Nature of Philosophy- Part B



Nature of Philosophy- Part B

In Apology by Plato it has been stated that if Socrates would have told the human begins that an unexamined life do not worth living for them they will not be willing to believe whatever he is saying. But according to Socrates, this is the way it is (Plato, 1834, 38). He called the people as gentle man of Athens and claim that it is very difficult to convince them. Through the statement of unexamined life by Socrates, it can be explored that the relationship of citizen ship to liberal education is a question that has posed a long historical background in the tradition of philosophy and argumentation. However, according to Socrates, the ideal education is the one in which a man tend to liberate him or herself from a thinking and a mind that is not bonded by the custom and habit but it analyzes the logics to create his own and believes into it. In this way, people will be produce who would easily perform with the alertness and the sensitivity of being the citizens of this whole globe (Plato, 1834).

Socrates has enabled the people for self examination through his arguments related to the unexamined life. According to him, the capacity and ability of critical examination and evaluation by one self keeping in view their own customs and traditions could be one aspect of the Socratic examined life. The thoughts and unanswered questions arises from this critical evaluation that lead the person towards questioning their own beliefs and customs or rituals which they were being practicing for their whole lives. This critical examination and evaluation results in the acceptance of only those beliefs that holds a significant reason that is based upon their demand for acceptability and consistency. It also enables them to test the facts and increase the ability to test the logics provide by other people may be belonging to the same custom, ritual or tradition for a long period of time. The test the logic of people based upon the correctness and acceptance of the facts and their self made accuracy of judging those beliefs (Saccarelli, 2007).

In this way, Socrates has compared himself to a gadfly that led to the awakening of democracy. He as associated himself as a gadfly because a gadfly usually is uncomfortable to live with other people in a society accepting everything they say or act upon. The gadfly is more interested in testing and evaluating the stereotypes, even they are the ones belonging to their family or friends circle or other fellow citizens. However, this process is a highly risky because it may leave a person in isolation. Although, they do not accept the beliefs as they are imposed to be practiced upon them. Socrates has also learned these challenges and faced them and this is the reason he called him as a gadfly. It has also been observed through the apology of Plato that democracies are usually vulnerable to ...