The Suicide of Socrates

Day 124 / 365

“It’s not living that matters, but living rightly” — Socrates

Socrates is considered the father of Western Philosophy. He was around more than 2500 years ago, and he taught Plato, who taught Aristotle, who then taught Alexander the great. Yet so many years later we can still learn so much from what he taught back then. And he stood by what he preached, as is apparent from the story of how he died.

Socrates was accused by the state of not recognizing their gods and trying to corrupt the minds of the youth through his teachings. There was a hearing in front of a jury consisting of 500 people. If found guilty, the penalty for him would be death.

Socrates, as well as the three people who accused him, presented their case. After this, each of the juror cast a vote as “guilty” or “not guilty”. Socrates was found guilty by a vote of 280 to 220.

But all was not lost. The jury decided to give Socrates to decide his own punishment. He could have gotten away with choosing just exile but Socrates didn’t do it. His fate was finally decided as the death penalty. And this was done through poison, which he had to drink himself.

Some of Socrates students bribed the prison guards and tried to help him to escape, but Socrates refused saying that it would be dishonorable.

“The shortest and surest way to live with honour in the world, is to be in reality what we would appear to be; and if we observe, we shall find, that all human virtues increase and strengthen themselves by the practice of them.” — Socrates

This post is part of my 365 Day Project for 2019. Read about it here

Yesterday’s blog — Origins of ‘a’ and ‘an’