Hello.
Don’t have much time today, but we are still reading Plato’s Apology, though this was the last section.
The part that I selected today started on page 67, section b, though it ends on the next page. It goes like this: “the difficulty is not so much to escape death; the real difficulty is to escape from wickedness, which is far more fleet of foot…I [Socrates], the slow old man, have been overtaken by the slower of the two, but my accusers, who are clever and quick, have been overtaken by the faster: by iniquity. When I leave this court, I shall go away condemned by you to death, but they will go away convinced by Truth herself of depravity and injustice. And they accept their sentence even as I accept mine.”
I thought that this was a really interesting quote because Socrates talks of how he has been overcome by death, but his accusers have been overcome by injustice. He talks of himself as the slow old man who is caught only by the slower. I also thought that it conveyed fairly well the tenor of the last section of The Apology. He is not afraid, he has made that quite clear, but there is something else behind his words nonetheless. I found this last part especially sad, with its last line that conveys such heaviness even through its light tone, “Well, now it is time to be off, I to die and you to live; but which of us has the happier prospect is unknown to anyone but God.”
Goodbye.
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Accusations Abound
Hello.
We are still reading the Apology, by Plato, and the more I read, the more I think that Socrates truly is one of the wisest men to ever walk the earth, perhaps THE wisest. He talks about how there is no equal to him in page 57, Starting with the sentence that begins on the top line with “I”, going all the way down to the end of the paragraph.
The quote that really struck me from this part of the Apology that we read was on page 56, section e. “My very good friend, you are an Athenian and belong to a city which is the greatest and most famous in the world for it’s wisdom and strength. Are you not ashamed that you give you attention to acquiring as much money as possible, and similarly with reputation and honor, and give no attention or thought to truth and understanding and the perfection of your soul.”
First, my explanation. So Socrates is saying, “You, my friend, are part of this really wonderful city of learning, a city that is FAMOUS for the knowledge here, and yet, you spend all of your time trying to make money and no time trying to find the Truth (capital “T” Truth).”
I thought that this was really important because it was like an accusation to the prosecution. It says that you are too concerned with “real” matters, physical things, and not concerned enough about the things that Socrates believes truly matter. I think that he is also subliminally accusing them of being in this wonderful city, where everything is devoted to wisdom and strength, and yet here you stand, accusing me for the very thing that makes this city so special.
This is such a wonderful piece of text!
Goodbye.
We are still reading the Apology, by Plato, and the more I read, the more I think that Socrates truly is one of the wisest men to ever walk the earth, perhaps THE wisest. He talks about how there is no equal to him in page 57, Starting with the sentence that begins on the top line with “I”, going all the way down to the end of the paragraph.
The quote that really struck me from this part of the Apology that we read was on page 56, section e. “My very good friend, you are an Athenian and belong to a city which is the greatest and most famous in the world for it’s wisdom and strength. Are you not ashamed that you give you attention to acquiring as much money as possible, and similarly with reputation and honor, and give no attention or thought to truth and understanding and the perfection of your soul.”
First, my explanation. So Socrates is saying, “You, my friend, are part of this really wonderful city of learning, a city that is FAMOUS for the knowledge here, and yet, you spend all of your time trying to make money and no time trying to find the Truth (capital “T” Truth).”
I thought that this was really important because it was like an accusation to the prosecution. It says that you are too concerned with “real” matters, physical things, and not concerned enough about the things that Socrates believes truly matter. I think that he is also subliminally accusing them of being in this wonderful city, where everything is devoted to wisdom and strength, and yet here you stand, accusing me for the very thing that makes this city so special.
This is such a wonderful piece of text!
Goodbye.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
The Truth About Wisdom (And Ignorance)
Hello.
We are now reading a part of “The Apology” by Plato. In this piece, Socrates tries to convince the jury that he is innocent, and, moreover, that all of the claims against him are utterly false.
The line that struck me most, though it has little to do with the trial that we plan to host, was on page 44, section 21d. Here, Socrates says, “It is only too likely that neither of us have any knowledge to boast of; but he thinks that he knows something that he does not know, whereas I am quite conscious of my ignorance.” First, allow me to explain what I think Socrates means by this.
He is talking about a man that he interviewed in his quest to find other men wiser than he in Athens, or, for that matter, in the whole world. I too am coming to think that there are none. The man that he interviewed was a politician, I believe. Socrates claims that neither of them have any real knowledge, for what is the knowledge of men compared to the immortal knowledge of the gods? But the man, the politician, BELIVED that he knew far more than he did, whereas Socrates knows that he knows nothing.
This is what I have learned from this, and what I have written in all caps in the margin: TRUE WISDOM IS THE AKNOWLDGEMENT OF IGNORANCE. I’m sure that’s a quote from somewhere, I can't be the one that thought of that first. I think what this means is that the second that you realize that you really do know nothing, you have learned the most important piece of knowledge: there is more to know. Socrates believes that neither the men who know little but think they know much, or those that know much but think they know little are truly wise. And worse, I think he believes, are those who believe they know all and in reality know nothing.
What does this have to do with the trial? Nothing. Just something interesting I learned along the way.
Goodbye.
We are now reading a part of “The Apology” by Plato. In this piece, Socrates tries to convince the jury that he is innocent, and, moreover, that all of the claims against him are utterly false.
The line that struck me most, though it has little to do with the trial that we plan to host, was on page 44, section 21d. Here, Socrates says, “It is only too likely that neither of us have any knowledge to boast of; but he thinks that he knows something that he does not know, whereas I am quite conscious of my ignorance.” First, allow me to explain what I think Socrates means by this.
He is talking about a man that he interviewed in his quest to find other men wiser than he in Athens, or, for that matter, in the whole world. I too am coming to think that there are none. The man that he interviewed was a politician, I believe. Socrates claims that neither of them have any real knowledge, for what is the knowledge of men compared to the immortal knowledge of the gods? But the man, the politician, BELIVED that he knew far more than he did, whereas Socrates knows that he knows nothing.
This is what I have learned from this, and what I have written in all caps in the margin: TRUE WISDOM IS THE AKNOWLDGEMENT OF IGNORANCE. I’m sure that’s a quote from somewhere, I can't be the one that thought of that first. I think what this means is that the second that you realize that you really do know nothing, you have learned the most important piece of knowledge: there is more to know. Socrates believes that neither the men who know little but think they know much, or those that know much but think they know little are truly wise. And worse, I think he believes, are those who believe they know all and in reality know nothing.
What does this have to do with the trial? Nothing. Just something interesting I learned along the way.
Goodbye.
Monday, May 14, 2007
The Speach of Pericles (Funeral Oration and Values of Athens)
Hello.
We are now reading a part of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides, the section, for those of you who know it, called Pericles’ Funeral Oration. I think that this is a really wonderful speech because it talks a lot about Athens, the values they hold and what it means to be truly brave.
I will begin with the Athenian values. I believe they are:
• Courage/bravery/manliness
• Freedom
• Tradition/following your father
• Individuality (especially in government)
• Equality/fairness (also in government)
• “Love of things of the mind”
• Kindness to others
• General scruples
I think of these, the most important to the people, and certainly to Pericles, are the ones pertaining to their government, which they took great pride in, and the treatment of others. Several times he mentions the importance of a government that is equal to all of its people, be they rich or poor. Also, he talks about how unique such a government is, one of the quotes that stood out to me was the following from page 148, section 41, lines 13 and 14, “Future ages will wonder at us, as the present age wonders now.”
This will be a really important issue in the trial of Socrates that we are planning to put on because this society was a democracy where freedom reined supreme. This should include freedom of speech…yet Socrates was killed for expressing his own opinion and teaching it to the youth of Athens. If this society that Pericles praises so much were truly free, Socrates would not even receive a reprimand for his teachings.
Goodbye!
We are now reading a part of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides, the section, for those of you who know it, called Pericles’ Funeral Oration. I think that this is a really wonderful speech because it talks a lot about Athens, the values they hold and what it means to be truly brave.
I will begin with the Athenian values. I believe they are:
• Courage/bravery/manliness
• Freedom
• Tradition/following your father
• Individuality (especially in government)
• Equality/fairness (also in government)
• “Love of things of the mind”
• Kindness to others
• General scruples
I think of these, the most important to the people, and certainly to Pericles, are the ones pertaining to their government, which they took great pride in, and the treatment of others. Several times he mentions the importance of a government that is equal to all of its people, be they rich or poor. Also, he talks about how unique such a government is, one of the quotes that stood out to me was the following from page 148, section 41, lines 13 and 14, “Future ages will wonder at us, as the present age wonders now.”
This will be a really important issue in the trial of Socrates that we are planning to put on because this society was a democracy where freedom reined supreme. This should include freedom of speech…yet Socrates was killed for expressing his own opinion and teaching it to the youth of Athens. If this society that Pericles praises so much were truly free, Socrates would not even receive a reprimand for his teachings.
Goodbye!
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