Herein I answer the following three questions:
"I discoveredabout the poets that no wisdom enabled them to compose as they did" What do poets (and, presumably, artists of all sorts) lack, according to Socrates?
Some people appear to defend this argument: if you offend my religion, I have a right to break the law, doing violence to you or your fellow citizen and their property in your own country and abroad. Given Socrates' central argument in Crito, what might he say to that?
Plato writes of "Beauty itself" and "Good itself." What does he mean by "itself"? Draw your quotes from Phaedo or Republic or both.
Socrates states in The Apology, “I have discovered about poets that no amount of wisdom enables them to compose as they do.”1
Socrates is trying to open up to the false accusations of inventing new deities that corrupt the youths of Athens. He is charged for not recognizing the Gods of the state. The above quote made by Socrates means that skilled craftsmen and poets come up with works of genius instinctively or through inspiration. However, these same craftsmen and poets seem incapable of explaining their work of genius when asked to explain. Therefore, like politicians and the Sophists & Presocratics who seem to speak authoritatively, they all lack wisdom. That is, they all know much of anything at all. Socrates states, “They have scarcely spoken the truth; but from me you hear the whole truth not delivered after their manner in oration duly ornamented with phrases and words.”2 This quote suggests the political class speaks authoritatively for which they do not know at all. Therefore, they end up hurting their subjects at one point. Socrates drives his point when he states, “I am truly wiser than other men because I do not think I know what I don’t know.”3 Therefore, according to Socrates, poets and presumably all other artists lack wisdom. “Then I knew not by wisdom do poets compose poetry, but by sort of inspiration and genius.”4 24 T. In his defense, Socrates states, “The poets are like soothsayers or diviners who say many fine things but they don’t understand their meaning.”5 24 M. This is the most revealing quote of Socrates view that like poets and politician, craftsmen lack wisdom because their talent is instinctive and from inspiration.
Socrates argues in Crito, “a citizen stands in relation to his city as a child does to a parent and slave to his master.”6 This reveals that Socrates is unlikely to support the argument that when one’s religion is offended, he/she has the right to go against the law by doing violence to fellow countrymen and their property, or even abroad. Socrates notes, “If I escape, the laws would say I have destroyed the city by leaving.”7 In this case, Socrates is of the belief that one who breaks the law in defense of his religion commits an injustice to the laws of the land in which he/she lives. Socrates states that, “by remaining within the city and benefiting from it, I entered into a contract.”8 In our case, Socrates would have said that if one felt his religion was offended, then breaking the law and committing violence to defend it would be a grave injustice. Socrates notes, “Breaking the laws by escaping will cause great harm to Athenians.”9 In our case, Socrates would have argued an individual who feels an injustice has been committed when his/her religion is offended should not go ahead and commit another injustice by breaking the laws. This is because having lived in the same land to maturity, a citizen implicitly endorses the laws of the land over his/her religion. To sum up his argument with Crito, Socrates states, “If I die in exile I would be judged in the underworld for unjust behavior towards my city laws.”10
Plato uses the word ‘itself’ to describe “the platonic true form of beauty and good.”11 Plato describes the true essence of beauty as “the level of love that has attained a wondrous vision, one that is everlasting. It neither comes nor ages, it neither flowers nor fades.”12 Plato uses The Sun in a simile to describe the form of Good in The Republic. In this metaphor, the Sun is a product of the Good. “It generates life on earth and makes objects visible.”13 According to Plato, “beauty and the Good make all other universals intelligible. They provide being to all other forms.”14 Plato notes that, “ordinary people’s knowledge of forms is distinct from the knowledge of everyday things.”15 To attain the knowledge of true forms is presented as the final destination in attainment of true knowledge by Plato. Therefore, we conclude that ‘itself’ refers to the truest form of knowledge that can only be attainable through divine inspiration. At most, dialogue only leads us towards itself, that is the Forms, but inspiration to know the truest forms directly is a gift from ‘itself.’
End Notes
1 Jowett, Benjamin; Plato. Five great dialogues of Plato. Claremont, CA: Coyote Canyon Press,2009. Print. P. 23 B.
2 Jowett, Benjamin; Plato. Five great dialogues of Plato. Claremont, CA: Coyote Canyon Press,2009. Print. P. 19 M.
3 Jowett, Benjamin; Plato. Five great dialogues of Plato. Claremont, CA: Coyote Canyon Press,2009. Print. P. 23 T.
4 Jowett, Benjamin; Plato. Five great dialogues of Plato. Claremont, CA: Coyote Canyon Press,2009. Print. P 24 T.
5 Jowett, Benjamin; Plato. Five great dialogues of Plato. Claremont, CA: Coyote Canyon Press,2009. Print. P 24 M.
6 Jowett, Benjamin; Plato. Five great dialogues of Plato. Claremont, CA: Coyote Canyon Press, 2009. Print. P 45 T
7 Jowett, Benjamin; Plato. Five great dialogues of Plato. Claremont, CA: Coyote Canyon Press, 2009. Print. P 45 B
8 Jowett, Benjamin; Plato. Five great dialogues of Plato. Claremont, CA: Coyote Canyon Press, 2009. Print P 46 M
9 Jowett, Benjamin; Plato. Five great dialogues of Plato. Claremont, CA: Coyote Canyon Press, 2009. Print. P 46 B
10 Jowett, Benjamin; Plato. Five great dialogues of Plato. Claremont, CA: Coyote Canyon Press, 2009. Print. P 94 T.
11 Jowett, Benjamin; Plato. Five great dialogues of Plato. Claremont, CA: Coyote Canyon Press, 2009. Print. P 94 M.
12 Jowett, Benjamin; Plato. Five great dialogues of Plato. Claremont, CA: Coyote Canyon Press, 2009. Print. P 95 B.
13 Jowett, Benjamin; Plato. Five great dialogues of Plato. Claremont, CA: Coyote Canyon Press, 2009. Print. P 95 M.
14 Jowett, Benjamin; Plato. Five great dialogues of Plato. Claremont, CA: Coyote Canyon Press, 2009. Print. P 97 B.
15 Jowett, Benjamin; Plato. Five great dialogues of Plato. Claremont, CA: Coyote Canyon Press, 2009. Print P 96 T.
