Plato’s Apology
Plato’s Apology
Plato’s Apology refers to the collection of speeches made by Socrates during the trial when he was charged for not honoring the state’s gods, preaching of new deities, and causing a revolution among the youth in 399 BCE (Slings, 2018). The following historical events were evident during this time, rhetoric and art. Ancient Athens was known for its great scholars. While sophists taught youths from wealthy families on the art of persuasive rhetoric for hefty fees, Socrates taught them for free. Besides, the conflict between philosophy and poetry was evident in this era. In ancient Greece, religion was substantially upheld, and the citizens worshiped gods. Socrates and the advent of philosophy and trying to explain things from a philosophical point of view brought a conflict between believers and philosophers.
Plato’s Apology reflects the role of religion in society. In ancient Greek, religion was upheld to the latter. People gathered and performed poetry, dance and festivals to honor their gods. Socrates was detained for rebuking the religion. Following the defeat of Athens to Spartans, all oppressive political and religious charges on Socrates were refuted (Slings, 2018). Besides, Plato was charged for his strong religious stand, which contradicted the Athens’ ways of worshiping Slings.
Humanities deal with human culture and people’s way of living. Plato’s works play a vital role in the field of humanities. Plato established a model to harmonize politics and the economy to benefit everyone in society. Through his work, he outlined the role of division of labor while outlining the different classes in society. Thus, by addressing these things in a community, people would peacefully coexist and work together for a mutual gain and result in a prosperous political and economic community (Farbman, 2018).
References
Farbman, H. (2018). Dangers of Literature: On the Use of Socrates in Recent Apologies for the Humanities. Minnesota Review, 2018(91), 56-67.
Slings, S. R. (2018). Plato’s Apology of Socrates: A Literary and Philosophical Study with a Running Commentary. Edited and completed from the papers of the late E. de Strycker, SJ. Brill.
