Reflection: The Trial And Death Of Socrates

Throughout the beginning weeks of class instruction this semester, I have found that the novels and texts that we have collectively read have made me contemplate both life and life’s actions in various ways that I had never thought of before. Of these, the main ideas that have endured with me and caused me to think broadly resulted from the pair of Greek philosophy texts that were read: The Trial and Death of Socrates and The Nicomachean Ethics. In regards to The Trial and Death of Socrates, I was heavily intrigued by Socrates’ distinct method of inquiry when trying to stimulate ideas and uncover underlying assumptions about a topic. Likewise, when reading The Nicomachean Ethics, I was drawn to Aristotle’s analysis of the desired middle between two virtuous extremes. After considering both authors’ ideologies, I felt that my views of each subject area were altered in a sense of being more aware of diverse perspectives. Firstly, the text that I believe has had the most impact on my

The primary reason as to why I feel that the text ‘surprised’ me was due to the intricacy and analytical elements involved in Socrates’ method of discerning one’s ideas and assumptions. More so, I was intrigued at how this method could be applied to the simplest of situations. Although Socrates applied his own method to distinct situations, such as whether something pious “is being loved because it is pious” (Plato 12) or because “it was being loved by the gods” (Plato 13), I have found that the same method can be used to discuss commonplace items and ideas. When the class delightfully tried to define what is and what is not a sandwich, for instance, it allowed me to make the connection that the Socratic method could be applied to essentially everything that can be argued regarding a difference in personal assumptions. For