Socrates And The Good Life
Benjamin Fallon Dr. Joseph Volpe Honors 131-02 23 September, 2008 Not Afraid to Die Regardless of religious views or preferences, Laurie tells one story that almost anyone can relate to. While presented as a joke, itdeals with the issue of self-confidence and assurance. It goes something like this: “In this time of economic hardship, there was a man that was out of work and desperate to find a job, needing to find a constant salary. He heard that the local zoo was hiring, so he went down hoping to find a position, perhaps feeding the animals. Unfortunately, there were no more positions open, the manger informed him. “The manager, however, saw how big this man was, and offered him another possible position. ‘I don’t want you to take offense to this,’ the manager started, ‘but our gorilla died the other day – itwas one of our most popular exhibits. A new one is on the way, but you’re a good size fellow, and I know this sounds crazy, but if we had a special gorilla suit made for you, would you be willing to act as our gorilla until the new one arrives?’ Laurie goes on to explain that this jokeexemplifies that things are not always as they appear. For example, there are certain people that seem to have it all together. They are handsome; they have wealth;they have a huge house and fast cars. They mustbe happy with all those possessions. “But don’t you believe it for a moment”, Laurie says. “Deep down inside, everyone is lonely and everyone is empty…and everyone is afraid to die.” Socrates also possessed an air of self-righteousness. First, he boasted that his words of wisdom were beneficial. He was glad to “reward anyone who is willing to listen” (_Euthyphro_, 3e). Second, he presumed that he was smarter than others. “I am wiser than this man” (_Apology_, 21d), he stated to the jury at his trial. This confidence can be shown through Socrates’ prevalent style of debate, the Socratic Method. Rather than simply stating his point, he would question his...
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