Introduction

Socrates believed that every person is good and that they will act upon their knowledge of what is right or wrong in their everyday lives. Socrates was forced to drink poison for "corrupting the youth and disbelieving in the ancestral gods". (Source 2) He had these charges against him for his questionable practicing of philosophy. The courts of Athens believed that his teachings were corrupting his pupils and by getting rid of Socrates' critical views the courts believed that they could reform Athens.

Socrates' student Plato wrote "The Death of Socrates" to show some of Socrates' beliefs and document the end of his life. Socrates went to his death a brave man for he neither wept, attempted to escape, nor got angry even though he had to forfeit his life of teaching. The odd thing is he accepted his death very easily, maybe too easily. It is said that if Socrates would have fought to try to stay alive he may have convinced the court. Socrates enriched the minds of the men he taught with his philosophical views a couple being, the idea that people act on knowledge to try to do what is best and that death shouldn't be feared because the soul will either go to a state of unconsciousness or will transfer to another world.



Works Cited: 1. Plato. __The Death of Socrates.__ 2. "Trial of Socrates." __Wikipedia.__ 2 Dec. 2007. Wikipedia Foundation, Inc. 8 Dec. 2007 . 3. "Writing your thesis, dissertation, essay or paper- Encyclopedia of Phylosophy of Education- Resource No. 1." __Archive for the 'Language' Catagory.__ 7 Aug. 2007. Sunwalk Ed. 6 Dec. 2007 .

Go to the First Argument Return to Home