Konnor Drewen
2/16/011
Do you think Socrates got what he deserved? Why didn't he accept exile?
No, I do not think he got what he deserved. The Athenians were just looking for somebody to take the blame of losing everything. They charged him because he was a critic and expressed his thought about the government. They also charged him for corrupting the youth. He was tried and he stated his case. He was found guilty by a jury of his peers. He was taken to stay in prison and while he was there he was visited by friends. Eventually he was put to death by drinking Hemlock. Plato later wrote about the account in what is now called his Apology, “If I had engaged in politics, I should have perished long ago and done no good to either you or to myself. ...for the truth is that no man who goes to war with you or any other multitude, honestly struggling against the commission of unrighteousness and wrong in the State, will save his life; he who will really fight for right, if he would live even for a little while, must have a private station and not a public one.” Another quote that shows what he said after his death was this, “The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our ways — I to die and you to live. Which is the better, only God knows.” Socrates didn’t accept exile because he didn't feel that he should deceive himself by pleading a lesser charge and renounce his beliefs. When I say beliefs I feel that this does not necessarily have to do with God, but his belief in his own being and self.
I thought this was a great response. I agree with you completely. I expressed similar thoughts in my response to this question. Socrates was just speaking his mind, and I believe that punishing someone for doing such a thing is ridiculous. Great!
ReplyDeleteNice quotes, you really got into this. I've always been fascinated by the philosophers of the Greek and Roman eras, and this REALLY gets into the justice of the whole situation.
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