Apology by Plato (Topic 1) Essay

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In short, everything depends upon perception. Clearly, some forms of calamity are worse than others. And there is no denying that harm is perceived, especially immediately following bad news. However, one does have control over one's reactions to these events, which I think is what Socrates' idea of "good" should mean to us today.

Socrates is able to see the good in everything that happens to him, because, in his view, he is "righteous." To develop this idea further, it is useful to consider Plato's explication of what exactly righteousness means to Socrates. In addition to treating others well and attempting to do good as far as possible, Plato sees righteousness as integrity. Socrates understands that his penalty is based basically on resentment. He maintains his sense of integrity and calmly clings to his philosophy regardless of the judges' wish to see him squirm. Socrates claims that such squirming might have gained him a few more years of life, but would have cost his integrity. This would have harmed in. In this sense, Socrates could have harmed himself by departing from his own sense of integrity. He chooses not to do this, and is therefore immune from harm by others.

In the same way today, we can either retain our own sense of integrity or depart from it and cause harm to ourselves while also exposing ourselves to harm from others, whichever form this might take. While I do not deny that random events can cause great harm, I think we can mitigate such harm by maintaining a sense of integrity in the face of these events. Again, integrity, as the opposing view indicates, can mean many different things in the context of culture, religion, age, and so on. However, like Socrates, I believe an inner sense of integrity dictates a person's idea and sense of "good.

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" A person could, for example, base his or her integrity on a belief that the world and people are basically "good" at their core and would not intentionally harm others. This sense of good can then be used to respond to situations that look, at first glance, less than good or even actively harmful.

This is what Socrates does. He does not fear death, because he believes it cannot harm him. He does not fear his accusers, because he has maintained his integrity in the face of their accusations. He is assured that those who are his friends will continue his work and that those who stood behind him will create an ultimately worse punishment for his accusers and killers than the death penalty they imposed upon him. In the same way, the "righteous" person today can trust the mechanics of human interaction on earth for support throughout whatever calamities may strike him or her. Some use religion as a basis for their self-concept of righteousness. Others use more secular ideas like the global interactions of cause and effect. Others believe in newly found philosophies like the law of attraction. Whichever is the case, the righteous person aligns him- or herself with what he or she believes to be right and good. Such a person adheres to that kind of integrity regardless of what happens and ultimately emerge with less harm than those who do not.

In conclusion, I believe that Plato still has much to teach the world if we apply Socrates' ideas to life today. While there are many valid arguments against this, the application of the philosopher's ideas to today's world hold significant….....

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