2006-07-06 03:54:26 · 7 answers · asked by graffeng 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Philosophy
not necessarily, Socrates was put on trial for not believing in the Greek gods, and also for "corrupting" the youth. The problem was the Oracle of Delphi stated that there was no one smarter than Socrates, but Socrates did not believe that and felt that other people were surely smarter than him.
So in his quest for knowledge he went to the high class people and questioned them, and found that they knew their trade, such as the artisan knowing art, but they also pretended to know everything, and in his questioning he exposed how they knew so little, and the youth saw this and started to copy him since they found it funny.
And this proved the Oracle right since Socrates at least knew that he himself did not know everything and was basically a fool. As he stated, it is better to be a fool that recognizes that he doesn't know anything than to be a satisfied pig.
So all in all, he was sentanced to drink hemlock since he bruised the egos of all the powerful people in Athens and turned them against him, and they were afraid since the younger generation started to copy him.
2006-07-06 07:01:35 · answer #1 · answered by RTFM 2 · 8⤊ 1⤋
not in the sense of a bloody battle cutting down the finest young men, but an insurrectionist of a more insidious type. the fathers of Athens were afraid of what Socrates would do to their children, that their heirs might look back at them and say 'we do not know you or recognise your claim on us', and that the Athens Socrates was capable of making would leave them behind, forgotten and alone. They did not want change to come too fast, and Socrates really knew how to turn stuff upside down and stand it on its head. His executionaers did not think it was so funny.
2006-07-06 12:17:22 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
He "believed in the wrong gods," and "messed with the innocent minds of the youth." He didn't kill himself, he put Athens on trial at his own trial, because he didn't do anything wrong, but he knew Athens (at least certain judges and jurors) was in the wrong. But what he really wanted to point us to was that we have no idea what is going on (still to this day), and he followed the only thing he thought would bring him to truth, reason. He used reason, he knew he was going to die but he still chose reason, would you call that killing yourself, or would you call that bravery among the frightened?
2006-07-06 11:09:16 · answer #3 · answered by The Witten 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
the best part of that was when they asked him what he felt his punishment should be he replied with 30 pieces of silver. He was a martyr for knowledge and the belief that society should not be able to control our beliefs.
2006-07-06 12:22:25 · answer #4 · answered by ceterisparadis 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yep...that's the story I read. Pretty good reading.
2006-07-06 10:57:29 · answer #5 · answered by darthbouncy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, he told the truth a bit too often.....
2006-07-06 11:01:12 · answer #6 · answered by yougottabekid 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, he was a divisionist and atheist.
2006-07-06 10:57:28 · answer #7 · answered by Puppy Zwolle 7 · 0⤊ 2⤋