Socrates Defense of Athenian Law and C.S. Lewis' critique of Research Paper

Socrates Defense of Athenian Law and C.S. Lewis critique of subjectivism - Research Paper ExampleWhy would Lewis insist that we interpret Platos Socrates in this way? Socrates was an Athenian who firmly believed that the system of the law under which the venire was acting was fair. The urban center of Athens tribunal sat to bestow justice in accordance with the citys regulations. From the outset of his trial, Socrates declared that, I must observe the law and make my defense (Plato 35c). Owing to the fact that he openly admitted the purpose and character of his lifetime activities, Socrates case would appear to be based on a matter of interpretation instead of fact. Socrates offerd that his teaching, contrary to corrupting the morals of the youth, had truly made Athens become a better state. He would assert in the faces of his accusers that, My teaching is the bidding of the gods and I believe that the city has actually benefitted from my wait on to the gods (Plato 30a). Even af ter being pronounced guilty, Socrates made it clear that he respected the views of the legitimate city authorities and would obey their sentence. He said this tied(p) though he was aware that he had been unjustly accused. This shows just how much he believed that the Athenian legal system was the foundation of the Athenian city state and had to be valued. The Athenian legal system had a distinct method of trying accused persons. ... The Euthyphro provides evidence that Meletus was a young Athenian who did not admit Socrates on a personal level (Euthyphr 2b). After hearing both the defense and the charges, it was decided that there was need for an initial hearing. In Athenian trials, citizen volunteers would single-valued function as the jurors. They were usually paid for their services after being chosen by lot. To ensure that there was no possibility of bribery or jury tampering, the juries were usually quite large. Socrates case, for example, was presented before 500 jurors. So crates felt that if he had actually been found guilty of crossing the laws, then he deserved the sentence that would be meted out. Socrates greatest argument against ignoring the courts decision and fleeing Athens lay in the fact that his existence in the jurisdiction of Athens was an admission of a contract between Athenian authorities and him to observe its laws. Owing to this fact, fleeing from Athens without permission or notification to the authorities would actually be violating the laws of the land and active in wrong actions- which was the direct opposite of the goodness that he believed in. Socrates had always been a forthright advocate for the Athenian political and legal system. Owing to the concord between him and the city authorities, he was also the beneficiary of an unknown quantity of benefits. Moreover, for him to fully enjoy the benefits of what was provided to him by the city of Athens, he had to in return upset up something. In this case, it was his freedom of choice and action where there was a clash between his personal views and the stipulations of Athenian law. The Athenian legal system had a modicum of fairness in its dealings with citizens. Given that the