Breaking Down the Apology and the Euthyphro - 1043 Words

APOLOGY Sophists The sophists were rhetoric teachers in Athens who lived at the same the as Socrates. They were major intellectual figures, and the term â€Å"sophist† means â€Å"wise person.† At that time â€Å"sophistry† was roughly equivalent to â€Å"rhetoric,† and rhetoric is the art of persuasion using language. However, the term ‘sophistry’ is now generally used to refer to manipulative forms of rhetoric. Protagorus * Was a Sophist Why was socrates unpopular * Two sets of charges put toward Socrates * * Accused of worshiping false Gods (or no Gods at all) * Also accused of corrupting the youth * Socrates adds that there are unspoken charges pressed against him * * He says these†¦show more content†¦* Finally, Socrates argues that the only way to truth is through reasoning * In the end, Socrates is found guilty as charged * * Socrates could have easily been banished from Athens and live his life * * But he says the unexamined life is not worth living (does not want to live without philosophy) * Socrates is given the death penalty * * He says he looks forward to death with confidence THE EUTHYPHRO Early Platonic dialogues (5 parts): * 1) The setting * * Euthyphro says he has all knowledge on holiness, and he is filling against his father for murder * 2) First attempt at a definition * * Euthyphro says that him taking his father to court is defined as holy * But Socrates want to know WHAT is holy * * Socrates asks what is the essence of holiness * 3) First attempt at an essential definition * * It is ruled out that whatever is divinely approved is Holy * But since different Gods think different things are good how do we decide what is holy * It is then ruled out that what is Holy is what all the Gods think to be good * * Issue: Is something right because because the Gods say so, or do the gods say something is right because it isShow MoreRelatedWhat Good Is Good?1716 Words   |  7 Pageslittle that people knew about Socrates himself because he did not write anything down. Most of his speeches and teachings were told through other people’s interpretations. One person who had his own interpretations of Soc rates’s work was another philosopher by the name of Plato. Plato was a great admirer of Socrates and was heavily influenced by him like others in Athens during his time. In the dialogue, The Apology, written by Plato he described Socrates to be a very simple man who was plain and