Socrates Account of Wisdom in Apology - Essay Example

Mid-term Essay Exam Question Summary of Socrates’ account of wisdom in Apology According to Apology, this isa notion that Socrates both challenges and confirms when he says that he is wise through the virtue of knowing nothing of importance. Therefore, he possesses knowledge, which is the foundation of his wisdom but this arouses a lot of confusion to people. First Socrates asserts that to be able to understand wisdom we must follow the journey he took to understand wisdom. Socrates, first, states charges against him that he was a busybody who thought and pondered over thing that he was not supposed to ponder (Miller and Platter 18). Socrates also claims that the sophists are wise and posses’ wisdom that lacks in him. When Delphi asserts that Socrates is the wisest person in the universe, Socrates remembers of his acquaintance that accompanied him at Oracle and questioned him whether there existed a person wiser than Socrates. The oracle response, that there was no one wiser than Socrates was, threw him to a lot of confusion embarked on a mission to find the truth about wisdom. Socrates thinks it is important to pursue wisdom, as it will help realize the human ignorance on the perception of wisdom. Socrates further thinks and claims that only the God can be wise. According to Socrates, human wisdom is limited and by realizing that he knows nothing he can achieve a lot. Remarkably, Socrates believes pursuing wisdom, will lead to human happiness since one will be able realize and reject unjustified beliefs. Socrates wisdom is valuable to man as it is humble and doest mislead, threaten and misinform others by advocating false knowledge. Therefore, knowing and possessing the truth wisdom leads to human happiness Question 2: Just live is better than unjust live (Summary of main argument in Book IV Republic, using the city-soul analogy) Plato argues that for the city to be just, measures must be taken to control the level of poverty in order to avoid social strife that may bring injustices (421d). In addition, for city to be unified and stable, it must be big enough in size (423b). Socrates proceeds to discuss justice in the already founded city. He claims that the founded city is completely virtuous and good and hence it is courageous, wise, just and moderate (427e). He further argues that justice will be found when the other virtues are discovered: wisdom, moderation, and courage (428a). Socrates shows that the city rulers possess the wisdom of ruling, the military possess the courage, and moderation is found by following the structure of the city on who rules and who is ruled. Socrates further believes that the four virtues of the city are found in the individual, which he compares with the city analogous (434d). He defends the city analogy and the individual by distinguishing the three soul analogous parts with their real natural functions (434d-436b). By the use of the psychological conflict of the soul, he is able to distinguish the appetitive part and the rational part of the soul. He further differentiates the spirited part function from the other parts. The appetite part is for body desires, spirited part for emotion, and rational part for thinking. These virtues correspond to that of the city. He claims that one is just when the three parts of the soul perform their function independently (442d). Injustice contributes to unevenness or imbalance and justice contribute to balance of soul respectively. Question #3: The cave, divided line and sun images In Book VII and VIII of the Republic Plato discusses the analogy of the cave with forms, which represent philosopher’s education on knowledge, which is based on ignorance. Plato in his own opinion ascertain that true education is the turning point of the soul from visible objects and shadow to true understanding of the form (518c-d). Those philosophers who gain this understanding will be unwilling to do anything other than thinking about the forms and later are forced to go back to the cave. The analogy of the divided line offered by Plato explains Idea of the Form even further (501d-511d). Plato divided a line unequally at first and the two halves again into unequal sections. The lower parts and the intelligent realm by the two tops parts represented the visible realm. In the first section, he places images/shadows, and visible objects on the second section. The third section reveals the truth and the fourth section the forms themselves. In each corresponding section, the capacity of human soul is represented: imagination, thought, believe, and understanding. Through the analogy of the sun, Plato tries to explain what constitute the Idea of the Good (507c-509d). Through this analogy, the sun illuminate things and the Idea of Form renders items of knowledge clear to human beings. Objects are provided with ability of existence, growth, and nourishment by the sun. The Form of the Good grant objects of knowledge with the power of being though the sun is higher than this. Through the three images, Plato tries to explain that only the philosophers should lead and rule. He argues for society to be just the rulers must acquire the knowledge of Good but later they are forced back to the cave to rule The Plato’s metaphors, tries to help us understand reality, and why we sees things differently. This attempts to free us from cave of imperfect knowledge and shine brightly on problems in front of education, which guides us in search of solutions. Work Cited Miller, Paul Allen and Charles Platter. Platos Apology of Socrates: A commentary. Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 2012. Print. Plato, The Dialogues of Plato translated into English with Analyses and Introductions by B. Jowett, M.A. in Five Volumes. 3rd edition revised and corrected (Oxford University Press, 1892). 3/23/2014. Read More