The purpose of a true philosopher is to rise above bodily, simple pleasures because they are empty and insignificant. He is not interested in everyday life, wealth, nobility of origin, and various amusements. Socrates is an example of a true philosopher because he never sought to please other people and did not enjoy his superiority. His beliefs inspire and delight since he did not abandon them even in the pain of death.
In the spring of 399 BC, the trial of Socrates took place, who was accused of denying the gods, ridiculing politicians, and spreading false teachings among young people. As a result, Socrates was sentenced to death, and the philosopher accepted his fate with Olympian calm. He wanted to find understanding among the gods and not see more of what was happening in Athens with the advent of the new government. The accusations were not fair, and in his speech, Socrates tries to appeal to the conscience of the judge, “asking if he isn’t ashamed to be doing something that puts him in the danger he’s now in, of losing his life (Plato 7). For Socrates, the most important thing was the purity of the human soul and its motives.
Socrates ‘ ideas about death were strikingly different from most people’s. He didn’t understand why people were so afraid of death and why they were sure that death was terrible. The philosopher believed that the most shameful ignorance is when a person insists that he knows what he doesn’t know. For example, Socrates described the god of the afterlife Hades as a wise and just deity, very different from the generally accepted opinion (Plato 10). Socrates ‘ speeches were aimed at conveying to people the importance of life values. The philosopher preferred to die for his beliefs rather than continue to live in a world where a person could be executed for his beliefs. The main message of his speeches is the struggle for one’s convictions and against ignorance.
Work Cited
Plato. The Last Days of Socrates. Penguin Group, 2010.