The Nature of Reality and Philosophy

In the dialogues Apology, Crito, Euthyphro, and Phaedo, Plato addresses the events leading up to the death of Socrates, his mentor, and the injustices visited on that individual by a society that did not understand his method of teaching. Inherent in these dialogues is the view that the society of the time has lost sight of the true values supported by the gods, while Socrates has only attempted to revive them in the youth. Plato presents an explicit statement of the relationship between the individual and society--even an unjust society--in the form of the "Apology," the statement of Socrates to the court that finally sentences him to death. The speech represents the conflict between the power of the state and the integrity of the individual, specifically in terms of the right to think and explore. The court gives Socrates an out

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red in this dialogue. Phaedo states that Socrates does not object to dying because he believes in the existence of the soul and knows that the soul will cross over to be with the gods and with other men who have already made this journey to the afterlife: Although I was witnessing the death of one who was my friend, I had no feeling of pity, for the man appeared happy both in manner and words as he died nobly and without fear. . . (Grube 94). This afterlife is actually superior to this world because the gods are wise and good and the men who have joined the gods have already proven themselves and are thus, as a group, better than the men in the world of the living. Socrates sees death as an opportunity for a new learning experience, much as he sees every aspect of life as something to be savored and examined for its essential nature and meaning. When Socrates offers proofs for immortality, he does so on the basis of the application of reason alone, beginning with certain propositions and following them through logically to a conclusion. As will be seen, this approach is bound with Socrates's view that he has an understanding of what he does not know and also with the Platonic conception of the Forms. For Plato, there is
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Approximate Word count = 1645
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)

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