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Did Socrates die for something worthwhile?

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1) Why did Socrates die as he did?

Socrates chose to take the poison for several reasons. First of all that was the form of capital punishment in Athens not something that Socrates chose "out of the blue." Secondly Socrates had been a firm advocate of following the law and obeying the government so it only made sense for him to follow that principle in his final hours. Third he was 70 years old and close to the end of his life anyway. Dying for principle would make more of a statement rather than possibly running away and undermining the impact his philosophy would have on his current students and future admirers.

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This is a discussion about the death of Socrates. The solution discusses the manner of his death impact Athens and Plato or was it a wasted gesture.

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1) Why did Socrates die as he did?

Socrates chose to take the poison for several reasons. First of all that was the form of capital punishment in Athens not something that Socrates chose "out of the blue." Secondly Socrates had been a firm advocate of following the law and obeying the government so it only made sense for him to follow that principle in his final hours. Third he was 70 years old and close to the end of his life anyway. Dying for principle would make more of a statement rather than possibly running away and undermining the impact his philosophy would have on his current students and future admirers.

2) How did it affect Plato's view of Athens?

One way that Plato was affected was that he tended to be more ...

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