The Last Days of Socratesby Plato

PLA

TO Socrates’ Student

The Study of Philosophy

“Socrates was the first to call philosophy down from heaven” (Cicero)

Philo = love + sophia = skill, wisdom

Training people how to think

Knowing what is right

Dialogues

Philosophy + literature

› Like plays; characters discuss philosophical topic

Reader becomes an observer

› Not asked to believe anything

› Character asks questions; reader formulates opinions

Dialogues

Socratic Discussions

Style of Dialogues

Focuses on questions

May use satire and caricature 

Two parts of the argument:

› Elenchus

› Dialectic

Elenchus

Examining the soundness of someone’s views

Exposes problems, inconsistencies within a belief

Questions character of person making the argument

Uses inductive reasoning

Dialectic

  From the verb “to converse”

Discussion that leads to a revelation

Is an educational process

Dialogues

Combine logic and rhetoric

› Logic = Orderly, reasoned thinking

› Rhetoric = Persuasive argument

Plato’s dialogues read like a story.

Dialogues used by other philosophers

Four Dialogues

Euthyphro, Apology and Crito

› Written within a decade of Socrates’ death

Phaedo written approximately a decade later

Socrates

Biographical Info

Life and Times

Born a decade after Persian Wars ended

› Athens’ highpoint: military, economic, intellectual dominance

“Educated” young people about life’s important things

Focused on development and care of the soul

Famous in part because of Aristophanes’ Clouds

Political & Religious Beliefs

Loved Athens

Concerned about dangers of democracy

› Saw abuses, no political ambitions himself

› Thought “chosen few” ruled better than “many”

  Open to non-traditional

religions + state gods

Socratic Teaching

Conversations as a way to discover Truth

› Listeners discover Truth for themselves

“Aha!” moments

Never wrote anything about himself

Info mainly from followers: Plato, Xenophon

Socrates as “Leader” Denied being a teacher or

a Sophist

Did, however, lead.

› Made suggestions to keep argument going

› Offered constructive criticism

› Asked “leading” questions to prod listener 

Socrates’ “Key to Truth”

Recognize your own ignorance

Ask the right questions:

› What is courage? Justice? Truth?

› Is it possible to “know” anything?

  Discovery occurs when

beliefs are tested

Euthyphro

The First Dialogue

Setting

Athens

5th century B.C.

Entering the courthouse

Socrates meets Euthyphro

Competing Views about Piety

Based on religious tradition

› Beliefs + duties (like prayer, sacrifice)

Based on individual’s ability to determine right/wrong

Greek Virtues

Holiness (piety)

Justice

Prudence (moderation, temperance)

Courage

Wisdom (knowledge)

From General to Specific

Euthyphro offers general definition of holiness

Socrates wants a narrower definition

Examining the Argument

Context for the Argument

Who is Meletus?

› Why is Meletus prosecuting Socrates?

Socrates believes he is generous.

› What does he mean?

A Dialogue

Who is Euthyphro?

Who is Euthyphro prosecuting?

› Why is he prosecuting this person?

› Euthyphro believes he must bring charges.

Why?

The Question

How does Euthyphro define “piety”?

Socrates’ problem with this definition?

A Religious Problem

What the gods approve or disapprove?

› Why does Socrates find this answer unsatisfactory?

Does Socrates’ argument question gods’ existence?

Does it question their wisdom?

JOU

RN

AL

Read the following verses:

› Leviticus 19:2› Deuteronomy 7:6› Ephesians 1:3-4› Colossians 1:21-23› 1 Peter 1:15-16 

How does the Bible define holiness?

Apology

The Second Dialogue

Setting

Athenian Court

Shortly after Socrates has been charged

What is an “apology”?

Key Questions

Is there one, absolute Truth?

Where do interpretations come from?

Are these interpretations valid?

Can a law breaker be considered holy?

Examining the Argument

The Wisest Man on Earth

Who says Socrates is the wisest man?

Why does Socrates investigate this?

Whom does Socrates interview?

What conclusion does he reach? Why?

A Question of Law Socrates says horse

trainers, teachers are alike

› What does he mean?

  Socrates says he never

intentionally misled anyone.

› Implications?

› According to Athenian law, what should happen?

False Accusations

What accusations does Meletus level against Socrates?

Meletus confuses Socrates with another philosopher.

› Who?

› Why does he make this mistake? Significance?

Duty and Truth

Socrates says he is like a gadfly.

› What does he mean by this?

How is “poverty” a witness?

JOU

RN

AL

How does Socrates describe death?

Is this a biblical perspective? Explain.

Socrates and Politics

What public office did Socrates hold?

Socrates defied the ruling group more than once.

› Briefly describe both occasions.

› Why did Socrates defy the group?

JOU

RN

AL

Is it ever acceptable to defy the government?

What does the Bible say about this? Explain.

Socrates the “Teacher”

Why does Socrates deny being a teacher?

Is Socrates responsible for his followers’ behavior?

Is he responsible for their outcome?

The Trial

Why doesn’t Socrates want family, friends to testify?

  What does Socrates propose as his

punishment? (Name three things.)

“The Unexamined Life”

Socrates says the “unexamined life” is not worth living.

What does he mean?

Judgment

How old is Socrates at the time of his trial?

  How does Socrates

envision the afterlife?

What does he hope to do? 

Life and Death

Socrates says that “nothing can harm a good man either in life or after death.”

What does he mean by this?

Is this a biblical concept? Explain.

Crito

The Third Dialogue

Public Self vs. Private Self

Refusing to act unconstitutionally

The struggle for piety:

› Religious duty vs. duty to cultural traditions

› A call for consistency

Prophecy

Prophetic dream

› Time of death

› Does this dream comfort Socrates?

Why?

Duty to Law

 Law

› Compared to Sirens, Apollo’s blessing

› Lead Socrates to his death

Absolute Law vs. Man-made Laws

Obligations to Law; reflects piety

A Controversial Dialogue?

Reflects Plato’s opinions more than Socrates’?

Similarities to previous dialogues?

Differences?

Time to Think

Where is Socrates when Crito begins?

  How long before

the execution?

What does Crito want Socrates to do?

Personified Law

Athenian laws

› How does this strengthen the argument?

Athenian law is like a family member?

› Who? › How?

Crito

Describe Crito

Does he give good or bad advice? Explain.

Phaedo

The Fourth Dialogue

Setting

Socrates’ jail cell

Hours before his execution

Plato “proof” that the soul is immortal

Phaedo

Who is Phaedo?

Who else was with Socrates when he died?

Why is this important?

Death

How does Socrates describe death?

Why is Socrates so certain about this?

How does the Bible describe death?

Theory of Opposites

Needs/Awareness of Need = Pain

Fulfilling Needs = Pleasure

Pain: necessary to understand pleasure

Pleasure: necessary to understand pain

Theory of Opposites

Soul: Eternity

› Righteous› Compassionate› Steadfast› Hopeful› Giving

Physical: Temporal

› Selfish/Self-Aware› Emotional› Subject to Change› Anxious/Expectant› Cautious

Theory of Opposites

Wet

Asleep

Justice

Love

Pain

Life

Dry

Awake

Injustice

Hate

Pleasure

Death

The Theory of Recollection

Socrates’ belief about the soul’s origin

Socrates’ belief about the soul after death

› Righteous man’s soul?

› Souls of other men?

Is this biblical?

Theory of Recollection

The soul “pre-exists”

We “remember” what we knew

Examples from nature:

› Created things change

› Opposites affect origination (hotter/colder, taller/shorter)

Simmias’ Objection:The Attunement Analogy

Harp is visible, composite, mortal

Song is ethereal, invisible, divine

Harp is destroyed, tune is destroyed

› Body = harp

› Soul = tune (harmonia)

Socrates’ Answer

Soul pre-exists (Simmias agrees)

› Tune must have the harp to exist

If soul is a “tune,” implication is that bodies (“harps”) could be “tuned” differently.

› Different kinds of souls?

› “Greater” or “lesser” souls?

Socrates’ Answer continued

Virtue = tune; Vice = no tune, bad tune

› If soul = tune, then virtue = “tune of a tune”

Soul rules over body

› Tune must have harp

› Implies that body rules over soul

Theory of Participation THE GOOD

IDEAS/FORMS

EternalDivineUnchanging Holiness Justice Love Courage

Faithfulness________________________________________________________________________________ PARTICULARS Holy Laws Passion Acts of Examples

of Acts Affection Bravery

Devotion TemporaryMortal Ever-Changing

The Soul

Description of the soul?

› Is the soul physical? Spiritual? Eternal?

How is it connected to the mind?

How does the Bible describe the soul?  

The Nature of the Soul

How does the soul provide “balance”?

What is the problem with natural science?

The Afterlife

How does Socrates view Hades?

   Difference between

philosopher and ordinary man?

How does fear motivate us?

› Effective motivator?

The Good and the Best

Difference between the Good and the Best?

Can man choose?

Is this a biblical concept? Explain.

JOU

RN

AL

Read Colossians 1:12-17.

Socrates suggests that the soul is superior to the body.

He also suggests that the soul is “recycled” somehow.

What does this passage tell us about the soul?