Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 8

Philosophy - Essay Example Plato’s apology presents to us a speech delivered by Socrates in his own defense at his trial. Apology here is not a statement of regret requesting pardon, but it is a formal statement of justification or defense.The charges leveled against Socrates was that â€Å"he was failing to acknowledge the city’s Gods, introducing new divinities and corrupting its youth â€Å" (Plato: The last days of Socrates. 2003. p.33). These were serious charges but Socrates did not make efforts to defend himself. It is said that he had bred insubordination and utter contempt for authority. It seemed evident that Socrates could do nothing for his own defense without compromising his principles, he is held out as a person whose â€Å" high moral principles is confronted step by step with a situation from where there is no escape† (Plato: The last days of Socrates. 2003. p.38). Socrates views on death are clear. He believed that once a person has taken a stand, based on the call of h is conscience on what he felt was best to him morally, then he is constrained to hold his post and face the situation, irrespective â€Å"of death or anything else before dishonour† (Plato: The last days of Socrates. 2003. p.54). Socrates having been condemned to death, still believes that a good man can suffer no evil. His philosophy was that no man knowingly does wrong and that men did evil only out of ignorance. But his opponents believed that men did wrong despite knowing what was morally correct, which is not very difficult to believe. Socrates has himself said that he is not a processor of knowledge that others lacked and everyone knows what is morally correct and what is not yet crimes are committed. So here it seems that Socrates is contradicting himself. Before his conviction he claimed that people should look to death with confidence. If the contrary is true, they will be considered unwise, as