1. What aspect of life is revealed in the selection?
The selection depicts various overlapping aspects of life: political, social and academic aspects among others. Political as it focuses on power, superiority and leadership; social aspect since the selection talks of the youth and other citizens of Athens and their interpersonal relationships. The selection is as well academic focusing on philosophical thoughts and ideas and the improvement of human soul in general.
2. Why the selection is considered an essential reading in Western Civilization?
A selection about an ancient Greek “poli”, which is specifically, Athens, is important to western civilization. The ideas from Greece, from its various polis, were later on spread to Europe as those ideas were considered advanced. Thus, the theory that “Greek is the cradle of the western civilization” and learning what it was allows everyone to understand what is now.
3. What do you think about this culture and civilization?
The culture, based on the selection, is almost similar to the current situation. People who tend to be ”different” or what they consider as “strange”, are either considered as “trend setter” or “weird” and such in the case depicted in the selection, there was persecution in of a person that others believe to be unique or not conforming to the current practices.
Envy was also very apparent and ideas were rivaling but all the same, those were good components of a successful society where ideas sprang and then get challenged and the final result would be beneficial to everyone. Persecution is harsh but because of that persecution, the ideas of those brilliant people in the past stayed and we learn them even at the present times.
4. Can you make any connections from this reading to modern life?
Modern life or ancient life, the basic human behavior is present: when there is someone up above the others, the usual tendency is to pull that one down in order for that person to level to everyone else. The same is true with Socrates where he was persecuted for his superior wisdom and unique ways to “improve the human soul” or to educate the youth.
Another resemblance to modern living is the ability to hold so much knowledge or wisdom. In the olden days, such as that of Socrates in ancient Greece, persecution or even death penalty warrants too much possession of wisdom while on modern times, too much knowledge propel humans to create a lot of things that also endanger the inventor or the whole humanity in the long run. This is true in the cases inventions of of bombs, guns, nuclear weapons and a lot more. Wisdom or knowledge is a gift but it can be of a huge danger to the possessor or to humans in general.
On the good side, possession of wisdom or the search for wisdom always advance humanity. Until now, these wisdom of ancient times still survive and the new wisdom found in modern days resulted to a lot of inventions causing ease and progress to the whole of humanity.
5. Did this selection capture your interest?
The selection is very interesting. What is unforgettable is Socrates’ contention that “no evil can happen to a good man, either in life or after death”. This very phrase would surely make any reader think. Indeed, a good man can fail with his/her in his/her good intentions but n the end, such intention will survive whether the proponent lives or dies. To die for an idea is a worthy cause if such idea itself is immortal in nature and is for the good of majority and if it’s for the improvement of the whole humanity in general.
6. What questions, concerns and ideas does this selection raise on you?
Apparent in the selection is the resistance of humanity to “change”. If there is a new idea, the default reaction is a big “NO” and it’s a good thing that those past philosophers did not surrender to these persecution or else, humanity is still in the age of belief that “earth is flat”!
