Molly Kast
Trial of Socrates
Introduction to Philosophy – Spring 2004
Group 1 What is Philosophy?
Philosophy:
The Quest for Truth (5th edition)
Louis P. Pojman
Socrates was born in Athens between 471 B.C. and 469 B.C. In early adulthood, he excelled in arts, but soon “gave himself” to what may best be called education. He deemed for his self that it was his “divine commission” to “convict men of ignorance mistaking itself for knowledge.” Socrates was a member of the Senate at one time, but would not compromise his values to be in office. He died ca. 399 B.C. after being found guilty of corrupting the youth of Athens.
Socrates taught himself that, “To want nothing is divine; to want as little as possible is the nearest possible approach to the divine life.” While there is no doubt that Socrates was an incredibly wise man, there has not been much written about him. He left no writings, and was primarily remembered by Plato, his most famous student. There are few works about him from Xenophon and there are references to his military career in Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War. In addition, a caricature of him appears in Aristophanes’ play, The Clouds, in which he is portrayed as if he pretends to father extraordinary views on the world. This play was a satire that the people of that time found very humorous.
The Trial of Socrates is told in Plato’s Apology. It is one of the most famous, if not the most famous trials of all times. As the story goes, three Athenian men, Meletus, Anytus, and Lycon, all have brought charges against Socrates stating that he is corruption the youth of Athens and that he does not believe in the gods. The real reason that Socrates is being brought to trial is because he has made some enemies of people who are in “high places” in Athens. Socrates had defied the law by not arresting some naval officers and in the process embarrassed some of Athens’s leading citizens. In his argument of defense, Socrates tells the people of Athens that his accusers have spoken so persuasively that he himself hardly can recall who he is.
He states outright that his accusers, especially Meletus, are lying. Yet, as Socrates would, he states that he hopes whichever side of this argument is correct wins and that whatever happens is the will of the gods. Oddly enough though, the allegations that have been brought upon Socrates center on the gods, in particular, the Oracle of Delphi. As Socrates tells the story, his friend Chaerephon went to the Oracle to ask who the wisest man was. The oracle told Chaerephon that no one was wiser than Socrates. Socrates then goes out trying to disprove the Oracle, but he did not find the answer he was looking for. He first went to the politicians whom “were thought wise by many, and still wiser by themselves.” Next, Socrates went to the poets where he found that, “based upon the strength of their poetry, they believed themselves to by the wisest of men in other things in which they were not wise.” Last, Socrates went to the artisans where he observed that, “they did know many things of which I was ignorant, and in this they certainly were wiser than I was. But because they were good workmen they thought that they also knew all sorts of high matters, and this defect in them overshadowed their wisdom.” Socrates drives his point home by saying that his inquisition had lead him to making many enemies, but that he is just trying to state the truth, that only God himself is wise and that he is only using Socrates as a name, where he could have used anyone. The reason why Socrates is the wisest man is because he knows that his wisdom is worth nothing. Socrates then contends with Meletus, asking him a series of questions in which time Meletus makes a fairly large ass of himself and it is quite clear that Socrates has done no wrong.
When the trial comes to jury, the first vote finds Socrates guilty by a narrow margin. It seems that he is almost baiting the jurors at this point, but he states that the only reason he is brave is because he is convinced that he never intentionally wronged anyone. After the second vote, Socrates is found guilty on a much wider margin. The sentence is death, which Socrates gladly accepts, as he deems it as the will of the gods.
Non-Western Question
In my opinion, Socrates and the Buddha have much in common. Although it did not appear to be this way at first glance, once I delved into the material I found that these two extraordinary men shared similar beliefs in their own individual ways. The Buddha, who was said to be born almost one hundred years before Socrates (there is some speculation over this), had a similar upbringing. Born in Lumbini, Nepal, Buddha was the son of the head of the Sakya warrior caste, with the private name of Siddhartha and later in life was also known as Sakyamuni (Sage of the Sakyas). From the available evidence, Buddha apparently showed an early inclination to meditation and reflection, displeasing his father, who wanted him to be a warrior and ruler rather than a religious philosopher. Yielding to his father's wishes, he married at an early age and participated in the worldly life of the court.
By the same token, Socrates, although not born to a warrior, received the regular elementary education in literature, music, and gymnastics. Later he familiarized himself with the rhetoric and dialectics of the Sophists, the speculations of the Ionian philosophers, and the general culture of Periclean Athens. Initially, Socrates followed the craft of his father. Soon though, both men tired of following in their father’s footsteps. Buddha found his carefree, self-indulgent existence dull, and after a while, he left home and began wandering in search of enlightenment. Socrates, too, gave up art and “gave himself to what may best be called education.” Socrates deemed it his “divine commission” to “convict me of ignorance mistaking itself for knowledge.”
Although
neither man ever wrote any autobiographical work, both had similar posthumous
followings. All the surviving accounts
of Buddha's life were written many years after his death by idealizing
followers rather than by objective historians.
Consequently, it is difficult to separate facts from the great mass of
myth and legend in which they are embedded.
Almost identically, Socrates left no writings, and was primarily
remembered by Plato, his most famous student.
There are few works about him from Xenophon and there are references to
his military career in Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War. In addition, a caricature of him appears in
Aristophanes’ play, The Clouds, in which he is portrayed as if he
pretends to father extraordinary views on the world.
Although the Buddha’s and Socrates’ upbringings may have been similar, each man’s philosophy is uniquely different yet eerily similar at the same time. The Buddha believed the value of philosophy was to found in the attainment of mental tranquility, to escape from sorrow. Buddha taught the first Wheel of Dharma. These teachings that include the Sutra of the Four Noble Truths and other discourses are the principal source of the Hinayana, or Lesser Vehicle, of Buddhism. Later, Buddha taught the second and third Wheels of Dharma, which include the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras and the Sutra Discriminating the Intention respectively. These teachings are the source of the Mahayana, or Great Vehicle, of Buddhism. In the Hinayana teachings, Buddha explains how to attain liberation from suffering for oneself alone, and in the Mahayana teaching he explains how to attain full enlightenment, or Buddhahood, for the sake of others. On the other hand, Socrates, although we really don’t know all that much about his personal life, found his own “mental tranquility” in deism, or his faith in the gods of Athens. Socrates may not have been directly trying to “escape sorrow” as the Buddha was, but similarly enough, his “escape” was what he found in his faith. Socrates was so incredibly religious that he did nothing without consulting the gods first. Once again, this practice is similar to the Buddha’s practice of meditation before decision-making.
Although these two men shared many other small and unique similarities, they also had their differences in life. The Buddha was (at first) a warrior, while Socrates started out life as an artist. The Buddha tried to “escape sorrow” and attain “mental tranquility” through meditation and teaching. Socrates, on the other hand, was never quite trying to escape sorrow. It more seemed that he ran directly into it. Also, Socrates’ mental tranquility was found when Socrates could say that he was doing precisely what the gods above would see fit for him to do.
Another difference in the lives of these two extraordinary men was their deaths. After his conversion, the Buddha lived his life out in peace and meditation until his untimely death (caused by food poisoning). Socrates had quite the opposite fate. He ended up being brought up on charges that resulted in his being put to death. How ironic those two men, each searching for the same thing, just in a different way, had such polar opposite ends to their lives.
Both of these men were incredible human beings and throughout their lives, undoubtedly touched many both before and after death. Buddha was one of the greatest human beings, a man of noble character, penetrating vision, warm compassion, and profound thought. Not only did he establish a great new religion, but also his revolt against Hindu hedonism, asceticism, extreme spiritualism, and the caste system deeply influenced Hinduism itself. Socrates, while he may not have risen to the height of fame that the Buddha did, changed the scope of modern thinking forever and will always be remembered for standing up for his beliefs even in the face of death.