Apology by Plato Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

self-justification by Plato - Essay ExampleHowever, their works are written during the years witnesses of this running were lifelessness alive, so it is likely Plato was trying to give a fairly accurate picture of what had happen during the trial. Historians are still puzzled by the reasons Socrates was executed. Athens, the city philosopher lived at the time, enjoyed many liberties, the forgodom of speech and democracy, and was favoring wise man and philosophers. Socrates was oft outspoken of his critiques on the society and governance of that time. He was very much found let the cat out of the baging in the grocery store squares and workshops, where he would discuss moral issues and views that were in odds with his set of values thus was putting himself in odds with other people. He developed his own set of views which he was following regardless of the circumstances. He dared to refuse follow the alleges of bringing a man to a trial, however, he did nonhing to change th e order he simply went home. Some of his teachings appeared antidemocratic, e.g. he was speaking against a right of any free citizen to speak in Athenian assembly. He was a famous educator of the young people, however he was doing it free of charge, and he was real poor himself. Being so outspoken, finally he was officially charged with refusing to do reverence to the gods recognized by the , and also of corrupting youth. However, the real reasons, most likely, were political he was very vocal with his critics. In modern times, Socrates death has generally been seen in two ways as the contradict of the individual with the state and as the downfall of rational, talkative man. (Wilson, 2007, p.192) The whole trial and conviction is a specimen of ethnocentrism. Society at large, or, better yet, the influential people of Athens, had certain views they were comfortable with and, therefore, considered them world right one. Socrates views came into confrontation with this mainstream opinion. He was stigmatized, and then punished for being so different. His death had to give Athenians sense of being right, and him being a criminal and the one, worth of punishment. So his views, measured against the mainstream societys opinions did not stand the ground. And, as it is often done, those who speak differently are often reprimanded, persecuted and punished. It is not the same as in the discipline with someone being a real criminal. Even though there is no clear turn out of either Socrates guilt or innocence, according to him, he did not do anything that would merit such puckish punishment as death. To the contrary, he was trying to serve his fellow citizens to his own hurt. He did not yield any gain from his services to the contrary, he was very poor, which was documented by several historians. He often neglected his family to be of the service to his students. So the outcome of his trial is a clear and extreme pillowcase of ethnocentrism. Silencing dissent in times of conflict results from equating criticism of society with disloyalty, as Joel M. Charon put wisely in Ten Questions. This is exactly what was happening. Socrates prosecutors had to have justification for their action they wanted to rid themselves of the man they could not stand any longer. So they had to fabricate accusations which Socrates answered in the Apology, and refuted as being false and inconsistent. However, it seems that Socrates himself took this trial as a