The Inherent Ignorance In Youth
For over two thousand years, Socratic dialogues have had a deep effect on the progression of society. A key example of an effective Socratic dialogue is that of Plato's Euthyphro. Socrates demonstrates, among other things, the extent to which in our youth we are the most ignorant. In addition, he utilizes his conversation with Euthyphro to accomplish certain things that directly benefit only him. He uses this conversation to show that he is truly not as wise as everyone believes him to be. He vents his bitterness and practices speaking in preparation for the upcoming trial with Meletus. In part he successfully achieves all of the things he set out to accomplish. In order for Socrates to effectively show the ignorance that is inherently apparent within the youth of society, he must first demonstrate that with age comes knowledge. Using Euthyphro as an example, Socrates first gets Euthyphro to engage in a dialogue on a subject that Euthyphro believes himself to be knowledgeable. He accomplishes this through a combination of flattery and sarcasm numerous times during the dialogue. At one point he goes so far as to say, "Rare, friend! I think that I cannot do better than be your disciple." (p. 12) In doing this, Socrates b
Rightfully so, Socrates believes himself to be ignorant in many things and foolish in many ways. He continually describes himself as "the reverse of a wise man" (p. 9), and in doing so, is attempting to humble himself before his peers. He states his reason as follows: "For a man may be thought wise; but the Athenians, do not much trouble themselves about him until he begins to impart his wisdom to others..." (p. 10) It is for precisely this reason that he is being persecuted. The basis for Socrates' wisdom lies in his search for the absolute truth. While Socrates grew older over the years, he learned many of the truths that we are blinded from in our early years. In order for a person to be corrupted they first must have the knowledge to begin with. Time after time, Socrates talked to people who were highly revered within the societal hierarchy, and as a result continually came to the same conclusion that, as with Euthyphro, they were all ignorant in most things. He concluded that youth in its self is ignorant of many things. "I entreat you not to scorn me, but to apply your mind to the utmost, and tell me the truth." (p. 25) Therefor, is it not impossible to corrupt a person who is not able to be corrupted in the first place. This inability is derived from our own ignorance. Socrates' next step is to discredit anything Euthyphro says. Socrates does this by challenging Euthyphro's beliefs and opinions, thereby challenging his very morals. "... is your knowledge of religion and thing
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Approximate Word count = 1018
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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