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Research Essay: The Apology
Essay Instructions:
Using THe Online Library of Liberty find a passage that is between 1000 and 3000 words which is written by Socrates.
Inthe essay you must incorporate three differant types of writing, expository , argumentative and critical. The essay must
A. Explain and describe the selected passage from the primary source.
B. Present both the strengths and the weaknesses of hte main idea(s) of the passage.
C. Defend and argue for a particular position , opinion or perspective onthe matter.
The essay must also include a Biblioography , refernces or Works Cited sp that you can properly acknowledge your primary source. Yu may also wish to consult secondary sources. If you include secondary sources you must remember to cite them as well both throughout and at the end of the essay in the relevent referencing format.
Essay Sample Content Preview:
Running Head: THE APOLOGY
The Apology
[Student Name]
[Course Title]
[Instructor Name]
Introduction
During 431 and 404 B.C. Athens was going through a transition of power as it was at war with Sparta and was being defeated in the Peloponnesian War. That time period was the end of the Athenian Golden Age. It was during this time that Socrates had a great influence on the youth of Athens and was accused of corrupting the Athenian youth and disrespecting their god by making up new gods. The Apology is Plato`s attempt to put forth an account of Socrates speech at the trial in order to defend his reputation and honor after his trial and execution.
The Apology
The passage 20c till 24e from the Apology focuses on Socrates argument that he is neither like the Pre-Socratics not the sophists. Moreover, he goes on to explain the reason why he is being accused of corrupting the young minds of Athens and disrespecting their god by inventing his own deities. According to him, he is being accused because of the reputation he has developed over the years for having wisdom. This reputation was developed after the oracle at Delphi disclosed that there is no other man wiser than Socrates to Chaerphon CITATION Jow92 \l 1033 (Jowett, 1892).
Socrates explains that when he heard the news he was quite puzzled because according to him he did not possess any specialized wisdom or knowledge, yet, he was aware of the fact that the oracle cannot lie. However, Socrates took it on himself to test what the oracle had said and decided to question the well reputed men in Athens known for their wisdom and knowledge CITATION Jow92 \l 1033 (Jowett, 1892). These men included politicians, poets, and craftsmen. He realized that the politicians he interrogated could not be considered wise because even though they thought they had a lot of knowledge, in reality, they did not have complete knowledge of anything at all. The poets, on the other hand, did not have wisdom but instead appeared to have certain inspiration or instinct which allowed them to create great work. They also thought that they were wise enough to speak on any given topic, including those that they did not know about. Lastly, the craftsmen, who seemed to have true wisdom about their particular craft, though that that particular wisdom was enough to speak about other field as well CITATION Jow92 \l 1033 (Jowett, 1892).
One thing common in all of these men was that they all thought they had great wisdom and could speak about anything in the world including matters they had no knowledge of. In this sense, Socrates concludes, that he is wiser than them because he is well aware of the limitations of his own wisdom. Even though he was considered to be an expert by most of the people who knew him, he never claimed to have any expertise and proposed that when the oracle claimed that Socrates was the wisest of all men, he was referring to his ability to accept the limitations of his wisdom and anyone who had this ability could be considered to be the wisest of men CITATION Jow92 \l 1033 (Jowett, 1892). He also explains that it is his responsibility to question the intelligence of men who claim to be wise in order to make them realize that they are not.
According to Socrates, this is the very reason why people have come to hate him because he proves that they are ignorant and not wise CITATION Jow92 \l 1033 (Jowett, 1892). This hate toward Socrates has led these men to make these false accusations against him.
Main Ideas
One of the ideas presented in this passage is that Socrates was neither Pre-Socratic nor a sophist. The term ‘Pre-Socratic` refers to the philosophies presented by the Greek thinkers before Socrates between 600 and 400 B.C. These are the very philosophers who invented the universal principles which used to explain how the world came in to being and the origin of man CITATION ETh10 \l 1033 (Theodossiou & Manimanis, 2010). This natural philosophy was challenged by both Socrates and the sophists. Some of the earliest Pre-Socratic philosophers include Thales, Anaximenes. Other include Heraclitus who proposed that it I important to understand the constant changes in the world to understand the rationale of things, Democritus who suggested...
The Apology
[Student Name]
[Course Title]
[Instructor Name]
Introduction
During 431 and 404 B.C. Athens was going through a transition of power as it was at war with Sparta and was being defeated in the Peloponnesian War. That time period was the end of the Athenian Golden Age. It was during this time that Socrates had a great influence on the youth of Athens and was accused of corrupting the Athenian youth and disrespecting their god by making up new gods. The Apology is Plato`s attempt to put forth an account of Socrates speech at the trial in order to defend his reputation and honor after his trial and execution.
The Apology
The passage 20c till 24e from the Apology focuses on Socrates argument that he is neither like the Pre-Socratics not the sophists. Moreover, he goes on to explain the reason why he is being accused of corrupting the young minds of Athens and disrespecting their god by inventing his own deities. According to him, he is being accused because of the reputation he has developed over the years for having wisdom. This reputation was developed after the oracle at Delphi disclosed that there is no other man wiser than Socrates to Chaerphon CITATION Jow92 \l 1033 (Jowett, 1892).
Socrates explains that when he heard the news he was quite puzzled because according to him he did not possess any specialized wisdom or knowledge, yet, he was aware of the fact that the oracle cannot lie. However, Socrates took it on himself to test what the oracle had said and decided to question the well reputed men in Athens known for their wisdom and knowledge CITATION Jow92 \l 1033 (Jowett, 1892). These men included politicians, poets, and craftsmen. He realized that the politicians he interrogated could not be considered wise because even though they thought they had a lot of knowledge, in reality, they did not have complete knowledge of anything at all. The poets, on the other hand, did not have wisdom but instead appeared to have certain inspiration or instinct which allowed them to create great work. They also thought that they were wise enough to speak on any given topic, including those that they did not know about. Lastly, the craftsmen, who seemed to have true wisdom about their particular craft, though that that particular wisdom was enough to speak about other field as well CITATION Jow92 \l 1033 (Jowett, 1892).
One thing common in all of these men was that they all thought they had great wisdom and could speak about anything in the world including matters they had no knowledge of. In this sense, Socrates concludes, that he is wiser than them because he is well aware of the limitations of his own wisdom. Even though he was considered to be an expert by most of the people who knew him, he never claimed to have any expertise and proposed that when the oracle claimed that Socrates was the wisest of all men, he was referring to his ability to accept the limitations of his wisdom and anyone who had this ability could be considered to be the wisest of men CITATION Jow92 \l 1033 (Jowett, 1892). He also explains that it is his responsibility to question the intelligence of men who claim to be wise in order to make them realize that they are not.
According to Socrates, this is the very reason why people have come to hate him because he proves that they are ignorant and not wise CITATION Jow92 \l 1033 (Jowett, 1892). This hate toward Socrates has led these men to make these false accusations against him.
Main Ideas
One of the ideas presented in this passage is that Socrates was neither Pre-Socratic nor a sophist. The term ‘Pre-Socratic` refers to the philosophies presented by the Greek thinkers before Socrates between 600 and 400 B.C. These are the very philosophers who invented the universal principles which used to explain how the world came in to being and the origin of man CITATION ETh10 \l 1033 (Theodossiou & Manimanis, 2010). This natural philosophy was challenged by both Socrates and the sophists. Some of the earliest Pre-Socratic philosophers include Thales, Anaximenes. Other include Heraclitus who proposed that it I important to understand the constant changes in the world to understand the rationale of things, Democritus who suggested...
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