Sam Bowne's HW 6 Example

The Ugliest Man in Athens

Socrates

Socrates was placed on trial, charged with criminal meddling, in that: he inquires into things below the earth and in the sky, makes the weaker argument defeat the stronger, and he teaches others to follow his example.

He defended himself as being of value to the state as a "gadfly", and being on a mission from God (Athena). The jury did not buy it, and he was condemned to death in 399 BC for corrupting the young.

One of his precepts was that a philosopher spent his life preparing for death and was more suited for death than life anyway. He was remarkably casual about dying and as his last request, wanted a cock to be sacrificed to Asclepius, a God of healing, as thanks for death which was the cure for life.

Picture from Yahoo Picture Gallery
Revised 12-12-04