Socrates and His Representations Essay
In Plato’s The Republic Socrates presents two main definitions of justice that are committed to presenting human tendency to help other people. The philosopher also claims that people should not do any harm to each other even if they are enemies, which is the core meaning of being just. Although most of Socrates’s views on justice are heavily criticized, Socrates still believed that the states should be ruled by philosophers because their ability to negotiate and resolve conflict would prevent the corruption of the administrative system. This layer of society is also able to predict human inclination to be influenced by power, which leads to creation of such political systems as oligarchy and democracy. In this respect, it should be stressed that the narration introduces Socrates in a vigorous opposition to democracy.
Plato’s Apology represents the most reliable evidence about the Socrates as a historical figure. This is of particular concern to the interpretation of Socrates’s political and philosophical visions. The admission of ignorance, therefore, was considered a strong foundation for philosophy as a science, which leads to developing new experience and knowledge. Further elaborated discussions were dedicated to the analysis of Socrates’s criticism of corrupted system of government. Based on philosophers’ ignorance ideology, he still believed that even if a man was ignorant, he could still become a wise ruler. In this respect, the source provides an extensive overview of Socrates’s views on philosophy and political life.
The Death of Socrates represented by French artist Jacques-Louis David introduces the story of the philosopher’s execution as a punishment for his criticism of Critias. His death, therefore, is also represented as the final lesson for his pupils. Once again, the painting interprets Socrates’s stoic personality, as well as his emotional distress. The picture also introduces Socrates’s indifferent attitude to death, as well as his full commitment to his ideals. Most of his pupils surrounded him in grief and ignored the moment of Socrates’s emotional weakness. The scene depicted in the picture introduces philosopher’s great concern with the science and political situation, as well as with existential matters.
Finally, Nietzsche’s The Problem of Socrates imports the idea that the teaching of Socrates has long been misinterpreted over the years. In particular, the philosopher’s vision was confined to the learning more about rationality and morality, as well as the how a person can achieve wisdom without knowledge acquisition. In particular, Nietzsche believes that a consensus on Socrates’s true teaching has a different meaning and is more associated with his hostile attitude to life where morality and rationality are weapons to resist the existed ideology.
With regard to different interpretations presented above, the strongest evidence is introduced in Plato’s Apology because it is the first dialogue introduced as a primary document. In particular, the source introduces a multifaceted analysis of Socrates’ personality and his philosophical outlook on life. In addition, Apology also introduced rich cultural and historical contexts, characterizing and supporting ideological vision and teaching of Socrates. More importantly, it also produces evaluation of Socrates’s relationships with other philosophers, particular his overt opposition to their accusations. Finally, the philosopher also rejected the political system, which is also brightly revealed in the source under analysis. The discussion is worth for forwarding development and analysis of further facts about this historic figure because it provides overwhelming information on various arguments.
