PHILOSOPHY 1313 THE EXAMINED LIFE GRADE 0 1 2 3 Reading Response A 1 1 Apology pp 22 17a 28 24b 1 Full Name McKayla Bobbitt Section 1 PART I READING QUESTIONS 1 Who are Socrates first accusers Support your answer with passages from the text Socrates first accusers are the men who have been spreading the belief that Socrates is a wise man a student of all things in the sky and below the earth who makes the worse argument the stronger 18b These men have been stating these things about Socrates for years they got hold of most of you from childhood 18b Socrates only specifies toward one accuser Aristophanes with his comment one cannot even know or mention their names unless one of them is a writer of comedies 18d Why do you think Socrates feels that it is necessary to defend himself against these 2 individuals first The men in the courtroom have heard these men talk about Socrates since childhood 18b and he believes he must first address the oldest issue before pursuing a more recent one I must first defend myself against the latter early accusers for you have also heard their accusations first and to a much greater extent than the more recent I must surely defend myself and attempt to uproot from your minds in so short a time the slander that has resided there so long 18e 19a It is much harder to appeal to a courtroom of people who have a fixed idea of who you are such as these men have about Socrates 3 In your own words explain what Socrates first accusers are accusing him of Socrates first accusers are saying he is a wise man who studies the world and does no focus on the gods They make it seem as though he is consumed by his work to the point that he can argue effectively toward his issue he makes the worse argument stronger 19c The believe Socrates teaches the things he studies to others thus spreading false doctrine He also presents the fact that he is being accused of charging fees to the people he teaches And if you have heard from anyone that I undertake to teach and charge a fee for it that is not true either 19d What does Socrates maintain has caused him to have the reputation that has led these 4 accusations Socrates refers to a situation his friend Chaerephon encountered He states his friends experiences were usually impulsive 21a and continues to say Chaerephon went to Delphi to meet with an oracle and 2 asked him if any man was wiser than I Socrates and the Pythian replied that no one was wiser 21a He later states he is not trying to be boastful but simply stating what he believes to be the origin of these accusations 5 What does Socrates do in response to hearing the news from the Oracle at Delphi After hearing the story from his friend Socrates began to question himself in saying Whatever does the god mean What is his riddle I Socrates am very conscious that I am not wise at all what does he mean by saying I am the wisest For surely he does not lie it is not legitimate to do so 21b Socrates then ventures out to find someone wiser than he so he may then say that he is not the wisest I went to one of those reputed wise thinking that there if anywhere I could refute the oracle 21b 21c 6 In what way does Socrates think he is wiser than the public man he questions Socrates begins questioning a public figure a man who is known for his wisdom After examining this man Socrates came to the conclusion that this man appeared wise to many people and especially to himself but he was not 21c 21d He then continued forth in his actions and tried proving to this man that he was not wise thus creating an enemy with this public figure As a result he came to dislike me and so did many of the bystanders 21d He then comes to the conclusion that he is wiser than this man it is likely that neither of us knows anything worthwhile but he the public figure thinks he knows something when he does not whereas when I Socrates do not know neither do I think I know so I am likely to be wiser than he to this small extent 21d What do the poets and writers lack according to Socrates that prevents them from being 7 wise Socrates believes that the poets have no knowledge or understanding of their own writing they simply write by some inborn talent and by inspiration 22c Socrates had questioned these men on some of their hardest work and saw that the audience understood more than the writers Almost all the bystanders might have explained the poems better than their authors could 22c He refers to the poets as seers and prophets who also say many fine things without any understanding of what they say 22c 8 Does Socrates questioning of Euthyphro in the previous dialogue i e Euthyphro support the claims he is making here Support your answer by appealing to specific passages from the two texts I believe Socrates questioning of Euthyphro goes hand in hand with the claims he makes in court Socrates stated to have questioned a well known public figure who appeared to be wise to himself and others which is what he did with Euthyphro He states how Euthyphro was seen as a wise man If you agree that Euthyphro is wise in these matters 5b but he later proves Euthyphro to be ignorant in what he says he knows about piety you have cast me down from a great hope I had that I would learn from you the nature of the pious and impious by showing I had acquired wisdom in divine matters from Euthyphro 15e 16 3 PART II CRITICAL RESPONSE A Type out in its entirety a passage from the reading that you find significant or interesting i e one that you think merits further in class discussion And if you have heard from anyone that I undertake to teach people and charge a fee for it that is not true either Yet I think it a fine thing to be able to teach people this kind of excellence the human and social kind Certainly I would pride and preen myself if I had this knowledge but I do not have it gentlemen 19d 20c B Explain why you think the passage is significant meriting further in class discussion I believe it shows Socrates love for knowledge and desire to teach It shows how if Socrates was really teaching other his beliefs he would pride himself in that and no deny it So obviously he would not be standing in court with false accusations and appealing his case before the judge if that was the situation C State and clarify at least one question which the passage raises How can a man who prides himself in knowledge deny that …