The trial and death of socrates plato

These four dialogues paint a true picture of Socrates's character while at the same time describing his philosophical points of view. The four dialogues are Plato's recounting of the last days of Socrates. Plato was said to be present at the trial of Socrates, but he was absent from the philosophical debates that took place in the prison cell of Socrates due to illness.

It is also known that, soon after the death of Socrates, Plato left Athens and was absent for a considerable number of years, and so, a question may arise as to the accuracy of Plato's account. But, whatever the case may be, Plato's account of the last days of Socrates's life has done justice to the character, principles, and philosophy of his beloved teacher, Socrates.

Ahmad Sharabiani. Author 2 books 60 followers. I do not know, men of Athens, how my accusers affected you; as for me, I was almost carried away in spite of myself, so persuasively did they speak.

And yet, hardly anything of what they said is true. Socrates It's strange to reread a text that I first read when I was young, idealistic, optimistic, and believed that the expunging of those who questioned conventional thinking was the exception, not the rule. Plato's Trial and Death of Socrates is a slim volume 58 pages and consists of four dialogues, the most famous of which is the Apologia, Socrates's defense against charges of corrupting the youth, failing to acknowledge the Gods recognized by Athens and introducing new divinities.

The overall text examines numerous philosophical concerns that include the nature of knowledge, virtue, piety, and the immortality of the soul.

I read this work in conjunction with a course on Greek Philosophy. The lecturer, Dr. Robert Bartlett from Boston College, argues that Socrates's conviction and sentence of death demonstrate the distrust and dislike of philosophers at the time. He believes that Plato succeeded in transforming the reputation of philosophers with this text from corrupter to martyr.

It was interesting to reflect not only on the issues raised but the shifting meaning that comes with age and the context in which I read the text.

I have recently become interested in the decline of democracy and see frightening parallels in how political contingencies can narrow freedom of thought. Matthew Ted. Collected together and titled, fittingly, The Last Days of Socrates , these dialogues do exactly that.

In Euthyphro we see Socrates talking outside the court, in Apology we hear Socrates defence inside the court, in Crito we see him in his cell and in Phaedo we see his last few hours on planet earth. Together: the philosopher's last days. I first read Symposium which Thrasyllus places in the 3rd tetralogy but I'd say, having now read the first, that it is an excellent starting point. Its subject of love is far more relatable than some of the themes in these dialogues like justice, Intelligence, the soul, etc.

I read these in fairly quick succession and at times Socrates can become slightly annoying; particularly by the time I was reading Phaedo , his typical Socratic approach to debating became a little repetitive.

On top of that, I think the Phaedo is one of the weakest of the tetralogy, despite being considered one of Plato's masterpieces. His explanations of the soul are long-winded and outdated now and don't read with any lasting freshness, as the debates on love in Symposium surprisingly do. To ponder, they are intriguing, but anymore than that and they fall down.

I liked the Theory of Recollection but the Theory of Opposites was mostly moot for me. However, if I were to say I do believe in the soul then I would probably suggest that it must surely be immortal, Socrates' philosophies aside.

For me, the Apology is the highlight. We find within the familiar arguments about being intelligent because one knows they are not intelligent. It is only too likely that neither of us has any knowledge to boast of; but he thinks that he knows something which he does not know, whereas I am quite conscious of my ignorance. At any rate it seems that I am wiser than he is to this small extent, that I do not think that I know what I do not know.

The mini conclusion he comes to? I replied through myself to the oracle that it was best for me to be as I was. So I underlined that last bit of the sentence twice: ''it was best for me to be as I was. Whatever one thinks about him, he sticks to his guns, I suppose. The Government is desperate to avoid making the vaccine mandatory. SIR — It was reported on Wednesday evening that there had been 78, new Covid cases that day — the highest figure since January 8 when there were 68, cases and a 32 per cent increase over the previous 24 hours.

However, we should look at the overall figures. On Wednesday 1,, test results were reported to the NHS, so the percentage of positive tests was 5. But the real number of tests will have been much higher, with many lateral flow test results not reported. The true percentage of positive results is likely to have beeen between 4 and 5 per cent. Moreover, the great majority of tests are taken by those worried they might have Covid, rather than routinely by care home workers and others.

The true percentage of positive results is not dramatic, especially when hospital admissions are still below what they were at times in the last three months. When will the Prime Minister and our national medical advisers start giving us all the facts, instead of sensationalising and destroying the livelihoods of many over Christmas? SIR — As a retired registered nurse I went back to work at a mass vaccination project.

I was recently told that, despite having completed a full year, I am not entitled to a pay rise until year three, as per national NHS nurses' pay guidelines. In the s, when the NHS had , acute beds and operated at about 75 per cent capacity, it could comfortably cope with most increases. Now, with , beds, it runs at 90 to 95 per cent capacity and faces serious problems whenever patient numbers rise.

Is it any wonder we have such a poor healthcare system? SIR — Coronavirus is tearing our democracy apart, our society apart and individual families apart, as well as bankrupting the country and having a terrible effect on our mental and physical health. Many believe that China has questions to answer about the provenance of the virus, but the international community seems powerless, or unwilling, to ask. However, this unsatisfactory state of affairs is not the fault of NHS dental practitioners.

The fault lies fairly and squarely in the hands of successive governments, which have shown little interest in NHS dentistry and rub their hands in glee each time a dental practice transfers, in despair, from NHS to private.

The dental profession has been waiting for many years for a new NHS contract to be introduced, as there is a huge amount of dissatisfaction with the present one. When questioned, ministers have promised to speed up the introduction of the new contract, for which — not surprisingly — there will be no new money provided. In recent years, the costs of running a dental practice have escalated and practitioners have taken a large cut in income. Derisory increases offered by the Pay Review Body have come nowhere near covering these rising costs.

NHS dental practitioners should not be blamed for the difficulties patients are having in obtaining treatment, nor be compared to GP surgeries, which have managed to negotiate a far better financial deal with governments. The irony of this will not be lost on the United Nations Association volunteer workforce, which provided housing for refugees in the s. The majority of the refugees for whom we built houses were Hungarian nationals who had fled their country following the Russian invasion of In Athens in BC, Socrates was tried, found guilty and condemned to death for corrupting his pupils by encouraging them to think.

Plato made a record of the speeches Socrates made in his own defence. Have times changed over two millennia? SIR — Since many university students seem unwilling to listen to any views other than those they have already formed Letters, December 15 , they must believe they know everything. If they consider that they are in no need of further education they should leave at once and make way for those who are truly prepared to learn.

SIR — Sir Anthony Seldon Letters, December 8 suggests making it clear to young people that taking drugs is unwise, unhealthy and unnecessary to happiness, in the hope that the message will stick as they get older.

I would go further. More than 2, years after his death, Socrates remains an iconic but controversial figure. To his followers, he personified progressive Greek ideals of justice and wisdom. To his detractors, he was a corruptor of the young during wartime and one of the reasons Athens had suffered a humiliating defeat to Sparta. Download or read online On the Trial and Death of Socrates written by Plato, published by Unknown which was released on All of the works contained within are also published as separate works, but the four-volume set has added commentary from Jowett, considered one of the best translators.

The trial and death of Socrates: by Plato, written by legendary author Plato, is widely considered to be one of the greatest classic texts of all time. This great classic will surely attract a whole new generation of readers. For many, The trial and death of Socrates: by Plato is. The Trial and Death of Socrates. The Trial and Death of Socrates by Plato.

Plato s Trial and Death of Socrates by Plato. The Last Days of Socrates by Plato.