How does Socrates make the weaker argument stronger?

These older accusers levy two principal accusations against Socrates: first, that he does not believe in the gods, but rather teaches purely physical explanations for heavenly and earthly phenomena; and second, that he teaches how to make a weaker argument overcome a stronger argument by means of clever rhetoric.

What is the Socratic problem in philosophy?

In historical scholarship, the Socratic problem (or Socratic question) concerns attempts at reconstructing a historical and philosophical image of Socrates based on the variable, and sometimes contradictory, nature of the existing sources on his life.

What did the philosopher Socrates argue for?

Socrates (469—399 B.C.E.) He is best known for his association with the Socratic method of question and answer, his claim that he was ignorant (or aware of his own absence of knowledge), and his claim that the unexamined life is not worth living, for human beings.

What was Socrates teaching on weakness of will?

Weakness of will – knowingly pursuing the worse outcome – is psychologically impossible: ‘No one does wrong willingly’. The details of this argument may not represent explicit commitments of the historical Socrates.

What are Socrates arguments in his own defense?

This sample assignment is under two pages. It looks longer because I’ve added, in boldface, some extra comments describing what I’m doing. You won’t need to do this. The Apology was written by Plato, and relates Socrates’ defense at his trial on charges of corrupting the youth and impiety.

Does the real Socrates believe Akrasia weakness of will is possible?

And this is precisely the phenomenon the philosophical tradition calls “weakness of will.” Philosophers have been perplexed by or dubious about such action for a very long time. Indeed, Plato’s Socrates famously denied its possibility in the Protagoras.

How is weakness of the will possible?

Weakness of will is possible because it is possible to conclude that one has sufficient reason to reject the verdicts of one’s own reason.

How does Socrates argue that the fear of death is irrational?

Socrates ultimately does not fear death because of his innocence, he believes that death is not feared because it may be one of the greatest blessings of the soul. Socrates makes the argument that one should not fear death because only the gods know what is beyond death,because death could be a blessing.

Why does Nietzsche blame the problems of philosophy on Socrates?

Nietzsche recalls the story that Socrates says that ‘he has been a long time sick’, meaning that life itself is a sickness; Nietszche accuses him of being a sick man, a man against the instincts of life, and hence a ‘monstro animo’ (a monstrous soul); Nietzsche is for war.

What did Socrates do wrong in his defense?

The details of the slander are restated by way of reminder at 19bc in an immediate preliminary to his detailed defense: “Socrates does wrong and is concerned with inquiring about what’s in the heavens and below the earth and to make the weaker argument appear to be the stronger and to teach these same things to others.”

What is the philosophy of Socrates and sophists?

Socrates and Sophists. The philosophy of Socrates is first in one sense a response to Anaxagoras, who claimed that man is intelligent because he has hands. In fact the superiority of the human being is to look smart in his soul, which governs the body and participates in the divine.

What is the philosophy of Socrates about intelligence?

The philosophy of Socrates is first in one sense a response to Anaxagoras, who claimed that man is intelligent because he has hands. In fact the superiority of the human being is to look smart in his soul, which governs the body and participates in the divine. Hence a number of requirements.

What are Socrates’ ‘charges’ according to Plato?

He specifies the informal ‘charges’ at three different places in the text. At 18bc he says these accusations are that “there is a certain Socrates, a wise man, who thinks about what’s in the heavens and who has investigated all things below the earth and who makes the weaker argument appear to be the stronger.”