A Life Full Of Wisdom In Plato's Apology

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A life well lived is a life full of wisdom. Wisdom being that one is aware of what they know, but also aware of what they do not know. A man that makes justice a priority and lives a full and knowledgeable life. A man that sticks to his job and does not meddle into the jobs of others. A man that lived the life well lived is, no other, then Socrates himself. In Plato’s work the Apology Socrates explains to the jurors exactly why his life is the best. Through analysis of Socrates arguments in the Apology it is evident that a life full of wisdom is the most beneficial.
Socrates begins his argument purely stating that there are certain things he does not fully know. “For the fact is that this is the first time I’ve appeared before a law court, …show more content…
“Well, on one occasion in particular he went to Delphi and dared to ask the oracle…he asked, exactly as I’m telling you, whether anyone was wiser than myself. The Pythia drew forth the response that no one is wiser. When hearing the news Socrates is dumbfounded and in disbelief because he does not believe himself to be the wisest. Which leads him on a mission to find the wisest man in Greece, since he thought there was no way he was. On his journey he makes conversation with who he believes to be the best known people for being wise: politician, poets, and artisans. All three are good at their own specific job, but believe they know more than they do, which makes them fools. In questioning the groups, he finds out how powerful his own wisdom is. “I’ve acquired this reputation because of nothing other than a sort of wisdom. What sort of wisdom, you ask, is that? The very sort, perhaps, that is human wisdom. For it may just be that I really do have that sort of wisdom, whereas the people I mentioned just now may, perhaps, be wise because they possess superhuman wisdom” (24). He says that his wisdom is human wisdom because he is aware of what he does not know, meanwhile, the others have superhuman wisdom because they believe to know more than the human should know. Socrates comes to the conclusion that the more intelligent you are, the less wise you become; the more …show more content…
Socrates is saying that regardless of the punishment he is about to receive, he will not go against what he believes is just. He would rather die than to be an unjust man. Death is not a fear for Socrates, he believes that any man that fears death is foolish because man does not even know if death is a bad thing. “But now it’s time to leave, I to die and you to live. Which of us goes to the better thing, however, is unclear to everyone except the god” (46).
Socrates’ arguments make it clear that his life full of wisdom is the best life to be lived. He prides himself upon being just, wise, and excellent. According to the Oracle, Socrates was the wisest man because he was living the best life. He stuck to the teaching of philosophy and the studying of the humans around him. The life best lived is the life best
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