Plato’s Book Review - the Last Days of Socrates

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He also claimed an oracle of Apollo deemed him the wisest of men and all he was attempting to do was seek wiser men than him in an attempt to discover god’s meaning. Socrates states that the reason young Athenian men sought him as a mentor was because they enjoyed watching him cross-examine others not because he was impious. He also claimed in Apology that it would be an act of injustice to accuse him of corruption when he said, “if any given one of these people becomes a good citizen or a bad one, I cannot with justice be held responsible, since I have never promised or imparted any teaching to anybody”. (60)

Finally, the religious nature of Classical Greek was an important arena in the The Last Days of Plato. Greeks were polytheistic who were expected to follow the religion of the State and that religion only or risk being sentenced to death. Despite being accused of being an atheist and charged with not accepting the state religion and failure to conform, Socrates did believe in the gods and found seeking out religious knowledge highly important. He made this clear when talking to Euthyphro in Apology when he says, “…I’d say for my part I’d always, even in the past, considered it of great importance to know about religious matters, and that now, since he claims that I’m at fault in improvising and innovating questions of religion…”(13) Meletus claimed the Socrates sought out physical explanations for the way the world worked rather than adhering to the state accepted idea that all things were controlled by the gods, and also that he created new gods. Socrates was very set in his belief of the immortal nature of the soul. When Socrates is speaking to Cebes in Phaedo it is further proven that he believes in the idea of a God or gods by saying, “And I imagine that it would be admitted by everyone that God at any rate, and the Form of Life, and anything else that is un-dying, can never cease to exist.” (185)

It becomes evident by reading The Last Days of Socrates; modern students can see the faults of traditional Athenian ways. This is apparent in political/legal, educational, and religious aspects of the society. It can also be said those aspects are interconnected in the book. Socrates was essentially sentenced to death by drinking hemlock because he disagreed with the most powerful people in the government. Socrates clearly believed in gods, but he sought to learn more and become wiser. In doing so, he went against the Athenian state, which ultimately led to his demise. Socrates was so dedicated to his practices of philosophy and beliefs that he was unwilling to renounce them even if it meant saving his life. Justice was of extreme importance to Socrates. It can be said that Socrates was somewhat of a martyr in later years.

Reference List

Plato. Tredennick, H. (Trans.). (1969). The Last Days of Socrates (H. Tarrant, Ed.). Harmondsworth: Penguin Books.