Nature of Philosophy

Nature of Philosophy

Introduction

Plato has portrayed Socrates as a patriotic Athenian in an historic context. Socrates was considered an eloquent person; yet, he did not master the art of writing because his patriotism mainly involved efforts trying to stimulate Athenians to fight for their rights. However, he is charged for corrupting the youth and trying to get the people against the government. He was then trialed during which the prosecutors voted against him. After his punishment was readout, Socrates gave two speeches in which he defended himself and later addressed the jurors who were in his favor. It was in this speech that he called himself the gadfly and accepts his bad reputation in the community as being essential in order to stimulate the community to wake up and face the government.

Discussion

According to Plato, during the trial of Socrates, he claimed that he is like a gadfly that was uncomfortable o the people of Athens. Socrates compared Athens to a slow moving horse and claimed that his aim was to ensure that the people of the state remain motivated and participate actively in the matters of the state. He claims that if he is killed, it would not hurt him as much as it hurts the state because silencing him would result in the people of Athens becoming blind to the truth. Killing him would be like killing the gadfly the result of which would be that the horse would not have anything to simulate it in order to be active. In life, it is common for people to get rid of people who are considered to be an irritant; however, people do not realize the importance of such people and how they are assisting the community (Chaffee, 2011).

In his arguments, Socrates aims to make his followers understand the consequences of not changing their stance regarding their beliefs. He asked his supporters to reconsider their beliefs that they have been practicing because their beliefs and values are in fact going against them. Once these beliefs are changed, the life of the community can be developed in a way where people would be free to develop their lives according to their wishes. The current way of life in the community is such in which people follow everything said by others. In this way, they would develop their society and earn greater benefits and freedom (Nichols, 2011).

Socrates mentions the fact that the ...