Socrates on Trial
• Socrates was defending himself against two charges brought forth by Meletus
– Corruption of the youth of Athens by turning them against religion
– Atheism
• The real complaints against Socrates were:
– Special Knowledge of things beyond what is seen – Making the worse argument appear stronger
The Sophists
• It was the Sophists who claimed to make
the worse argument appear better
• Their goal is mere persuasion, even if this
requires eloquent falsehood
• The goal of Socrates was to speak the
truth in a plain way
The Oracle
• The Delphic Oracle had stated that no one is wiser than Socrates
• Since Socrates did not think he was wise, he unsuccessfully sought out someone wiser
The Politicians
• Those with the highest reputation are the
most deficient.
The Poets
• Almost all those listening could explain the
meaning.
• Don’t understand what they are writing.
They have in born talent or inspiration.
• Seers
• Thought themselves wise in very many
respects.
Higher?
• When dreaming I'm guided to another world Time and time again
At sunrise I fight to stay asleep
'Cause I don't want to leave the comfort of this place 'Cause there's a hunger, a longing to escape
From the life I live when I'm awake So let's go there
Let's make our escape Come on, let's go there Let's ask can we stay? Can you take me Higher?
To a place where blind men see Can you take me Higher?
To a place with golden streets
Although I would like our world to change It helps me to appreciate
Those nights and those dreams
But, my friend, I'd sacrifice all those nights
If I could make the Earth and my dreams the same The only difference is
To let love replace all our hate So let's go there
Let's make our escape Come on, let's go there Let's ask can we stay?
Can you take me higher?
• The song was written after Stapp used the
technique to stop a recurring nightmare he had been experiencing in which he was pursued and killed by a gunman. In the dream, he would turn left at the end of a highway and hide under a
bridge, only to be found by his assailant and shot. When he had studied lucid dreaming and tried the technique, he was able to turn right and escape the gunman. Stapp stated that after he wrote the lyrics, he never had the dream again.
Litsztomania Lyrics
• So sentimental, not sentimental no Romantic not discussing it
Darling, I'm down and lonely when with the fortunate only
I've been looking for something else Duel it, duel it, duel it, juggle it, duel it, duel it, duel
• Let's go slowly discouraged Distant from other interests
on your favorite weekend ending This love's for gentlemen only that's with the fortunate only No, I gotta be someone else
These days it comes, it comes, it comes, it comes, it comes and goes
• Lisztomania
Think less but see it grow like a riot, like a riot, oh Not easily offended Know how to let it go
from the mess to the masses • Lisztomania
Think less but see it grow like a riot, like a riot, oh Not easily offended Know how to let it go
Lisztomania
• i think it's about how you sometimes have to find yourself when you come out of a relationship...you can't discuss it, you can burn the pictures, the memories might still be fresh, but in the end it's something that has to be born out of the ashes and you don't quite know what it is until you take a look at yourself and you realise you are
somehow different. anyway, i can relate. the thing i really like about this song is that phoenix manage to capture something indefinable about time and relationships
changing, maybe stopping to think that it's not as easy as it seems to be. "from the mess to the masses" maybe it's about indifference, like "yeah i don't care. do
whatever." please, more people write about this, i'd like to know what you think.
Lisztomania
• Lisztomania or Liszt fever was the intense fan frenzy directed toward Franz Liszt during his performances. This frenzy first
occurred in Berlin in 1841 and the term was later coined by Heinrich Heine in a feuilleton he wrote on April 25, 1844, discussing the 1844 Parisian concert season. Lisztomania was characterized by intense levels of hysteria demonstrated by fans, akin to the treatment
of celebrity musicians today, but in a time not known for such musical hysterics.--Wikipedia
The Craftsmen
• They knew things Socrates did not know in Socrates’
estimation this made them wise in some respect.
• Because of their knowledge of their craft they thought themselves wise in areas in which they were not.
Of course I can tell you about wisdom.
• The conclusion Socrates drew was that he
was wise only because he knew he was not
wise.
• By exposing pretensions to wisdom,
Socrates was serving the Oracle
• Socratic Humility is Intellectual Humility
Corruption of Youth
• Bad people do harm to those around them
• So by corrupting the young people around
him, Socrates was endangering himself
• But he is not so ignorant as to do this
deliberately
• So either he does not corrupt youth, or he
does not do so willingly
Atheism
• Meletus charged Socrates with not believing in the gods of Athens
• But Socrates tried to work in service of the gods, so he must believe they exist
• Socrates followed a divine voice (his “dæmon”)
• Socrates also does not fear death, as is befitting for someone in divine service
Excellence of the Soul
• Socrates’s mission is to teach that each
person should attain the best possible
state of the soul
• Excellence of the soul yields wealth and
other goods, rather than vice-versa
The Jury
• The jury can bring no harm to Socrates
• But by condemning a man carrying out a
useful mission of the gods, they harm
themselves
• There would be no one left to expose their
pretensions to wisdom
Guilty
• It is shameful to beg for mercy from the jury, so Socrates does not do so
• The jury responds by finding him guilty • Meletus asks for the death penalty
Punishment
• Socrates does not want to be imprisoned • He has no money to pay a fine
• If exiled, he would meet the same fate again • Recommending a punishment would be
recommending that evil be done to him
• Socrates ironically proposes that instead he be rewarded for the benefits he has bestowed upon the Athenians. Meals in the hall of the
Olympians.
• Finally, he proposes to pay a fine from funds provided by his friends, including Plato
The Unexamined Life…
Consequences
• The jury will create a
greater problem by
eliminating Socrates
• His followers will be
Death
• He is not afraid of death
• He doesn’t fear what he doesn’t know.
• Some people say death is either a dreamless sleep or a passage to another life
• A dreamless sleep is desirable
• In an afterlife, Socrates would be judged by
upright judges and join the company of the dead sages
