Scan barcode
rancidslopshop's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
ausrabreidokaite's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.75
goldripred's review against another edition
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25
Good and short book. I liked the argumentation and the tricky leading questions were fun. It reminded me of Lysias when he was going after one of the Thirty who had killed his brother in using questions that are designed to make it so that the opponent invariably falls into your trap.
dangosaffron's review against another edition
3.0
read this for poli. still good and obviously foundational but i think i just don’t like philosophy so much anymore…socrates was annoying to the point of farce at times here sorry
civil6512's review against another edition
4.0
Like [b: Euthyphro|18897118|Euthyphro|Plato|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1387221689s/18897118.jpg|797907], this book was also part of the Søren Kierkegaard - Subjectivity, Irony and the Crisis of Modernity course in Coursera.
In [b: Apology|18621323|Apology|Plato|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1384802974s/18621323.jpg|1692879], Plato describes the trial of the city of Athens against Socrates, for the charges of corrupting the youth and not believing in the Ancient Gods.
Socrates addresses this charges in front of the judges: he explains that with his actions, exposing the lack of wisdom of many people, he has made many enemies who now bring these charges against him. He explains how if he was truly corrupting the youth, he would have faced accusations of many relatives of these young Athenians, or even the Athenians themselves that have already grown up. He additionally argues that one wouldn't corrupt their neighbours on purpose, as then they would make the world a worse place for him as well. During this argument, Socrates mentions how he was identified by the Oracle as the wisest person in Athens, and how he tries to prove the Oracle wrong by finding someone wiser than him, only to find out that such person doesn't exist. While some people know more than him on specific fields, they believe they know more than they do, while Socrates is very well aware of his lack of knowledge, of his limitations. This makes him realise that he is wiser because he knows what he doesn't know.
Once he addresses his point, he starts arguing about the worshiping of the Gods. Explaining first that it was Anaxagoras who had atheistic ideas, he mentions that he does believe in the Gods, and that by believing in the sons of the Gods, he has to believe in the existence of the Gods themselves. Socrates also talks about "a daimon" that inhabits him and tells him what is wrong, helping him always go in the right direction. Finally, he describes himself as the gadfly of Athens, stinging the citizens to steer them in the right direction.
Although Socrates addresses his charges eloquently, he is still found guilty, and the decision has to be made now about what will be the penalty. Socrates says first that he would deserve to go to the Prytaneion, and later moves on to argue whether exile, imprisonment, paying a fine or the death penalty should be the right thing. He finally realises that while he can identify all penalties as bad, he cannot say whether death is good or bad, so that unknown must be better than the known bad outcomes. The fact that his "daimon" doesn't alert him to choose otherwise seems to confirm this as being the right option. Finally, he makes a reflection about death: if it is like a dreamless sleep, then that is good, as those nights are quiet compared to ones with nightmares. And if instead one's soul moves to some other world, together with the heroes of the past, then that would be even better, knowing that one, now immortal, cannot be killed no matter what he could be asking.
We can see in Apology the ethics of Socrates, and many interesting reflections. While some of the arguments he uses against his charges seems at least weak, we can still see his use of irony and reasoning.
In [b: Apology|18621323|Apology|Plato|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1384802974s/18621323.jpg|1692879], Plato describes the trial of the city of Athens against Socrates, for the charges of corrupting the youth and not believing in the Ancient Gods.
Socrates addresses this charges in front of the judges: he explains that with his actions, exposing the lack of wisdom of many people, he has made many enemies who now bring these charges against him. He explains how if he was truly corrupting the youth, he would have faced accusations of many relatives of these young Athenians, or even the Athenians themselves that have already grown up. He additionally argues that one wouldn't corrupt their neighbours on purpose, as then they would make the world a worse place for him as well. During this argument, Socrates mentions how he was identified by the Oracle as the wisest person in Athens, and how he tries to prove the Oracle wrong by finding someone wiser than him, only to find out that such person doesn't exist. While some people know more than him on specific fields, they believe they know more than they do, while Socrates is very well aware of his lack of knowledge, of his limitations. This makes him realise that he is wiser because he knows what he doesn't know.
Once he addresses his point, he starts arguing about the worshiping of the Gods. Explaining first that it was Anaxagoras who had atheistic ideas, he mentions that he does believe in the Gods, and that by believing in the sons of the Gods, he has to believe in the existence of the Gods themselves. Socrates also talks about "a daimon" that inhabits him and tells him what is wrong, helping him always go in the right direction. Finally, he describes himself as the gadfly of Athens, stinging the citizens to steer them in the right direction.
Although Socrates addresses his charges eloquently, he is still found guilty, and the decision has to be made now about what will be the penalty. Socrates says first that he would deserve to go to the Prytaneion, and later moves on to argue whether exile, imprisonment, paying a fine or the death penalty should be the right thing. He finally realises that while he can identify all penalties as bad, he cannot say whether death is good or bad, so that unknown must be better than the known bad outcomes. The fact that his "daimon" doesn't alert him to choose otherwise seems to confirm this as being the right option. Finally, he makes a reflection about death: if it is like a dreamless sleep, then that is good, as those nights are quiet compared to ones with nightmares. And if instead one's soul moves to some other world, together with the heroes of the past, then that would be even better, knowing that one, now immortal, cannot be killed no matter what he could be asking.
We can see in Apology the ethics of Socrates, and many interesting reflections. While some of the arguments he uses against his charges seems at least weak, we can still see his use of irony and reasoning.
anneliesepeerbolte's review against another edition
4.0
“The unexamined life is not one worth living for men”
Truly well structured argument. Made me like him more after he was an ass in Euthyphro, but I suppose kindness isn’t what he seeks in his quests. Also for my PHIL class.
Truly well structured argument. Made me like him more after he was an ass in Euthyphro, but I suppose kindness isn’t what he seeks in his quests. Also for my PHIL class.