The importance of the soul
Socrates gives an account which proposes that all human beings ought to care for their souls and that the best way to do this is to live a philosophical life. This is seen in the way he handles the case made against him when he is taken to court for various crimes among which are misleading the youth and being a pagan. Socrates is brought to trial to face the charge of having committed these crimes. However, he is fully confident that he is innocent and believes that this is what the court will conclude after his side of the story is heard. Socrates is a wise man who often engages with the youth teaching them about matters of the world. He also believes that, although the people have different religions, they all seem to be worshiping the same god and this ideology constitutes some of his teachings. However, belief in only one god is considered to be paganism and he is taken to court as he is seen as misleading the youth into being pagans. While making his argument in what is known as The Apology, Socrates shows the importance of taking care of the soul and living a philosophical life.
According to Socrates, all virtues and vices are found within the soul and this makes it more important than the body. He also believed that an individual’s character was greatly determined by the quality of the soul. Regardless of whether a person was sick or healthy, it is the state of the soul that determines whether the individual is happy or not (Plato 5). Because of this, people must strive to always take care of the soul and live a life that is full of virtue and pious even if it went against what majority of people believe. Socrates demonstrated this when he meet up with Euthyphro who was on his way to convict his father of murder. Despite the fact that his family and most of his friends tried to convince Euthyphro not to convict his father for killing someone who was guilty of murder, he opted not to listen as convicting his father for the crime he had committed was the right thing to do. Euthyphro was considered to be a wise man and the fact that he was so committed to doing what is pious proved that in order to take care of the soul, one must do what is right regardless of what majority of people think (Plato 4).
Socrates was fully aware that the Athenian people did not understand what living a pious life meant as this was the reason as to why they were so willing to charge him in court. He therefore asked Euthyphro to explain to him what being pious so that he could explain to the court and show them that his actions were intended for good (Plato 5). While Euthyphro gave various explanations as to what could be considered to be pious, none were convincing enough for Socrates. However, one explanation that came close was the suggestion that an individual’s actions are pious if the gods found them to be so and impious if they were seen as impious by the gods. By involving the gods in the discussion regarding the importance of living a pious life, Socrates teaches us that taking care of the soul and living a philosophical life not only protects an individual while on earth but also after their death. Protecting the soul therefore is the key to a happy life here on earth and also in the afterlife (Plato 44).
Socrates further teaches us that taking care of the soul and living a philosophical life protects people from false prosecution and that any false accusation or false testament will be proven wrong. When Socrates was accused of being a pagan and misleading the youth, he had strong faith that the court would see that he was innocent and set him free (Plato 3). Even when he was sentenced to death, he did not lose faith in the belief that the way he lived his life was enough to prove his innocence. According to Socrates, living a philosophical life meant doing the right thing even if it meant going against the majority. This was demonstrated when Crito approached him while in prison advising him to escape before he his sentencing. Crito made the argument that majority of his friends believe that Socrates was innocent and that they were willing to offer him shelter if he escaped. In response, Socrates made the argument that just because a majority of people agree on something does not make it right. If this was the case, it would also mean that Socrates was guilty because majority of the jurors believed that he was guilty of the charges made against him (Plato 48).
While in his cell, Socrates dreamt that he would sail to Phthia which was his home. Although he was waiting to be executed, his dream could be interpreted to mean that even death was not a bad thing as his soul would be able to go home. Through his experience, Socrates teaches that it is important to live a philosophical life and take care of the soul as it is the only way to guarantee happiness. Living a philosophical life means doing the right thing and observing piety even if it means going against the majority. A pious life helps one to take care of the soul and to ensure that, even after death, the soul will move on to a happier afterlife.
Work cited
Plato, “Five dialogues: Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Meno, Phaedo” 2002
