Philosophy - 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Philosophy - 2 - Essay Example In the earlier days, when monarchy, autocracy and other form of government was the norm, people had to obey to all the laws of the land including unfair and draconian laws and any opposition will land them in trouble. Individuals tended to obey the laws even if it was unfair to them from the moral and personal point of view also. This what Socrates did, when he was unfairly accused of committing crimes against the State. Although, he valiantly fought against the charges throughout, in the end he accepted the State’s verdict and did not indulge in any ‘unlawful’ activities which would have given him personal freedom. So, this paper will analyze why Socrates was right to obey the orders of the state of Athens to take poison, by using Socrates’ arguments. The paper will then discuss how his decision would be supported by a Buddhist Socrates, one of the profound intellectuals the world has seen, was accused by three persons of committing civil crimes against the state, for which he was sentenced to death. Socrates was accused by Anytus, a poet, powerful politician Meletus and Lycon, a supposed orator. He was mainly indicted for being a ‘hyper curious’ person and for being an atheist, who is corrupting the youth. However, Socrates vouched and countered that he did not commit any mistakes against the state and cannot be considered as an enemy of the state. Socrates while refuting both the charges, firstly counters the charge of being a â€Å"hyper curious† person who is accused of spreading misinformation. That is, out of curiosity and not due to any ulterior motives, Socrates made inquiries about the origins and functioning of the earth and sky, which is quite contrary to the beliefs of the state or the kingdom. Socrates did not take the stance of an authority who knows and tells, but rather the stance of an inquirer who is curious and open to the ideas of others (Grube). The other charge