Sample Essay - Socrates Lived a Noble Life Essay PDF

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Socrates Lived a Noble Life Socrates helped lay the foundation of Western Philosophy. He led a simple life renouncing wealth and political power, devoting himself to philosophy. What Socrates was doing was greater than himself; he was providing his fellow Athenians with a service of the utmost importance. Neither disdain or death prevented him from doing what he knew was right for Athens and its citizens. Socrates was a principled man of great integrity. In this paper I will argue that Socrates lived a noble life. I will begin by describing the good Socrates’ philosophical way of life provided, then offer objections and afterwards provide refutations to these objections. Socrates lived a philosophical life focused on what would benefit his city and its people. This argument has three premises, the first being that Socrates knew the value in philosophy and its benefits, studying and discussing human nature and values. He knew how important these subjects were, which is why he devoted himself to them. Socrates pursued the philosophical life knowing the potential it had. Socrates believed “that an unexamined life is no life for a human being to live” (Plato, Apology, 33). The most important premise of the argument is Socrates’ desire to share this and help his fellow Athenians. He saw the benefit from studying and discussing virtues, goodness and similar topics. Through conversation about human nature and virtue Socrates tried to turn peoples’ attention to the importance of the soul and whether they were behaving in a just and honourable manner. By having conversations about topics such as justice, truth, beauty, love and goodness Socrates gave his fellow citizens the opportunity to take a closer look at how they lived their lives. While politics and wealth have their place truth, justice and other virtues must not be forgotten. His conversations were a reminder to other citizens of what is truly important to live a successful life. Socrates risked annoying other Athenians with conversation knowing that his conversations could provide great benefit to

individuals and the city. He tried to prevent people from being consumed by lust for material gain and open their eyes to what it is to be human. This was no easy burden to bear, yet he continued his pursuit of philosophy because he knew it was his duty. The final major benefit of Socrates’ philosophy was how it positively influenced the group of young followers who would listen to his discussions, most notably Plato. Socrates’ inspection of humanity and its values deeply affected Plato who went on to study philosophy and play a massive role in Western Philosophy. Without Socrates the world may have been deprived of the great works of Plato. Thus far I have demonstrated how Socrates’ philosophical inquiry benefited the people of Athens and ultimately, that he led a noble life I will now present an objection to this argument. Socrates’ work was of minimal benefit to the citizens of Athens, rather he was thought of as an annoyance, a pest. He did discuss “human” topics with his fellow Athenians but the idea that mere conversations could change Athens for the better is a grand claim. Socrates’ conversations could have been brushed off and never given a second thought. His philosophising was never written down and he was reliant on others to keep his philosophy alive. Rather than having students with whom he could discuss the importance of the soul and focus not on material things but on achieving goodness and personal excellence, he spoke with people on the streets of Athens. He would have made a much more definitive impact had he taught students. Merely conversing with strangers is not worthy of the word noble. These objections raised real questions about the nobility of Socrates’ lifestyle. In this paragraph I will examine the objections and refute them. The first objection is that there was nothing noble about the insignificant conversations Socrates had with citizens of Athens. Socrates brought attention to important aspects of life that are often overlooked, just a quick

discussion with someone on the topic of goodness can make an impact. This was something Socrates did day in day out so to claim that he was doing little is simply untrue. What determines if his actions were noble is not the impact but the principles and values behind them. Socrates wanted the best for his fellow Athenians, and did what he could to help them become better people. The second objection is that Socrates would have made a real difference if he taught students rather than conversing with just regular citizens. To teach a class would require more formal knowledge than Socrates claimed he possessed, and so he could not provide that form of service. His brilliance was in conversation. Socrates had a group of young followers who listened in on his conversations and were able to learn from him in the best possible environment. Socrates was a noble man who demonstrated great integrity and commitment throughout his life. Socrates demonstrated his commitment to philosophy while on trial. He had little concern in his mind on the possibility of his death, instead he remained focused on whether his actions were just or unjust. This man was a servant to philosophy and was willing to sacrifice himself for it. Socrates’ work was so important for the lives of the Athenian citizens that he would not stop practicing until he was dead. Socrates knew how invaluable his services were and would not have stopped as it would be disobeying the god Apollo and that was something he could never do - he was loyal. He critiqued his accusers while on trial claiming that “the most honourable and easiest way is not the silencing of others, but striving to make oneself as good as a person as possible.” (Plato, Apology, 34) He would not sink to methods of hurting others or presenting a sleazy defence, he would rather die. Truth, honour, integrity, justice were all things that Socrates lived by and are the pillars of a noble life. Socrates stayed true to these things, all noble virtues. Socrates spent all his time pursuing philosophy he forfeited family and political life as he was serving a purpose greater than himself. Socrates lived a philosophical life and

stayed true to his principles. He served his city as best he could, sacrificing himself/family for the good of his fellow Athenians. He demonstrated his nobility through his commitment to a goal even in the face of death, fearing only dishonour. Though there are objections that can be raised against Socrates nobility, particularly about his extreme dedication to the philosophical life. Socrates pursued philosophy in a singleminded manner, ignoring family and political responsibilities. While learning about important parts of life such as truth and justice is good and important, neglecting ones’ family is anything but noble. Socrates ignored his responsibility to his wife and sons, and did not provide for them as he was out in the city talking to other Athenians. Socrates should not have let his children live in poverty. It is a parents’ duty to be there for their children and help them develop into good people. Socrates spent his time trying to show others the importance of virtues such as honour and truth, he could have been spending his time educating his sons on the matter, making sure they would be people he was proud of. Socrates speaks about others helping his children develop when he should have instilled the values he holds so highly in them. Socrates’ lack of presence in his family’s life offers a very real objection to the fact that he lived a noble life. His higher calling was to philosophy, to the detriment of his family. While he was not always a provider he still cared for his family. At his trial Socrates requests that others make sure that his sons value goodness higher than wealth or anything else. He cared about his sons but unfortunately his philosophical inquiry took up most of his time. His philosophical work and the benefit it had on Athens and its people was far greater than his poor performance as a father and husband. Socrates transformed Greek philosophy and made contributions to Western Philosophy. Socrates inspired the likes of Plato to pursue the discipline of philosophy and his contribution to western philosophy was incredibly important.

In this paper I have argued that Socrates lived a noble life. His life was spent learning and drawing attention to important virtues such as truthfulness, Justice, honour and other such things. He reminded his fellow citizens to care more for the pursuit of excellence in themselves than for material things. A duty such as this is incredibly important and noble task to take on. While objections to the idea that his work was not as important raised some questions, they were not able to diminish the nobility of Socrates life. Socrates also displayed great commitment and integrity to his pursuit of philosophy and carried himself with dignity. He knew that the pursuit was greater than himself and he was willing to die for it. The objection to his commitment and dedication being taking away from family brought up reasonable points but again were not strong enough as the good he did as a philosopher outweighed his shortcomings in his family life. He also cared for his children mentioning them after being sentenced. This concludes that Socrates did live a noble life.

Bibliography Jahn, Klaus. “Meet A Philosopher! - Platos Apology.” September 2017. PowerPoint presentation. Perry, John, et al. “Plato, ‘Apology: Defence of Socrates.’” Introduction to Philosophy: Classical and Contemporary Readings, Oxford University Press, 2016, pp. 21-35....