as a bad thing, he almost welcomed death. Socrates welcomes death in a different way than Christians. Indeed people should welcome death, but not the way Socrates did. People should welcome death the way that Christians do, the right way. I believe that the Christians have the correct view of death, and that Socrates view of death is flawed. Socrates says that we should believe that death is the biggest blessing to man. He also says that we should not fear what we do not know. I find that hard to believe because I believe that the opposite to be true as well.

In the Apology of Socrates, he says that “To fear death, gentlemen, is no other than to think oneself wise when one is not, to think one knows what one does not know. No one knows whether death may not be the greatest of all blessings for a man, yet men fear it as if they knew that it is the greatest of evils. And surely it is the most blameworthy ignorance to believe that one knows what one does not know.” (Plato pg. 28) I disagree with Socrates when he laments that we should only fear what we know to be true. Since Socrates states that we can not be absolutely be sure that death isn’t the biggest blessing to man, we cannot fear it. I, however, believe the opposite to be true. No one knows that what comes after death is good...

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... choice you make when you are on earth. If you repent and ask for forgiveness from your sins then you will go to Heaven, but if you don’t repent and reject Jesus Christ as your savior then you will go to hell. This view is different from Socrates view in the way that Socrates believes there is only one option for death, where as Christians believe there is a choice as to where you go when you die.

Socrates and Christians both believe that you should anticipate death and prepare for it. But Socrates’ view on death is far different from the view that Christians have in the fact that Socrates states that you will become nonexistent when you die. On the other hand, Christians believe that your soul lives on in either Heaven or Hell. Socrates view in not accurate because your soul lives on in Heaven or Hell, it doesn’t just become nonexistent, your soul lives forever.