According to Plato’s Apology, Socrates, in his final speech before the courts and facing his trial, claimed that he would under no circumstances change his ideas or behavior; he would not plea for a lighter sentence since he was not afraid of the death penalty and was ready to die for his ideals and truth.
Socrates did not ask for clemency or refute his philosophy, instead he boldly amounted a verbal attack on his accusers demonstrating their flaws and lack of proof for the accusations.
Socrates Faced Death like a Soldier on the Battlefield
Socrates gave the analogy of the soldier on the battlefield. He said as he used to serve in the military he was familiar with the conditions of war and that a soldier could not possibly doubt or hesitate but must forge ahead without fear of death.
In fact, it was a question of honor, since a soldier would prefer to die on the battlefield than return home safe and sound as a cowardly soldier. Socrates adamantly insisted that he would not alter his ways or his philosophy, but rather die various times over and remain true to his essence and character.
Two Possible Outcomes of Death - Eternal Sleep or Transmigration
How can anyone fear something that they have no idea about? To Socrates it would seem foolish to be afraid of the unknown. To him death does not seem evil because it is one of the following two options.
One outcome involves the idea of eternal sleep. Death could be seen as sleeping without dreams, without thought or consciousness. Socrates says that it would be the best kind of sleep as one would attain complete and absolute relaxation and tranquility. It would be a form of deep sleep that would continually refresh the person who would remain carefree and without worries for all time.
The second option would be that the soul transmigrated to another place, known as metempsychosis. Socrates would love that to happen, as he could get together with all the previous great souls, such as Homer and get to know those past masters. They would converse and share knowledge about their sufferings on earth. If that were the case, Socrates would actually be ready to die several times over to meet those great minds.
As can be seen, Socrates is a proud and fearless person who would rather die for his principles and ideas rather than refute them. Death to him was not to be feared and he fully accepted the final judgment of the jury, the death sentence that was later imposed upon him.
Sources:
- Platon. Dialogos. Editorial Porrua: Mexico, 1998.
Related Reading
Readers may also enjoy Socrates and the Method of the Elenchus along with Plato´s Thoughts and Ancient Greek Philosophers and The Role of Fate and Destiny in Greek Theater.
Arash Farzaneh - Arash Farzaneh is a writer and a language professor. He has a Master's degree in French literature with a minor in Psychology. Since his ...
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