Williamson 1 Betsalel Williamson PHL 101-AC02 Dr.

Cristina Bucur Sunday, January 27, 2013

Is Socrates' philosophical path a path to courage or to arrogance?

In order to answer this question I must first analyze the different aspects of courage and arrogance including how they are similar and different. They are similar in the aspect that they are assigned to human reactions. These labels cannot be self-assigned. In my opinion, they are dissimilar in that courage as a positive trait and arrogance as a negative trait. Courage is to truth as arrogance is to ignorance. Specifically in the Apology we deal with the topic of death. Socrates debates the issue of death as one of truth and knowledge versus one of doubt and ignorance. He says that those in the pursuit of truth will not fear death as they are in wonder about what happens after they expire from this world. Those who are ignorant will fear death because they pretend to know what happens in the after life and they place undue judgement and doubt on the way the lived their life. In the journey of life the path of courage will lead to positive introspection, and wonder of the world around us. The path of arrogance will lead to a false sense of completion and ignorance of the world. The trial in which Socrates finds himself is in fact deciding whether Socrates has led the youth with courage or with ignorance. The accusers regard Socrates as an atheist and corruptor of the youth. He has no doubt led a life of arrogance and should be put to death for influencing others to join in his folly. However, Socrates went through and showed how the leading politicians, poets, and artisans were on the path of arrogance as they thought so highly of themselves. In Socrates eyes knowledge was not an absolute. It was impossible for man to think himself wise because it was up to others to bestow that title upon you. In being arrogant it is inherently impossible to be in the search of truth. It is only through courage that you would dare ask questions that would dig to the core of an issue. It is because that Socrates did not view himself as wise and was in the pursuit of finding true wisdom that I find his path one of courage.