The Last Days of Socrates

Rating:
Summary: let's not argue
Review: First, let me commend this book on it's ability to maintain relevance over the course of hundreds, even thousands of years. It is a necessity to any "rooty" student of philosophy.

Secondly, let me acknowledge that Socrates was a seemingly unhuman grace to the acomplishments of the human race. However, as he encouraged us to face rational facts as opposed to common beliefs, you must face the reality that in fact Socrates had sex with young boys, as was the norm for that era in Greek history. There are no questions. Most of the great minds did, though I am both a devotee to their teachings and wise to the ugliness of those actions.

If Aristotle killed a stranger would that make his work of lesser importance?

Let me stress that dignity in experiences (your 4 years of study) should not extend to close the mind but to expand it. We are reading passionate works of a man who shaped our world.

To argue irrationally on the topic of Socrates is to hit a man who disrespects Gandhi.

Rating:
Summary: The Masterpiece of Plato
Review: I wondered that why there isn't any church putting Jacque Louis-David's painting the Death of Socrates on the wall. If you hear the story of Socrates' sarcrifice, you would understand why this old man is worth of the worship from millions. Imagine you are in the situation of Socrates. Assume that you are a patriotic citizen of a country. For all the years of your life, you try to make your fellow citizen smart and do them goods by spending all your time making speeches on the streets, defending justice and teaching the students without any charges. Assume that you have annoyed the ruling class of this country and they prosecute you on the court for corrupting the youths of your country-they could not prove that though. Assume your fellow citizen vote and put you to death on the court for you are too poor to pay a satisfactory fine and reject to proclaiming justice in exchange for your release. Assume that your best friend asks you to escape from jail since it is unjust for you to accept this unreasonable condemnation, and he guarantees that all the financial problems would be taken care of and your friends who help you escape would not be suffered, so that you can live in the countries that you prefer and raise your children by yourselves. Is anybody there would refuse to escape? However, Socrates does. He launches three arugements. 1. We should never injury others on any circumstances. Escape from jail and breaks the laws is certainly an act that would put the Laws of Athens on the blink of destruction. 2. You should respect your country's command as if you respect your parents. Since a person's birth, his country provides the protections, regulates the supply of food and enriches him with education. Thus, a person shouls respect his country like or more than he respects his parents. 3. There is a contract between the government and the people. If a person does not like the Laws of a country, he can choose to leave it. If he chooses to stay, that means he signs the contract with government of not ! breaking the laws. If he does not break the laws, the government can't do anything on him. If he does, the government reserves the rights to punish him or even execute him.

This book comprises the last part of Socrates' life: Euthyphro, the cause of his accusation, The Apology ,his cross-interrogation at the court, Crito, his refusal to escape from jail, and Phaedo, his Sarcrifice. There are the most important chapters in Plato. The weight of Socrates' sarcrifice is like the cruxifiction of Christ; if he does not die, he is not the Messiah. So, if you don't have too much time to read the Complete Works of Plato, this book undoubtedly would be the best choice for you to understand Plato.

Rating:
Summary: W.J. Knapp is quite ignorant!
Review: Just like the other person who said that W.J. Knapp's review is, essentially, incredible and ridiculous, I, too, think that he knows nothing of Socrates. I have studied ancient philosophy for the last 4 years, specifically Socrates and Plato!, and this "Baptist Minister" is quite ignorant of Socrates and his ostensible love affairs with young men. There is NO evidence for any claim that says that Socrates slept with young men. He even resisted Alcibiades when Alcibiades wanted to sleep with him (read Alcibiades, by Plato)! He also died for a cause; he did not die for nothing! Besides Jesus, and possibly the apostle Paul, Socrates was the best man who had ever lived--and I am a devout Christian saying this! HE WAS A MARTYR! HE DID NOT BELIEVE WHAT THE GREEKS OF HIS TIME BELIEVED AS REGARDS GOD! In sum, do not pay heed to what W.J. Knapp says; he is obviously ignorant about the TRUTH! And you, W.J. Knapp, call yourself a Baptist! Besides bashing Knapp's comment, I would like to say that this book is great; an excellent read, and it stimulates one's mind, challenging one to consider things anew. It is also a wonderful story about the most influential philosopher who died for what he belived in: the TRUTH! I hope that each one of you finds this book as enjoyable as I do each time I read it! God Bless!

The following is a reply to Eric's recent comment (January 20, 2005)

It seems as if Eric does not know what he is talking about, for his logic is both fallacious and implausible. Just because many male Greeks in that era had sex with young boys, this does not necessarily prove that Socrates did. Not everyone in that era had sex with young boys; now did they, Eric?! His argument would not be right even if, say, 999,999 male Greeks out of 1,000,000 did have sex with young boys. If anyone was the exception, it would be Socrates. Moreover, as a philosophy professor (who is knowledgable specifically in the ancient philosophy period), I have studied this man quite in depth, and his character and daimon would certainly proscribe such immoral conduct. For, even if it was not deemed heinous or immoral in that era, that does not mean that Socrates deemed it moral. Lastly, perhaps you have not read many of the Platonic dialogues, but in one of them Socrates even had a chance to sleep with the finest young boy in Greece (Alcibiades); but he refused! Socrates did not have sex with young boys. There are no questions! Let us hope that this argument has eliminated any difficulties you, or anyone else for that matter, are struggling with. All in all, the book is wonderful, and I recommend it to anyone, even if he thinks Socrates did have sex with young boys!



Rating:
Summary: great book
Review: The only "sad case" is for the critic below, who while being an independant baptist minister, is so blinded by his prejudice as to ingore the universal truths in this book. The archetypal death of a martyr is described here in all its glory. Great Book!