Description
Response back to these two responses with a minimum of 100 words
-I do not believe the Socrates was in anyway trying to corrupt the youth of Athens. I think it was just the opposite. It would seem that instead, Socrates was trying to get those he spoke to learn how to listen to other’s position on a topic and to find common ground that everyone could agree on. I think he actually did a service to the youth by showing them how to create a dialogue and already guiding them through a discussion to solve issues. Socrates felt that people had all the knowledge they would have inside them and just needed to be asked the right questions to bring it out. This is now known as the Socratic Method. That is why, as we find in the week 2 lessons readings, Socrates saw himself as a “midwife of ideas,” helping others recollect what they already knew.
Socrates’ in his defense, used his own Socratic Method of asking logical, rational questions to try and discredit the charges against him. He asked a series of questions to Meletus that asked moral questions about the difference between right and wrong, good and evil. In my opinion he was convincing in showing that he was not intentionally trying to corrupt the young people of Athens. In his defense Socrates tries to demonstrate that if he was corrupting the young that it was not intentional and if it was not intentional then there was no malice. Socrates goes on to say to the court that if his offense was unintentional then he should have been warned and advised about how his actions were perceived by the courts.
The Socratic Method or wisdom are extremely valuable in a Democratic society such as ours in the United States because it aligns well with the Constitution where people are free to think what they what think and speak their opinions without fear of persecution, which didn’t happen in Athens since Socrates was condemned for it. Socrates was given a chance to plead guilty of his charges and be exiled from Athens to live out his life, but he refused, and this is important. Because the basis for Socrates’ philosophy was that doing right was the path to goodness and he would not admit to wrongdoing he didn’t feel he was guilty of. In a way he put the moral issue back on the judges. Would they put to death someone for the crime of carrying on open discussions about life, society and of all things, moral behavior.
-Hello class! This is my answer for question two.
On the account of Plato’s dialogue Apology, Socrates claimed to be wise on the notion that he knew that he knew nothing. The oracle at Delphi stated that he was “the wisest of all men.” Socrates concluded that his awareness of his own ignorance was what made him considerably wiser than those who professed wisdom yet never acknowledged their own ignorance. Socrates used a specific dialogue that consisted of questions called the “Socratic Method.” In using this method, Socrates would engage a conversation prompted by a question to better understand people’s personal thoughts on a certain issue. By finding common ground, Socrates was able to lead a discussion, guiding a person towards the the root of an issue of the subject at hand.This method of asking questions, as opposed to forcing a point of view and expecting it to be accepted, is a staple for learning. If one approaches knowledge with the intention to further their wisdom without being biased in recognizing their own ignorance, the mind is then more open to understanding. For a democratic society such as ours, the Socratic Method is valuable in the sense that it prompts discussion on matters; giving each person involved the opportunity to share their wisdom and learn other points of view at the same time without coercing or forcing any one opinion. Socrates’ sense of wisdom is a great lesson to practice. Knowledge is not all-knowing. Being wise does not necessarily mean that one is infinitely well versed about everything. Every day we learn something new, therefore, in that sense we are all ignorant.
Sierra (J.C.)
