Importance of Wisdom
The first big idea discussed by Socrates in Plato’s Apology is the importance of wisdom and the efforts of the state to bring an end to individual thinking. At the beginning of Plato’s piece, Socrates takes the position of favoring wisdom since fears of people, such as Meletus, make them foul the reputation of those who strive to be knowledgeable in various spheres. In one of the passages, the man explains that his slanders believe that “Socrates is an evil-doer, and a curious person, who searches into things under the earth and in heaven, and he makes the worse appear, the better cause; and he teaches the aforesaid doctrines to others” (Plato 2). This idea is important to the man since it illustrates how the state makes efforts to control every person, since it views them as a threat. While the court desires to make Socrates look guilty and rebellious, the philosopher wants to show everyone that he is only guilty of being inquisitive.
Essence of Integrity
The second big idea discussed by Socrates in the work of Plato is the role of moral integrity and how any man should be fearless in his pursuit of justice. The reason why Socrates supports and promotes moral integrity is that the mere absence of it led to the court condemning him and his pursuit of knowledge. The philosopher communicates the message that it is the fear of people that results in the destruction and moral disintegration of society and that the only thing they must fear is disgrace. As Socrates said: “For wherever a man’s place is, whether the place which he has chosen or that in which he has been placed by a commander, there he ought to remain in the hour of danger; he should not think of death or of anything, but of disgrace” (Plato 11). This idea is important to Socrates because it allows him to show the public how the absence of morality not only erodes society but also goes against the values that it reveres in gods.
Primary Text: Difficulty of Avoiding Unrighteousness
“The difficulty, my friends, is not in avoiding death, but in avoiding unrighteousness, for that runs faster than death. I am old and move slowly, and the slower runner has overtaken me, and my accusers are keen and quick, and the faster runner, who is unrighteous, has overtaken them. And now I depart hence condemned by you to suffer the penalty of death, and they, too, go their ways condemned by the truth to suffer the penalty of villainy and wrong; and I must abide by my award—let them abide by theirs. I suppose that these things may be regarded as fated,—and I think that they are well. And now, O men who have condemned me, I would fain prophesy to you; for I am about to die, and that is the hour in which men are gifted with prophetic power. And I prophesy to you who are my murderers, that immediately after my death, punishment far heavier than you have inflicted on me will surely await you” (Plato 20).
Analysis of Primary Text
The Key Idea of Apology
The overall idea of Socrates’ speech in Apology can be illustrated through the passage in which he addresses the issue of immorality and how the mere existence of injustice is the jury’s conscious choice. In his speech, Socrates emphasizes the idea of destructive immorality. The first point made by Socrates that supports the idea of unrighteousness is that “the difficulty […] is not in avoiding death, but in avoiding unrighteousness” (Plato 20).
With this, the philosopher desires to communicate the message that the blindness of the public to corruption and unrighteousness will not go unnoticed, and they will be the ones experiencing the cruelest punishment. According to Socrates, “immediately after my death, punishment far heavier than you have inflicted on me will surely await you” (Plato 20). Through such remarks, the philosopher wants to show that his death will not be a punishment but a lesson to the public that needs to understand the dangers of society’s immorality.
Destructive Immorality as a Key Idea of Apology
This single passage was chosen since it clearly illustrates the pain of Socrates for society, which is blind to its own hypocrisy and immorality. This excerpt helps the readers understand Plato’s piece by emphasizing how society fears death most of all. Socrates shows that it is not death they should fear, but unrighteousness, since the effects of it are far more gruesome. When connecting this piece to the big ideas, the importance of wisdom can be seen through the ability to focus not only on one’s own good but the good of society. A wise person can be seen as someone who follows moral principles and strives to show others the right path, for which Socrates was “condemned […] to suffer the penalty of death” (Plato 20).
Regarding another big idea, integrity and morality can be seen as interconnected elements. When discussing integrity, Socrates mentioned that nothing people should be afraid of more than disgrace. In the passage, the philosopher prophesied that those connected to his death would “suffer the penalty of villainy and wrong” (Plato 20). Thus, without morality, there is no integrity and, as a result, no justice.
Pop Culture Comparison
Unsung Hero
One of the pop culture pieces that can be related to Plato’s Apology is a Thai commercial, Unsung Hero. From the beginning, the audience can see the principles by which a young man lives. He sees a hungry dog and gives half of his meal to the stray; he could not pass a mother and a daughter who were begging for money for the child’s education. Every deed this young man does is aimed at making this world a better place and giving a helping hand to those who need it the most.
At the same time, commercials attract the attention of the audience to those who judge the man. Whenever he helps someone, there is a person who disapprovingly shakes their head, as if thinking that he should only care about himself and not others. This is supported by the phrase in the commercial, which goes as follows: “What does he get in return?” (Thailifechannel 0:39). This shows that the community is devoid of any moral principles and a sense of righteousness.
Unsung Hero and Apology
The main point of overlap in both the Thai commercial and Plato’s Apology is, therefore, a sense of morality. The main similarity between the two pieces is that both men are not understood and are even judged by society for being different and trying to change society with their deeds. Both individuals see it as their purpose to make their community better, and they do so not for their personal gain but for the good of others.
The goal of Socrates is to communicate a piece of wisdom to “the faster runner, who is unrighteousness,” and the young man wants to share good emotions with others (Plato 20). However, the main difference between the two works is that while Socrates was condemned “to suffer the penalty of death,” the young man from the commercial was simply not understood by those around him (Plato 20). Therefore, while one is still capable of doing good deeds, such an opportunity was taken from another.
Works Cited
Plato. Apology. MIT, n.d. Web.
Thailifechannel. Unsung Hero [Video]. YouTube, 2014. Web.