Socrates as One of the Well-known Philosophers - Assignment Example

Socrates as One of the Well-known PhilosophersSocrates was one of the well-known philosophers that ever lived. He brought a lot of insight to people in society by focusing on various issues that people had initially avoided discussing. Going through some of the important issues that he discussed is imperative as it assists in understanding some of society’s problems. The fact that he discussed most of societal issues openly got him on the wrong especially with the authorities. There was one time that he was arrested for apparently derailing the youth.

Socrates lived in an era where his community got into many conquests alongside the neighboring communities. He was a member of the Athenian army and given the fact that he was always questioning the manner in which his community run is an issue that always got him in trouble. He pushed the youth to oppose the local government to a point that they had even lost trust in the local system and is one of the charges that he was set to face. Socrates was accused of collaborating with outside armies in a manner that he would even snitch on his local government.

Socrates was very fast to defend himself against these changes. Regarding the first accusation, he responded by asking whether it was only he that had made the mistake of derailing the youth. He sought to show that the fact that he was the only person with the ability or rather the strength to speak aloud regarding these issues did not mean that he was the one on the wrong. It only showed how much fear that people had of the government that they did not have the attitude to handle this. The premise that he uses to explain this is by talking of the horse analogy (Barlette, 2010).

When Socrates brought in the issue of horses, he made it as an analogy to explain his point. He seeks to prove that the majority may indeed be the ones responsible for a negative influence on the youth and that he is responsible for uplifting them. He shows this by stating that the trainer of the horse is the one person that does the animal good and that other people that ride the horse may harm it. In this case, the accuser, Maletus, states that he alongside the judges is the ones responsible for a positive influence on the youth.

Socrates defines his role in the Athenian society appropriately. He states that it is his job to deliver these people. According to Socrates, the government at the time was using resources badly and not even appreciating the efforts made by the soldiers. He knew that this was his role from the fact that people feared the government and did not have the mettle to deal with this (Taylor, 2009).I would personally have to free Socrates because the issues brought up by the government were rather outrageous.

Socrates did not make any mistake speaking out on the issues that he deemed necessary to society and it is imperative to ensure that such people exercise their freedom of speech. Furthermore, Socrates represented very many people that had initially not talked about this issue despite its vastness. ReferencesBarlette, R. (2010). The Socratic Writings. Chicago: Chicago University Press. Taylor, A. (2009). Socrates. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.