Famous painting on the death of Socrates by
Jacques-Louis David (1748-1825).
Section II: Apology, part 2
After you have had a chance to reflect, perhaps reread favorite
sections, read the next section, starting on page 209 and going to
212.
1. Has the tone of the discourse changed since the
first section?
2. What would have been the fine imposed on Meletus if
he hadn't received move than one fifth of the votes?
3. Why did he not plead for his life?
Section III--Crito:
1. What are the main reasons he gives for not being
willing to flee?
2. Which (if any) of his reasons do you agree with?
3. Do you sense other reasons besides those which he
states (especially when he talks about offending the law) for his
refusal? Is it just to defy an unjust law?
4. For the execution, Socrates was given a cup of
poisonous hemlock, which he drank. Often, he is described as doing
this with almost bravado. Based on his words, do you think this is
an accurate representation? Does not fleeing make him a hero or a
coward?
Larger Questions:
1. Here is Socrates "the pagan," who is living his
life based on the truth and light that he has received. Living as
he did (and describes himself) what kind of member of the church do
you think he would be? Why?
2. Do you like Socrates?
3. He makes two references to revelation (not the
instances with the Oracle). What do you think of it? Do you think
these were from God?
4. Read and discuss the following quote from Elder
Maxwell's final address in General Conference. How
do the ideas conveyed by Elder Maxwell juxtapose with
what we have read in this section? Write down your
insights concerning Elder Maxwell's instructions.
How do they apply to you? How do his words make
you feel?
"As you submit your wills to God, you
are giving Him the only thing you can
actually give Him that is really yours to
give. Don't wait too long to find the altar
or to begin to place the gift of your wills
upon it! No need to wait for a receipt; the
Lord has His own special ways of
acknowledging.
"I testify to you that God has known you
individually, brethren, for a long, long
time (see D&C 93:23). He has loved you for a
long, long time. He not only knows the names
of all the stars (see Psalm 147:4; Isaiah
40:26); He knows your names and all your
heartaches and your joys! By the way, you
have never seen an immortal star; they
finally expire. But seated by you tonight
are immortal individuals—imperfect but who
are, nevertheless, "trying to be like
Jesus"!" (Neal A. Maxwell, April 2004
General Conference) |
Want to hear what ancient Greek music sounded
like? Visit the
Ancient Greek Music site at the Austrian Academy of
Sciences.
Ghana Temple
Reading 2: Plato,
The Republic, Books I and II Volume
7, pp 295-324.
Plato's The Republic, text and reader's guide
Overview.
According to the study guide, the purpose of this lesson
is to explore the nature of justice. The
translation calls this "justice," but we would
understand this more clearly as the nature of "good
versus evil." Socrates explores this at several
different levels with different people. From this
reading, focus in the course of the discussion. I
would like you to start getting a feel for the nature of
discussion and inquiry used by Socrates. Consider
the situations that people present to him, and that he
describes. Do you agree with his assessment
about the nature of good? This pursuit was of
utmost importance to Socrates, because as he said in
Apology, the study of virtue (or true and
righteousness) is one of the very few worthy pursuits in
life.
Lamoni--Alma
18:5: Now
this was the tradition of Lamoni, which he had received
from his father, that there was a Great Spirit.
Notwithstanding they believed in a Great Spirit, they
supposed that whatsoever they did was right;
nevertheless, Lamoni began to fear exceedingly, with
fear lest he had done wrong in slaying his servants;
It is important to us, as
members of the church, many of these teachings were the
lifeblood of intellectual thought at the time of
Christ--and the New Testament. As you think back
on the scriptures in the New Testament, are there any
similarities (manner of speech, literary allusions,
etc?) Paul knew these works, and he therefore also
well understood how the gentiles were had difficulty
accepting the truth of the Messiah because of these
philosophies.
Plato (c. 429-347 BC)
Read the introduction to
Plato's Republic (seen as Plato's attempt at
answering the question "what is the point of being
good?" when the wicked are apparently so much happier
and more successful), and then discuss Alma 5:6-7 as an
answer to the question "what is the point of being
good?"
Alma:6 And now behold, I say unto you,
my brethren, you that belong to this church,
have you sufficiently retained in
remembrance the captivity of your fathers?
Yea, and have you sufficiently retained in
remembrance his mercy and long-suffering
towards them? And moreover, have ye
sufficiently retained in remembrance that he
has delivered their souls from hell?
7 Behold, he changed their hearts; yea, he
awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they
awoke unto God. Behold, they were in the
midst of darkness; nevertheless, their souls
were illuminated by the light of the
everlasting word; yea, they were encircled
about by the bands of death, and the chains
of hell, and an everlasting destruction did
await them. |
Read the following excerpt from
Alma's teachings on a "great change of heart". How
does having a change of heart prepare us for God's
justice? What is the meaning of the phrase
"according to his faith," as applied in this context?
Alma 5:12 And according to his faith there
was a mighty change wrought in his heart.
Behold I say unto you that this is all true.
13 And behold, he preached the word unto
your fathers, and a mighty change was also
wrought in their hearts, and they humbled
themselves and put their trust in the true
and living God. And behold, they were
faithful until the end; therefore they were
saved.
14 And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren
of the church, have ye spiritually been born
of God? Have ye received his image in your
countenances? Have ye experienced this
mighty change in your hearts?
15 Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of
him who created you? Do you look forward
with an eye of faith, and view this mortal
body raised in immortality, and this
corruption braised in incorruption, to stand
before God to be judged according to the
deeds which have been done in the mortal
body?
16 I say unto you, can you imagine to
yourselves that ye hear the voice of the
Lord, saying unto you, in that day: Come
unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works
have been the works of righteousness upon
the face of the earth?
|
Assignment:
This is a much
lighter reading than the first. Enjoy. Have
fun with it. Try to imagine yourself there,
discussing with Socrates. Try to imagine the world
as it was in ancient Greece 400 years before Christ.
It was a world much less encumbered by machines than is
ours. This civilization is a chief ancestor of our
own. The questions they asked and studied were
treated by philosophers and great thinkers over the next
2400 years, and even today. That is what is meant
by "The Great Conversation". Do these questions
interest us? Many of them do--but at the same time
the gospel answers many of them for us with more clarity
than has ever been available to men. What a
blessing!
Fun
discussion item: The
Ring of Gyges (311b-312a).
Which people (or otherwise) does this person bring to
mind? What of the inevitability that he talks
about--that someone with such a ring would choose
injustice.
Consider Bilbo
Baggins from Tolkien's delightful tale The Hobbit.
Was Bilbo a hobbit of extraordinary virtue?
How can we account for that? On the other hand,
consider Sméagol, whose corrupt character allowed him to
succumb to the temptation first to kill, and then to use
the ring wickedly.
In the real world, we have no rings
of invisibility. Men use other things as cloaks of
invisibility--to hide their evil natures. In the
Book of Mormon, Amalickiah used a screen of lies to
obtained the things he desired (starts in Alma 46).
The Cave:
Describe Plato's
allegory of the cave (people looking at
the shadows). One person is freed, and then tries to come
back and tell the others. They want no part of it.
They have no way to understand. Here are some
helpful links:
Plato's cave allegory: could you escape from
the cave? (interactive graphic)
Discussion of the cave allegory
Easy to understand
discussion of The Republic. (click on the link
to "Republic")
Read Elder Packer's talk about
spiritually "tasting salt"
Explain why the man in Elder Packer's
story could not
understand knowing something without being able to
describe it.
Discuss the interplay of ideas
presented in these two allegories as you ponder the
meaning of Elder Packer's allegory of "tasting salt" and
Plato's allegory of the cave in The Republic.
Questions:
Is man basically virtuous? Evil? Give the true
doctrine.
Why does man need to be
humble?
Why are there no
perfect people? (Because it is not in God's plan
for us.
See Ether 12).
Sophocles (495 - 405 BC)
Reading
3: Sophocles, Oedipus, King of Thebes Volume
5, pp 99 - 113. (The lesson also recommends
reading Antigone, but this is not discussed
below). Note that the subject matter of Oedipus
is more difficult than some of the other readings, and
(I would say) not suitable for younger children.
Read a brief bio of Sophocles and introduce yourself to
his writings
Teacher's notes: Rather than
have my daughters read the play beforehand, I chose to take
turns reading it so they could hear out loud the poetic
nature of the words. The play is not very long,
but still could take 3-4 one hour sessions to cover it.
Whether you want to spend that much time on it or not is
your choice, although I believe my daughters did receive
an appreciation for the beauty of the writing through
this method--even given the difficult story.
Key points: Oedipus starts
out on top of the world. He is a king of a mighty
city, and is called "king glorious in all eyes." (find out
for sure). Of his exalted position, Oedipus is
sure, although he is anxious to seek the cure to
the terrible things that have befallen his people
(plagues, no crops, no children being born, death). His
elevated status only prepares him for his eventual
downfall, where Teiresias predicts he will be lower than
all men.
Comparison: compare Oedipus' oncoming fate and
situation with that of another man, who was "well known
among all that know me, and wealthy by my own efforts .
. ." This is similar to the way that Oedipus is
introduced. But Heavenly Father dealt more gently
with this man (who was also a rebel) by sending an angel
to him with a command to help "a holy prophet."
This is of course Amulek. Amulek chose to obey
God's command--and eventually became a mighty preacher
of righteousness--even though he too suffered severe
personal tragedy.
Taking
opportunity to discuss with the children what is
happening when the language is difficult to follow is
helpful.
Note to the teacher: to make the
length more manageable, you might stop from where Teiresias says "You are the offender" to discuss (this
also leaves more of a mystery) and skip past Oedipus'
conversation with Creon, where he accuses Creon of
conspiring against him.
There are many opportunities to discuss how in real life
our actions determine our course, not the "fates" or the
cruel decrees of mostly indifferent gods, as in the
fantasy of Oedipus. Also, as mentioned before,
God's interaction, care and love for his children stands
in sharp contrast to Phoebus' (Apollo) actions.
Plaster
cast of statue of Sophocles.
© Ashmolean Museum, Cast Gallery.
Was Oedipus guilty? Of what
was he guilty? How much was he simply manipulated
by the pitiless gods? To consider these questions,
the children must examine the unique circumstances of
Oedipus' existence, the culture (which might explain his
bravado and quick temper), and other factors. It
is a good opportunity to help the children see that
things are rarely as simple or straightforward as they
seem. Even in the encounter with Laïus at
the crossroads, it is easy to imagine that after Laïus
struck him with his staff, that Oedipus was fighting for
his life against five men; he was simply defending
himself. Or it might be simply that it was
Oedipus' wounded pride that led to the deaths of Laïus
and his servants. Is there anything that supports
either on one of these hypotheses? (His boasting
"I paid him back with interest" seems to indicate a
great deal of pride and lack of remorse).
Continuing on until the end of the
story, Sophocles shows how he went from being a great
one to a most miserable man. He say, roughly, to
count no man happy until he has gone through life with
no troubles. What do you think of that conclusion?
Job: briefly examine the
trials that he underwent (Job chapters 1-14, and chapter
42). He, like Oedipus, was bereft of
everything--he children, his wealth and his health.
But through his trials he learned, not only who is
friends were, but eternal principles of patience and
longsuffering. He was even taught of the Lord
about the premortal existence (chapter 38). In the end, as a
result the Lord restored to him many of the things he
lost and blessed him with more posterity.
The Lord spoke to Joseph Smith when
he was suffering in Liberty Jail. He said "thou
art not yet as Job . . ." (D & C 121:9-10) so apparently this is
not just a story.
An even more apt comparison to
Oedipus is Alma the Younger. Alma was,
as Oedipus, awakened to his awful state in an
instant. In reading about Oedipus, we can get
another view of what must have befallen Alma.
He fell to the ground, almost lifeless, as he
understood and felt the burden of his sins.
Unlike Oedipus, however, Alma (as we) had a savior
who rescued him from his awful condition (Alma 36,
Mosiah 27).
What of Oedipus? Was he "set
up?" Was he merely a victim of the gods?
Discuss.
The very last play that Sophocles
wrote was Oedipus at Colonus. Sophocles apparently
finally felt sorry for Oedipus and in this final play,
Oedipus is (as we would understand in the church),
translated. He was taken directly to heaven. Hence,
another likeness to the story of Alma (who was likely
translated--Alma 45:19).
Now, as they say, you know the rest of the story.
Future
Readings as outlined in the
first volume of Introduction to the Great Books
and to a Liberal
Education may include:
Reading 1: Plato,
Apology and Crito
Reading 2: Plato,
The Republic
Reading
3: Sophocles, Oedipus, King of Thebes
Reading 4: Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics
Reading 5: Aristotle, Politics
Reading 6: Plutarch, The Lives of the Noble
Grecians and Romans
Reading 7: Old Testament, Book of Job
Reading 8: St. Augustine, The Confessions
Reading 9: Montaigne, The Essays
Reading 10: Shakespeare, Hamlet
Reading 11: Locke, Concerning Civil Government
Reading 12: Swift, Gulliver's Travels
Reading 13: Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the
Roman Empire
Reading 14: The Declaration of Independence; The
Constitution of the United States; The Federalist
TOP
Read the Great
Books online |
Visit the Great Ideas website
Online
Great Books
Gateway to the Great Books |
The Great Books Movement
School of Abraham Guided
Reading Program
Intro to the Great
Books
Fifteen Minutes a Day: Reading Program for the Harvard
Classics
The Harvard Classics Online
For ideas on implementing
classical education, read
Why
We Need the Classical Tradition
What
is the "Great Conversation"? |
The Sophia Project
Classical Resources from School
of Abraham
Copyright 2005 School of Abraham.
All Rights Reserved.
