History of philosophy &

Platos Apology
Lecture 4
PHIL 1000
Introduction to Philosophy

Dr. Robert Stufflebeam
Department of Philosophy
The University of New Orleans

Four periods
! History of Western philosophy can be
divided into four periods:

Ancient Medieval Modern Contemporary
Ancient philosophy
! 6
th
century BCE - 4
th
century CE
! Pre-Socratics (600 - 400 BCE)
! The Milesians
! Pythagoras (570 - 495 BCE)
! Xenophanes (570 - 470 BCE)
! Anaxagoras (500 - 428 BCE)
! Sophists
! Socrates (470 - 399 BCE)
! Plato (429 - 347 BCE)
! Aristotle (384 - 322 BCE)
! Stoics: Marcus Aurelius (120 -180 CE)
! St. Augustine (354 - 430)
Medieval philosophy
! Especially 11
th
- 14
th
centuries
! St. Anselm (1033 -1109)
! Islamic & Jewish philosophers
! St. Thomas Aquinas (1225 - 1274)
! William of Ockham (1285 - 1349)
! Francis Bacon (1561 - 1626)
! Thomas Hobbs (1588 - 1679)
Modern philosophy
! Especially 17
th
- 18
th
centuries
! Rationalism
! Rene Descartes (1596-1650)
! Benedictus Spinoza (1632-1677)
! Gottfried Leibniz (1646-1716)
! Empiricism
! John Locke (1632-1704)
! Bishop George Berkeley (1685 - 1753)
! David Hume (1711 - 1776):
! Immanuel Kant (1724 - 1804)
! G.W.F. Hegel (1770 - 1831)
Contemporary philosophy
! 19
th
century - present
! Continental philosophy
! Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855): Danish
! Karl Marx (1818-1883): German
! Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900): German
! Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) German
! Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980): French
! Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986): French
! Neo-Marxism
! Deconstructionism
! Post-structuralism
! Feminism
Contemporary philosophy
! 19
th
century - present
! Anglo-American philosophy
! John Stuart Mill (1806-1873): British
! William James (1842-1910): American
! Bertrand Russell (1872-1970): British
! Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1959): Austrian
! Gilbert Ryle (1900 - 1976): British
! Karl Popper (1902 - 1994) Austrian-British
! W. V. O. Quine (1908 - 2000): American
! John Searle (1932 - ): American
Socrates (470 - 399 BCE)
! wrote nothing
! teacher of Plato
! had disdain for empirical enquiry
! focused on universals (justice, goodness, etc.)
and the improvement of the soul
! father of moral philosophy
! the Socratic method (a.k.a. dialectic by Plato):
method of discovering (or remembering) a truth
already within ones examinee by skillful use of
questions-and-answers
! Socrates considered himself the midwife to
truth
Plato (429 - 347 BCE)
! father of idealism, rationalism, and social-
political philosophy
! prolific writer (dialogues)
! founded The Academy c385 BCE
! the prototype of all Western Us
! its subjects were the quadrivium
[Latin]: geometry, mathematics,
astronomy, and harmony, as well as
Platonism and dialectic
! Aristotle studied there for 20 yrs
! the academy was destroyed in 529
CE by the Christian Emperor Justinian
(900 yrs!)
! divine illumination via dialectic
Reading philosophy
! Take a look at the study questions.
! Be an active reader
! Note answers to study questions
! Note major definitions, claims, evidence.
! Note your questions.
! Essay topic?
! Re-read.
The Apology
! Format (dialogue)
! Where? When?
! Athens (399 BCE)
! pure democracy
! 501 judges/jury
! Who is on trial?
! Socrates. Plato was present.
! 70 years old; first time in court
! The piece begins after the accusers have made
their case.
! he will tell the truth
Accusers
! Who were his accusers?
! There are two classes of accusers
! 2
nd
: Current: Meletus, Anytus, Lycon
! Charges: (1) corrupting the youth
(2) impiety
! 1
st
: Historical: Slanderers (Aristophanes, etc.)
! Charges: Socrates is an evil-doer (p. 7).
! This class concerns him the most.
! He deals with their charges first.

! Defense
! I have nothing to do with physical
speculations (p. 7).
! ~teacher
! ~take money
! ~sophist
! Origin?
Origin
! Chaerephon asked the Delphi oracle if there
was anyone wiser than Socrates; to which the
oracle said . . . .?
! What does Socrates do?
! What can the god mean? I know that I have no
wisdom, great or small (p. 8).
! He had a religious duty to find out.
Making enemies
! Politicians
! When I began to talk with him (p. 8)
! I neither know nor think I know (p. 9)
! Poets
! not by wisdom to poets write poetry, but by a sort
of genius and inspiration (p. 9).
! Artisans (skilled craftsmen)
! because they were good workmen they thought
that they also know all sorts of high matters (p.
9).
His interpretation
! He, O men, is the wisest who, like
Socrates, knows that his wisdom is in
truth worth nothing (p. 9).
! Religious duty
His students
! How did his followers make more enemies of
Socrates?
! they like to hear the pretenders examined, and they often
imitate me, and proceed to exam others (p. 9).
! there are plenty of persons, as they quickly discover, who
think that they know something, but really know little or
nothing (pp. 9-10)
! They become angry; repeat ready-made charges;
! I cannot expect to get rid of such a mass of calumny all in a
moment. Hence has arisen the prejudice against me (p.
10).
2
nd
class of accusers
! I have said enough in my defense against
the first class of my accusers; I turn to the
second class (p. 10).
! Each represents a group he alienated:
! Meletus: Poets
! Anytus: Politicians & Artisans
! Lycon: Rhetoricians
Socrates defense
! Questions Meletus using his method
! Re: Charge 1: Corrupting the youth
! What does Meletus say?
! EVERYONE in Athens improves and elevates the youth
EXCEPT Socrates (p. 10).
! Socrates intentionally corrupts the youth.
Socrates defense
! Re: Charge 2: Impiety
! What does Meletus say?
! Socrates is an atheist and teaches atheism (p. 11)
! Socrates response? (p. 12)
! Contradiction
! Inconsistency
Socrates defense
! Re: Charge 2: Impiety
! Religious duty
! God orders me to fulfill the philosophers mission of searching
into myself and other men (p. 13).
! I shall never cease from the practice and teaching of
philosophy greatest improvement of the soul virtue (p.
13).
! I shall never alter my ways, not even if I have to die many
times
! gadfly!!
! Does NOT fear death
Guilty!
! 281 guilty / 220 not guilty
! 31 votes shy
! Accusers recommend death
! What does Socrates recommend?
Sentencing phase
! Full room and board at the state
retirement home (p. 15).
! No imprisonment.
! No fine (no money).
! No exile.
! No stopping.
! OK, small fine. 1 . 30 minae. (p. 16)
The sentence
! DEATH!
! 360 death / 141 no death
! Includes 71 people who voted to acquit!
! Does not fear death.
! Final favor.