Socrates is a renowned ancient Greece thinker and offers teachings on ethics, morals, and laws. “Learn yourself” serves as Socrates’ motto and make reference to both consciousness and knowledge. Socratic teachings point the link between human behaviors and self-consciousness (Stokes and Michael, 80). Moral qualities and intellectual capabilities are major factors that dictate the relationships among individuals. Through his contributions to psychotherapy, it is possible to understand the functioning of the mind and its connection to the natural world.
The dialogic -dialectic method in Socratic teaching infer that personal freedom contributes to a quality way of life. On the other hand, Socrates ethical dilemma offers a basis of coming up with moral and legal codes that uphold citizen’s rights and interests. As a citizen, Socrates notes that there is a duty to support laws as opposed to undermining the statutory provisions. Nonetheless, Socrates compares the relations between law and state to children and parents. Laws and States are unequal thus indicating that the state (citizens) must obey court orders.
Through reference to the death of both Simmias and Cebes, he explains that while Athenians should not fear death, it was wrong to commit suicide and murder. He bases his argument on the view that the gods are the custodians of life (Hack, 2015). Moral and ethics at a personal level influence the functioning of the society as it makes people of the consequences of their actions. Socrates stresses the importance of both learning and knowledge. These two elements ensure that there is a better understanding of the world and the way of life of the community members.
Positive changes in society can only be attained through inspiration and knowledge as these factors propel the community members to adopt measures that ensure that there is comfort in society. One of the principles put across by Socrates is the need to discover as well as understand one’s purpose in life (Trapp and Michael, 2017). It is a call for people to have a deeper understanding of their abilities and purpose in life.
The elements put across by Socrates are effective in the examination of both justice and moral principles as they seek to ensure that there is an improvement in the quality of life of all citizens (Chroust, 2018). While Socrates faced some critiques, his teachings are vital in fostering stability and progress in society. They are applicable in addressing problems such as corruption, laziness, greed and other harmful elements in society.
In one of the teachings, he explains that the secret of happiness is learning to enjoy the little that one has as opposed to looking for more. The move ensures that there is regulation of greed and other trends that may trigger conflicts in the society. He supports this view by explaining that contentment is the largest wealth in the world. Contentment allows for the pursuit of happiness as opposed to material gains (Cross, 2018).
The four major takeaways from Socrates teachings are temperance, justice, courage, and wisdom. These elements must exist in the soul and serve as guides to human actions. The soul is rational and judges between right and wrong. It is also the source of desires and interest in an individual. Rather than having an inclining to the menial and material world, the soul should be the source of desires like love and honesty.
Stokes, Michael. “Socrates’ mission.”Socratic Questions.Routledge, 2018.26-81.
Chroust, Anton-Hermann.Socrates, Man, and Myth: the two Socratic apologies of Xenophon. Routledge, 2018.
Cross, R. Nicol. Socrates, the man, and his mission.Routledge, 2018.
Trapp, Michael, ed. Socrates from Antiquity to the Enlightenment. Routledge, 2017.
Hack, Roy Kenneth.God in Greek philosophy to the time of Socrates.Vol. 2202.Princeton University Press, 2015.
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