Duxwing
I've Overcome Existential Despair
- Local time
- Today 5:26 PM
- Joined
- Sep 9, 2012
- Messages
- 3,783
Dear Forum,
I've just finished reading a fraction of the Wikipedia article on Socrates' Apology, and almost everything that Socrates said resonated with me; I realize that I, in so stating, compare myself with this hero, but I will post my reaction and generalization nonetheless. Note that very little of that he complains happens to me on this forum. The vast majority of it occurs or has occurred outside these hallowed halls.
Socrates' defense raises so many problems with which I can identify. He points out how a satire of his character has poisoned the jurors' minds in the impressionable years of their youth; I too have faced such demonization by those who play social forces like a harp as I defend my thesis. Moreover, he faces the more specific charge of arrogance, one so very often leveled at me by those who do not understand the difference between the calm certainty of valid logic and belief in personal access to ultimate truth. Like Socrates, I must often state that I do not see myself as knowing anything of particularly nobility or wisdom, and I am met with yet more attempted enforcement of the social hierarchy.
Furthermore, he relentlessly and rigorously cross-examines the prosecution, finding one of them to have raised contradictory charges of atheism and belief in other gods. He finds each to be a pretentious poser, a phony and a fake, and declares that he would rather be himself than anyone else. Brave words when staring down an angry mob. Indeed, Socrates' courage is what most impresses me in his apology: the courage to question everyone and everything, to name names when the wrong word could earn him a dagger in his back, to stare down an angry mob of his peers and enemies and stick to his conclusions until new evidence came to light, no matter how great the threat to his person. One could even say that Socrates had struck upon existentialism long before its time. He may have recognized that repudiating his beliefs because of fear would have been the destruction of his true self in favor of an acquired persona. In other words, he may have known that he faced death in any case.
And the charges too relate to me. Corrupting the youth and believing in other ideas than the norm are charges often leveled at me. And I cannot say that I have been as brave as Socrates when faced with the threats of my parents when trying to deprogram the religious indoctrination of my younger brother. For that reason, I look up to the man, and not across to him. He is a hero to me. Of course, he is not without his faults. He believes in supernatural beings and sees himself as the greatest good to come upon Athens in a long time, but to dismiss him for these minor faults would be to miss the greater courage of his life: to put right and wrong, however defined, above all else.
In essence, Socrates embodies the ideal INTP: genius, wise, eloquent, and dedicated to understanding. Indeed, he states that he will practice philosophy as long as he is alive and has his faculties of reason. That kind of determination and willpower is nothing short of heroic, at least in my opinion. Yet here I can claim to have approached his stature: pondering the universe and its mysteries is something that I can't stop doing. Until my last breath passes my lips--and indeed, as it does--I will reason. Perhaps one day I will achieve his glory as he did.
Of course, one might argue that Socrates ought to have capitulated and done something else, but not only would foresaking his ideals would have been unbearable, tragic, and almost impossible for him (as it would be for me) Socrates was an old soldier--literally. Grass grows, birds fly, and buddy, he hurts people. Dori and hoplon in hand, fighting the enemy tooth and nail for every inch of blood-stained soil, Socrates learned courage and even fearlessness in the face of death. And death was upon him even if he were acquitted, for Socrates was old. He faced death from all sides: by hemlock if he lost, by heartbreak if he lied, and by illness if he won. To that end, I believe that Socrates realized every INTP's dream: to speak truth to power, point out the emperor's lack of clothes, and tear the foe's argument to shreds before his weeping eyes, to stand courageous before the mob and brave storm of feelings and traditions, cold, beautiful reason shining bright as the morning sun, to put logic and valor first.
If I were to be going out, then I'd want to go out like this. One last dance with logic and rhetoric before the world, then out like a light.
So how do you see The Apology?
-Duxwing
I've just finished reading a fraction of the Wikipedia article on Socrates' Apology, and almost everything that Socrates said resonated with me; I realize that I, in so stating, compare myself with this hero, but I will post my reaction and generalization nonetheless. Note that very little of that he complains happens to me on this forum. The vast majority of it occurs or has occurred outside these hallowed halls.
Socrates' defense raises so many problems with which I can identify. He points out how a satire of his character has poisoned the jurors' minds in the impressionable years of their youth; I too have faced such demonization by those who play social forces like a harp as I defend my thesis. Moreover, he faces the more specific charge of arrogance, one so very often leveled at me by those who do not understand the difference between the calm certainty of valid logic and belief in personal access to ultimate truth. Like Socrates, I must often state that I do not see myself as knowing anything of particularly nobility or wisdom, and I am met with yet more attempted enforcement of the social hierarchy.
Furthermore, he relentlessly and rigorously cross-examines the prosecution, finding one of them to have raised contradictory charges of atheism and belief in other gods. He finds each to be a pretentious poser, a phony and a fake, and declares that he would rather be himself than anyone else. Brave words when staring down an angry mob. Indeed, Socrates' courage is what most impresses me in his apology: the courage to question everyone and everything, to name names when the wrong word could earn him a dagger in his back, to stare down an angry mob of his peers and enemies and stick to his conclusions until new evidence came to light, no matter how great the threat to his person. One could even say that Socrates had struck upon existentialism long before its time. He may have recognized that repudiating his beliefs because of fear would have been the destruction of his true self in favor of an acquired persona. In other words, he may have known that he faced death in any case.
And the charges too relate to me. Corrupting the youth and believing in other ideas than the norm are charges often leveled at me. And I cannot say that I have been as brave as Socrates when faced with the threats of my parents when trying to deprogram the religious indoctrination of my younger brother. For that reason, I look up to the man, and not across to him. He is a hero to me. Of course, he is not without his faults. He believes in supernatural beings and sees himself as the greatest good to come upon Athens in a long time, but to dismiss him for these minor faults would be to miss the greater courage of his life: to put right and wrong, however defined, above all else.
In essence, Socrates embodies the ideal INTP: genius, wise, eloquent, and dedicated to understanding. Indeed, he states that he will practice philosophy as long as he is alive and has his faculties of reason. That kind of determination and willpower is nothing short of heroic, at least in my opinion. Yet here I can claim to have approached his stature: pondering the universe and its mysteries is something that I can't stop doing. Until my last breath passes my lips--and indeed, as it does--I will reason. Perhaps one day I will achieve his glory as he did.
Of course, one might argue that Socrates ought to have capitulated and done something else, but not only would foresaking his ideals would have been unbearable, tragic, and almost impossible for him (as it would be for me) Socrates was an old soldier--literally. Grass grows, birds fly, and buddy, he hurts people. Dori and hoplon in hand, fighting the enemy tooth and nail for every inch of blood-stained soil, Socrates learned courage and even fearlessness in the face of death. And death was upon him even if he were acquitted, for Socrates was old. He faced death from all sides: by hemlock if he lost, by heartbreak if he lied, and by illness if he won. To that end, I believe that Socrates realized every INTP's dream: to speak truth to power, point out the emperor's lack of clothes, and tear the foe's argument to shreds before his weeping eyes, to stand courageous before the mob and brave storm of feelings and traditions, cold, beautiful reason shining bright as the morning sun, to put logic and valor first.
If I were to be going out, then I'd want to go out like this. One last dance with logic and rhetoric before the world, then out like a light.
So how do you see The Apology?
-Duxwing
