Socrates was widely disliked in Athens for a number of reasons, including: Socrates was known for making people feel foolish and ignorant.
Criticizing democracy Socrates was a vocal critic of democracy, which was a cherished value in Athens. Connections to the Thirty Tyrants Socrates was associated with members of the Thirty Tyrants, who briefly overthrew Athens's democratic government in 404–403 BCE. Impiety Socrates was accused of impiety against Athens' gods by introducing new gods. Corrupting the youth Socrates was accused of corrupting Athenian youth by teaching them to question the status quo. Socrates was convicted and sentenced to death by poison. 2 The first recorded moral codes that we possess, such as the Code of Hammurabi (1760 BCE) or the Ten Commandments of the Mosaic Law (1400 BCE) rely on the authority of divine commands. Some still debate today whether there can be morality without God. In The Brothers Karamazov Dostoyevsky famously states that ‘if God does not exist, everything is permitted’. 3 However Socrates demonstrated that authority, divine or worldly, is never enough by itself. In a dialogue recorded (or imagined) by Plato, Socrates asks *Euthyphro ‘is an action right because it is commanded by the gods, or do the gods command it because it is right?’* So, for example, would gratuitous cruelty be wrong only because God forbids it, or does God forbid it because it is wrong? Can right or wrong be known by divine revelation only, or may we be able to know them by examining the human world? Unless you take a very hard line for the first option then we cannot only appeal to religious traditions to define right and wrong. If we believe that there is some reason why a particular act is right or wrong then we must look for the general meaning of right and wrong by means of such reasons. 4 We live in a world of theists, atheists, and plenty in between. A marketplace of many religious and secular worldviews. At first glance the Euthyphro dilemma may seem a challenge to the value of religious traditions. In fact it is a question that unites the religious and the secular in the need to seek right and wrong within the human world, whether or not we also choose to seek them in God. Instead of the religious disparaging Godless morality and the secular disparaging the notion of faith traditions we should recognise that any proper morality exists equally for all. Just as the universe (according to Hick) is ambiguous and can be interpreted validly as either a God breathed or a solely material place, so the fundamentals of morality can be conceptualised within either sort of worldview. There is no need for the faithful and the secular to build brick walls between themselves when discussing ethics. 5 John Hick points out that ‘the golden rule’ of Jesus ‘Do to others as you would have them do to you’ actually occurs in the Hindu, Confucian, Taoist, Zoroastrian, Jain, Buddhist, Hebrew, Christian, and Muslim scriptures. But it is also the basis for Kant’s Categorical Imperative: ‘Act only in accordance with that maxim through which you can at the same time will that it become a universal law.’ So, good news: the atheist and the faithful may interpret the deepest realities of the universe very differently but they can join together in campaigning for a better world because they can recognise that we all share the same world. Socrates showed the way. I have two conclusions. First ethics, indeed all morality, depends on reciprocity and mutual respect. We all, the faithful and the secular, would do well to remember this. Second, Jesus had a snappier turn of phrase than Kant. 3 In The Socratic Paradox and Its Enemies, Roslyn Weiss argues that the Socratic paradoxes—no one does wrong willingly, virtue is knowledge, and all the virtues are one—are best understood as Socrates’ way of combating sophistic views: that no one is willingly just, those who are just and temperate are ignorant fools, and only some virtues (courage and wisdom) but not others (justice, temperance, and piety) are marks of true excellence. In Weiss’s view, the paradoxes express Socrates’ belief that wrongdoing fails to yield the happiness that all people want; it is therefore the unjust and immoderate who are the fools. The paradoxes thus emerge as Socrates’ means of championing the cause of justice in the face of those who would impugn it. Her fresh approach—ranging over six of Plato’s dialogues—is sure to spark debate in philosophy, classics, and political theory. “Regardless of whether one agrees or disagrees with Weiss, it would be hard not to admire her extraordinarily penetrating analysis of the many overlapping and interweaving arguments running through the dialogues.”—Daniel B. Gallagher, Classical Outlook “Many scholars of Socratic philosophy . . . will wish they had written Weiss’s book, or at least will wish that they had long ago read it.”—Douglas V. Henry, Review of Politics KR IRS 171224 ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: 'venkat giri' via iyer123 <[email protected]> Date: Tue, 17 Dec 2024 at 09:40 Subject: [iyer123] SOCRATES To: Iyer <[email protected]>, Rama (Iyer 123 Group) < [email protected]> *Respected sir/s,* SUBJECT*: **SOCRATES* *SOCRATES** of Athens (l. c. 470/469-399 BCE) is among the most famous figures in world history for his contributions to the development of ancient Greek philosophy which provided the foundation **for all of Western Philosophy**. He is, in fact, known as the **"Father of Western Philosophy"* *for this reason.* *He taught that people **should care less **about their bodies and possessions and more about their souls, saying, **“wealth does not bring goodness, but goodness brings wealth.” **As such he believed, he was serving the city of Athens and its citizens by highlighting their incorrect thinking.* *Socrates was a man of principle.* *FAMOUS QUOTES* · * The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. * · *The unexamined life is not worth living. * · *There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil.* *Here are some facts about Socrates :* · *He was not a teacher* · *Unlike many other teachers of his time, Socrates did not charge his students fees. * · *He was married to Zanthippe and had three sons. * · *He was an outspoken critic of **Democracy,** which was cherished by the Athenians. * · *He was associated with the Thirty Tyrants, who briefly overthrew Athens's democratic government in 404–403 BCE. * · *He was convicted and sentenced to death by poison** for impiety and corrupting the youth.* · *He could have escaped Athens and avoided the death sentence, but instead chose to stay and face his accusers. * · *In Plato's Apology He argued that he did not fear death** and fear** death is a sign of ignorance**. * · *Socrates is best known for his association with the Socratic method of question and answer. * · *He claimed that the unexamined life is not worth living* · *He said "the only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing"* *V.Sridharan* *Trichy* -- To go to your groups page on the web, login to your gmail account and then click on https://groups.google.com/ --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "iyer123" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/iyer123/1090501660.2510770.1734408625275%40mail.yahoo.com <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/iyer123/1090501660.2510770.1734408625275%40mail.yahoo.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> . -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CAL5XZopCJpOYffZ%2BFL_nXAf8Daa0k-VE%3DDA_mCXHnj5oxxmnKA%40mail.gmail.com.
