Socrates and his trial Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Socrates and his trial - Research Paper Example In addition, more knowledge about the teachings and life of Socrates are available through the memoirs of Xenophon (Aristophanes, Irvine and Plato 14). Historical records describe Socrates as an individual who neglected his personal affairs in order to spend much of his time discussing a number of concepts, which include piety, justice as well as virtue. He taught his fellow citizens at all places whenever they congregated around him to hear his teachings. These citizens usually gathered around him in order to seek wisdom about how to conduct them justly and right. They wanted this kind of knowledge in order to shape and guide the moral as well as the intellectual improvement of their community, Athens. Socrates used a powerful method in dialogue known as the Socratic Dialogue or Dialect in order to draw forth knowledge and understanding from his students. He did this through his pursuit of a series of questions posed at the students as well as examining the implications of the answe rs that they gave for the questions (Aristophanes, Reeve and Xenophon 45). Socrates valued morality so much that he equated virtue with the knowledge of the true self of an individual. He argued that nobody in his or her clear and pure mind committed a wrong act knowingly or intentionally. In addition, Socrates looked down upon the soul. He claimed that the soul was the seat of both moral character as well as waking consciousness. He also argued that the universe was purposively mind-ordered. As such, he gravely criticized the religious as well as the political institutions of the Athenians and the Sophists. These criticisms made him so many enemies that Aristophanes burlesqued his position in the society. As such, the authorities feeling offended by the criticisms from Socrates decided to fix him by putting him through trails and charging him for corrupting the people (Danzig 23). These enemies made true their threats and held Socrates accountable for the teachings he gave his foll owers about justice, virtue and morality within the society. In 399 B.C, Socrates faced trial with charges of corrupting the morals o the youth within Athenian, as well as facing accusations for religious heresies. Most people believe in the modern times that the arrest of Socrates stemmed primarily from the influence that he held over Critias as well as Alcibiades, who in an earlier perspective betrayed Athens in one way or another. He faced conviction from his charges without many pleas to argue out his innocence. He resisted all the attempts and efforts made to rescue or save his life from impending death. He got a death sentence, whereby he was to drink a cup of poisoned hemlock, and he did this willingly (Johnson). All these accounts of the life and trial of Socrates are only available through the stories made by Plato in the Phaedo, Crito and Apology. Consequently, the death of Socrates through drinking of poisonous hemlock marks one of the most famous usages of the poison in early history. Socrates, whom most philosophers, as well as, the Greek descendants consider him as the father of Greek philosophy, faced trial for impiety and corruption of the youths of Athens with his teachings and criticisms. He became a controversial figure in the city of Athens and as such created many enemies through the hatred that he aroused in many of the people he criticized their way of life or traditions, such as the religious factions and the political dispensations. He therefore created many