Free Essay Sample - Humanities Analysis

Humanities cover the study of history, art, ethics, philosophy, jurisprudence, comparative religion, literature, and languages as disciplines of imagination and memory, which inform people about the past and assist in envisioning the future. In the classical period, the focus was mainly, but not limited to, both Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. The paper analyses the Apology, which is the philosophical work of Plato written in the classical period that is ca, 399 B.C.E. It starts with a description of the innovations and historical events that characterized the classical period in which Plato wrote the Apology. It analyses how the work reflects stylistic or a theme from the classical period. The paper also analyses the contribution of both Plato and his work, Apology, to humanities.

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The Historical Events or Innovations of the Classical Period

The classical period is a period characterized by cultural history as it comprises of the interlocking civilization of both ancient Greece and Rome, which was named the Greco-Roman world. The period is regarded as an era when Greek and Roman societies developed and caused a great influence throughout Western Asia, Europe, and Northern Africa. The period continued throughout the emergence of Christianity, and it then ends with the decline of classical culture.

The classical period is famous for its significant advancement in the field of political history and the rise of philosophy, poetry, democracy, and theatre, especially in Greek. The invention of the written language took place in the period. More so, the culture of ancient Greeks flourished during the period, which formed the base of philosophy, education, art, and society in the period. The cultural foundation of the classical period has impacted to a greater extent what is seen in the modern world concerning ethics, poetry, politics, science, rhetoric, warfare, law, art and architecture, educational systems, philosophy, and historiography. Some of the fragments of the classical culture are the base that caused the later 14th century Renaissance period.

Analysis of Plato's Apology and its Reflection in the Classical Period

Plato's work, which is the Apology, is philosophical writing of the classical period, specifically, the ca. 399 B.C.E, and it is the interpretation and recollection of Socrates' trial (Miller & Platter, 2012). The work covers the theme of philosophy, which emerged in the classical period, as it tries to explain the actions that involved the trial of Socrates. Plato though his work of Apology, presents three central themes, which are knowledge, dedication to society, and the theme of wright and wrong. In the theme of knowledge, the Apology the knowledge of Socrates was illustrated by Plato through showing that Socrates is a wiser man, but on the side of Socrates himself, he believes to know very little. Socrates was looking for the wiser person, and, in the process, he questioned poets, politicians, and craftsmen of Athens. Socrates found fault in all the three groups, and it is his realization that makes the Apology written by Plato to be philosophically important. On the theme of dedication to society, Socrates in the Apology shows that he enlightens the people of Athens to think in ways they never did before. Socrates dedicated himself to imparting knowledge to society members through tutoring, and in return, he received little financial compensation. Plato illustrated the way Socrates questioned for the betterment of society. On the other theme, which is Right and Wrong, The Apology illustrates the way society condemns Socrates for the acts which resulted in corruption on Athens's youth (Miller & Platter, 2012). The corruption here was to decide between right and wrong as Socrates did not believe in gods as he preached against them, which people of Athens believe to corrupt children to evil ways. Socrates was put in a trial to explain if he was corrupting youth to the disadvantage of Athens's culture and life. In the theme, Socrates challenged people of Athens to revisit the judgments made to him and understand to differentiate between the right and wrong belief as he stated that he still has friends and people of Athens like him, which means his stand concerning gods is right.

Through the Apology, it is understood that anger and confusion as a response to the finding of Socrates about the knowledge being claimed on him as per the Delphic Oracle, who declared Socrates to be the wisest man (Cusher, 2018). Socrates, through making personal discoveries and research, he responded to the claim that he was the wisest not because he knows a lot but because he is aware of his ignorance.

The work depicts the rise of philosophy in the classical period. Philosophy was on the rise as philosophers like Socrates and Plato tried to explain events that were happening in society at that period. Socrates questioned and explained knowledge that craftsmen, politicians, and poets have by seeking to know what they understand. Through such exploration, he was convicted of impiety as a result of what he discovered and what others like the Delphic Oracle say about his knowledge.

Plato's Contribution to Humanities

Plato, as an author, contributed a lot to humanities through his philosophical work, especially on the invention of political philosophy in the classical period. Plato reflected on the origins of various political institutions and also several concepts that are utilized to organize and interpret political life, which includes equality and justice. He also contributed to the concepts that relate to the nature of politics and the aims of ethics and the merits of regimes and constitutional arrangements. Throughout the classical period, the models of Plato concerning the overall philosophy remained significant for authors who followed him even after the establishment of Hellenistic schools through philosophy in Greek and philosophical adaptation of Romans who offered new and different frameworks. Plato, together with Socrates, established laws relating to governance in their philosophical work and made a significant contribution to the defense of justice.

In terms of the current work, Plato contributed to humanities through the Apology. The work represents a humbling exploration, which leads many readers to question their knowledge concerning what they understand and what they do not; the way Socrates did, after understanding he knows nothing. Through the Apology, Plato illustrated the importance of understanding a situation before taking action, as through the dialogue that Socrates made during his judgment, it is clear that he should not have suffered the execution made to him through conviction as through the case, defining the right and wrong action was blurred. It then calls upon humanity to consider in terms of situational or cultural the definition of right and wrong in the light of justice.

References

Cusher, B. E. (2018). Different purposes, different lives: Socrates' twofold presentation of his activity in Plato's Apology of Socrates. In Leadership and the Unmasking of Authenticity. Edward Elgar Publishing. https://www.elgaronline.com/view/edcoll/9781786430984/9781786430984.00009.xml

Miller, P. A., & Platter, C. (2012). Plato's Apology of Socrates: a commentary (Vol. 36). University of Oklahoma Press.