History Of Socrates of Athens-Who was He

 

Socrates of Athens-Who was He History Millionwar

Socrates of Athens-Who was He

You must have seen this building where leaders of the world take pride in getting pictured. It is Parthenon of Athens where the statue of Athena, the godess of power and wisdom stood 2500 years ago. Downhill between Parthenon and the Athena statue a complete city was facing. A sculptor lived on the other height from where the goddess of Athena and Parthenon were quite visible. Standing at this height, the son of the sculptor used to question himself, how a statue could safeguard the city?

Many questions struck his mind which had no answer. These questions led him to the bowl of poison. It was Socrates, the great martyr of the truth. I am Sadaqat Ali of Who was He I will tell you the tale of this great genius. Socrates as boy used to observe his father chiseling the stones with pointed and sharp tools... in a manner that the image of a lion was shaped out of it. The appearance of the beautiful shapes from the stones wondered him.

Once he asked his father how he chose the tools suitable to bear hammering for carving out a shape?

And how much and where hammering could produce a particular form?

The father being busy with his job ignored the query saying, "I will let you know all when you grow up." But Socrates would not wait till he was grown-up and wanted a quick answer. The father replied, "for it you need to imagine the lion inside the stone." "You feel the lion caged in the stone and you are determined to free it." Now the better you will see the lion inside the stone... the stronger will be your sense in using the right kind of tools and the required hammering... that would liberate the lion." This answer impressed Socrates too much. The mother of Socrates was the midwife when his father was a sculptor. One day he asked his mother the nature of her job. The mother replied, "I only help the mother to deliver the baby and nothing else." The mother replied, "I only help the mother to deliver the baby and nothing else." Socrates picked up a little sense of if but he continued to think and went asleep with his mother. From the answers of his parents, Socrates got the point that actual things were hidden and invisible. It was up to us to deliver them otherwise they remained curtained behind our ignorance. Like others, the mother of Socrates used to tell Socrates the stories of the gods and goddesses at night. Socrates was in the habit of asking questions so he also raised points on these tales. On the queries about the gods and the goddesses, the mother silenced him mentioning their respectable place. But Socrates was an embodiment of asking questions.

 

History Of  Socrates of Athens-Who was He Millionwar

He was in a fix to understand that if the gods and the goddesses had so much elevated positions...

then why they hate, show jealousy, anger and fight like the common people.

Why they punish the people and inflict perdition on them?

He reflected but he failed to get the answer. He wanted to know the answer but putting questions meant landing oneself in troubled waters. The kids and the grownups did not even pay attention to Socrates, let alone giving answer to his questions. Because unlike other Greeks, he did not have an attractive face. When he was young, people called his names due to his unattractive face. He felt much teased by it and thought why some were beautiful and others had ugly faces?

With these questions in mind he used to go a potter. Here he continued to watch the earth being a given a particular shape on a heap of lime.

He asked the potter why his pots were so beautiful?

There were many other potters but why particularly your pots were so distinctive?

The potter replied, "I do not know much but I can say a beautiful pot is good and free of defects."

Now Socrates had begun to understand somewhat. That the way beautiful statues came out of the stones and the pots from the earth... same way the answers to his questions would also come out the layers of darkness. On growing up Socrates also had to adopt the family vocation. But his father soon learned his son could not become a good sculptor. And it was not because of shying the work by Socrates but some other reason. The reason that Socrates was more inclined to knowing about the people than the stones.He was more interested in the customers than selling things, so he used to have long discussions with them. It was an era when Athens was the most popular city in the world. It was the only City where democracy was followed. It was not the democracy as enforced today, but in its early form. In that democracy only males had the right to vote to decide important matters that also related to the courts. The people of Athens took huge pride in democracy as its pioneer. The ships almost from all over the world, anchored at the coasts of Athens. The people from the outside world, were amazed to see the splendid statues made of marbles. They thought magicians had made these statues and got chance to learn new things. But Socrates was following a different line . He drew one question from another and sought the answer from those who met him. Socrates used to question veracity of an answer no matter how a person would be sure about it. He used to hold long debate to know the opposite of what had been answered. His lengthy cross questioning puzzled the others. Some people deliberately put a question to him to get a series of queries from him. People liked Socrates not as a serious person but a conjurer. It was the time when popularity of Socrates was growing throughout Athens. The gods and the goddess and their tales over the generations had big role in the life of Athens. No-one could tolerate anything against the gods and the goddesses. Any question by Socrates on the god and the goddesses was countered through conventional tales about them. But the people disliked questions on them. Most of the Greek gods lived in the skies. Among Apollo was the god of sun, Jupiter the principal god of the heavens. And Selene was the goddess of the moon. But one day a Greek jolted both Socrates and Athens. One day Socrates was helping his parents in the construction of a big temple. When a person came along with an eminent politician of the city, Pericles. This man had been observing the skies and the heavenly bodies over the years. This man was Anaxagoras who said that no gods and the goddesses lived in the skies. And that the sun, the planets and the moon were just rocks. Rather the moon did not have its own light and received it from the sun. There were ditches on the moon where human beings may also be present. It was amazing to know all this 2500 years ago when no scientific instruments like telescope, were available. The people of Athens turned against Anaxagoras due to this thoughts. Regarding Socrates as a wise man, the custodian of the temple asked him."Do you also think, the sun and the moon are not gods but pieces of metal." The custodian expected Socrates going against Anaxagoras. But Socrates did not deny Anaxagoras saying, " I do not have argument to counter his views. Similarly, I also can not support his ideas. Therefore I have not reached any conclusion so far." The custodian and his associates became highly displeased with this answer from Socrates.

They asked him, "what matters you to draw a conclusion from it?

Whether our elders were liars? Whether our gods are liars? You sound us also against the gods."

It was the discourse that produced rivals of Socrates in Athens. In the meantime, a Court in Athens summoned Anaxagoras and he was tried for apostasy. He was to be subject to death or banishment in case of conviction. Some members of the Judiciary liked Anaxagoras who saved him from death and ordered to banish him. Hence an astrologist could hardly save his life and went back to his country. Anaxagoras came and left but he had changed Socrates forever. Socrates realized that only wonder and questions were not sufficient to fathom the truth. For it interaction with the experienced and intellectuals was very necessary. Therefore Socrates embarked on that job. He bore in his mind that Athens did not value a highly intelligent person. He recalled the words of Anaxagoras that "I am born to explore the universe and not for fame and comfort." It was a changed Socrates becoming popular not only in Athens but in the whole of Greece. Now he was counted among the philosophers. People felt honour in inviting him to their home while outsiders aspired to see him. But Socrates imposed a 'self-sensor.' He did not openly talk his views. Because he had witnessed the end of Anaxagoras. Despite that he use to convey his thoughts in plain talks. His disciples like Plato, Crito and others regarded him as the most intelligent man in the world. The statue of the principal god, Apollo, stood in a temple in another city of Greece, Delphi. Beneath that statue a devout woman was seated.The Greek gods put questions to the Apollo and she would answer them. It was mass belief that whatever this devotee said, in fact was from the god Apollo. The popular belief was so firm that a passionate disciple of Socrates, Chaerephon went to the temple of Apollo. He asked the devotee in the temple, whether any other in Athens was more intelligent than Socrates?

He received the answer that "no-one is more intelligent than Socrates." The jubilant Chaerephon ran towards the city to tell the people that the Apollo also declared Socrates a genius. Nobody was wiser than Socrates. This narrative divided the people of Athens after a section admitted what Apollo had said about Socrates. While others made fun of it saying, Chaerephon had bribed the devotee to get favourable opinion. But it was Socrates himself the most surprised person on the Apollo's remarks. He thought Apollo must have used his name as an example. "I am ignorant and still believe I am so. The occult voice of the god, has termed me the most intelligence as I understand my lack of knowledge" After this endorsement by the god, Socrates became a big attraction for the youth. A gathering of youth had such a person who played a key role in the life and death of Socrates. It was Alcibiades, a charismatic young man of Greece. He was the member of a rich elite family and naval commander. He was well known for this bravery and masculine features. This man was equally impressed and jealous by the popularity of Socrates. He wanted Socrates to admire him like other Greeks did. He became a pupil of Socrates. But Socrates was not impressed by his attraction and riches. This fact brought Alcibiades further near to Socrates. Once a decision was taken by the authorities to send an army mission from Athens to Sicilian island. Alcibiades was appointed commander of the mission that failed miserably. The mission was failed so badly that the fleet of Athens was destroyed and the soldiers either killed or arrested. Alcibiades did not return after this expedition and joined Spartans, the rivals of Athens. It goes that he did not come back since he feared his death sentence in Athens. Alcibiades also took away the goodwill and popularity of Socrates. As Alicdiades was declared the worst traitor in Athens and Socrates named his teacher.Since a section of people was dead against Socrates. So it took to malign Socrates connecting him with Alcibiades.

 

History Of  Socrates of Athens-Who was He Millionwar

There was a central theater in Athens where dramas were performed. So Socrates was jeered at in these dramas. Socrates was portrayed as a damned person in these dramas. He was depicted as a person who had denied existence of the gods... and instigated the youth into debate with the elders. These plays were growing in popularity but at the same time Socrates was also anticipating threats. Because these dramas were produced by a particular class of people that was quite influential. This class was also in power. In this situation Athens had another tragedy that ruined the grandeur of Athens. It was the defeat Athens suffered at the hand of Spartans in the 27-year long Peloponnesian war. Athens surrendered in this war. The Spartans who won, also had Alcibiares among them. It was military a failure the cause of which needed to be judged rationally. For common men it was a tough mental exercise. Many people were already displeased with Socrates when he had also been disgraced through dramas. So many people in Athens saw in that perspective their defeat in the war. They held beliefs and thoughts of Socrates as the cause of the gods' wrath that brought the defeat. A class of power holders in Athens also felt irritated by the political ideas of Socrates. Because he had also raised questions on the democracy in Athens. When they questioned whether a ship captain should be elected through votes, Socrates replied, no. He said only marine experts should decide who would be the captain of the ship.

He held that democracy was an art and everyone could not be given the right to vote without learning this art. One day In 399BC Crito came to Socrates and told him to get ready... as the ruling people had decided to try him in a case.The whole episode of Anaxagoras struck the mind of Socrates as he heard this news. So he begun to prepare himself for the future course of action against him. On the day of the trial Socrates reached the Court along with his friends. A jury of 500 members was before him. The matter of life and death of Socrates was to be decided in only a day long trial. After decision no right to appeal or retrial was available to him. Trial and the decision was the same day. The case to be presented in 3 hours and Socrates also had to get the equal time to defend himself. The water clock was set on. The petitioner presented the charges... that "Athens needed the youth to earn pleasure of the gods and defend the city. But Socrates was destroying both these objects." Socrates was also held guilty of defeat to Athens at hand of Spartans and the present disgrace. Socrates had time to defend after he heard the charges against himself for 180 minutes.The water clock was rewound. Now Socrates had to the most precious 180 minutes to prove his innocence. But Socrates did a weird thing. Instead of defending himself he did the same he was blamed for. He addressed the public instead of the jury and repeated what ideas he had been presenting. He mocked at the jury and the exposed hypocrisy and double standards in the society. He said, "can anyone in the jury say the allegations on him are true. They all are telling lies." He said, "people will be wrong if they think I will give up speaking the truth only for the sake of my life." "More than the death I will be concerned at knowing whether I am right or wrong in my thoughts." Socrates dwelled at length on the social and political system of Athens instead of presenting the defence. After his speech voting was held. 280 of the 500 members held him guilty and the rest absolved him. As per he was convict now and liable to death punishment. According to the law, Socrates was to choose the mode of his death himself.

When asked, what way he would like to die?

Socrates replied, "I will like to have a dinner at the government's expense." When meant, he had opted for hemlock; the strongest poison in Athens, for his death. His friends suggested him to take a legal help. The law provided Socrates to urge the jury to reduce his death punishment to exile. But Socrates disappointed all his well-wishers. He said, " If I escape the truth in my own city Athens... I will be hard to speak the truth in any other city. I can't hold back the truth by keeping quiet." "Let me be sacrificed on the altar of the truth" Now Socrates was put in a jail cell. A couple days were left to the implementation of the death penalty. His friend and disciple Crito, who was a rich man, planned to take away Socrates from jail... by bribing the jailer and the guards of the jail. Crito disclosed his plan to Socrates in a meeting with him. But Socrates refused to follow this plan. He told Crito that "it is more important for him to lead the life in a right way than merely leading the life. The right way does not permit me to break the law of the land out of fear of death. I have been punished by the Court according to the law and I will suffer that penalty." In the last morning Crito came to see Socrates in jail where his friends and students were also present. Now Socrates had been shackled. Crito felt much pain seeing Socrates in shackles. Socrates asked the jailer to bring the bowl of poison 'hemlock', so he brought it. Socrates told his friends and relations that "one should die quietly." He told them to be patient and composed after he had drunk the poison. Socrates bravely took the bowl of poison in his hand. Plato said, then Socrates hand did not shiver the least. He took the bowl of poison to his lips and put the whole hemlock down his stomach. He strolled for a few minutes and lay down putting on a blanket as the poison became effective. Within minutes he began go numb from toe to the top. When the poison effected his chest, he covered his head under a sheet.In his last words, he asked Crito "to repay for the cock that was a liability on him."

Crito replies " I will do" "Anything else", he asked but received no answer.

Because Socrates had gone into a very deep sleep.