Socrates' Apology

The Apology shows the importance of truth and justice throughout the historical development of ancient Greece and of the world in general. The Trojan War plays an important role in Socrates’ apology, showing how our historical development seems predetermined by a higher force or God. Aquilles, similar to Socrates followed the Oracle of Delphi prophecies, which not only determined his fames but his death too. Thus, Plato use of Palamedes in the Apology clarifies, then, Plato’s desire to seek for knowledge and immortality after his death and being closer to others such as Palamedes and Ajax rather that with others who lack knowledge. So Socrates doesn’t’ fear death since is a term unknown to him but rather by sentencing him to death he will win the knowledge of what death is too. Furthermore, Meletus’s contradictory and vengeful plot against Socrates correlates to when Odysseus seek for revenge against Parmedes.

Even though this reading is old it still carries great value and importance because it shows that knowledge as Socrates argues is not ours but it belongs to God. Hence, Socrates’ work will continue even after his death “For the word which I will speak is not mine.” It reminds me of Jesus Christ, which story is similar to Socrates’. They both followed a divined forced rather than their own interests and hence both didn’t have a sign of this divine force until the very end. However, their end, death, might seem a negative end to others but the opposite was for both Socrates’ and Jesus’ point of view. Furthermore, their deaths didn’t stop the work they were doing and were accused of but it rather intensified it, making other to seek same path or belief.

I think that Socrates states that our understanding of virtue and knowledge is unanimous. So, I consider that justice is parallel of both wisdom and goodness. In this case, I see wisdom and knowledge rather a collection of facts we perceive without seeing their unity or source. Plato shows that ignorance