Deck 1: Plato: Socratic Wisdom

Question 1

In this selection from the Apology, Plato recounts the trial of Socrates, accused of corrupting the youth of Athens and not believing in the gods. Socrates defends himself, declaring that he is guilty only of asking probing questions of men who claim to be wise, thus exposing their ignorance. Unlike many who pretend to be wise, Socrates professes no wisdom yet is wiser than most in that he does not claim to know what he in fact does not know. Nevertheless, he tells the court that the good life is one in which we continually search for the truth and examine our lives in a never-ending pursuit of human excellence. He insists, "No greater good can happen to a man than to discuss human excellence every day and the other matters about which you have heard me arguing and examining myself and others, and that an unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates is found guilty by the court and is given the sentence of death or exile from Athens. He chooses death, staying true to his principles to the end.
-Socrates says that the accusations against him arose from

A) his lavish lifestyle.
B) the riches he accrued by teaching.
C) his penetrating examination of people's beliefs.
D) his superiority to others.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

In this selection from the Apology, Plato recounts the trial of Socrates, accused of corrupting the youth of Athens and not believing in the gods. Socrates defends himself, declaring that he is guilty only of asking probing questions of men who claim to be wise, thus exposing their ignorance. Unlike many who pretend to be wise, Socrates professes no wisdom yet is wiser than most in that he does not claim to know what he in fact does not know. Nevertheless, he tells the court that the good life is one in which we continually search for the truth and examine our lives in a never-ending pursuit of human excellence. He insists, "No greater good can happen to a man than to discuss human excellence every day and the other matters about which you have heard me arguing and examining myself and others, and that an unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates is found guilty by the court and is given the sentence of death or exile from Athens. He chooses death, staying true to his principles to the end.
-Socrates interprets the oracle's message to mean that

A) Socrates is wise.
B) the wisest are those who know the most.
C) Socrates is ignorant.
D) the wisest are those who know that they know nothing.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

In this selection from the Apology, Plato recounts the trial of Socrates, accused of corrupting the youth of Athens and not believing in the gods. Socrates defends himself, declaring that he is guilty only of asking probing questions of men who claim to be wise, thus exposing their ignorance. Unlike many who pretend to be wise, Socrates professes no wisdom yet is wiser than most in that he does not claim to know what he in fact does not know. Nevertheless, he tells the court that the good life is one in which we continually search for the truth and examine our lives in a never-ending pursuit of human excellence. He insists, "No greater good can happen to a man than to discuss human excellence every day and the other matters about which you have heard me arguing and examining myself and others, and that an unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates is found guilty by the court and is given the sentence of death or exile from Athens. He chooses death, staying true to his principles to the end.
-When Socrates searched for a man who was wiser than he was, he found that

A) there were many wise men in Athens.
B) many who thought they were wise were not wise at all.
C) the wisest in Athens were artisans.
D) those with a reputation for wisdom were indeed wise.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

In this selection from the Apology, Plato recounts the trial of Socrates, accused of corrupting the youth of Athens and not believing in the gods. Socrates defends himself, declaring that he is guilty only of asking probing questions of men who claim to be wise, thus exposing their ignorance. Unlike many who pretend to be wise, Socrates professes no wisdom yet is wiser than most in that he does not claim to know what he in fact does not know. Nevertheless, he tells the court that the good life is one in which we continually search for the truth and examine our lives in a never-ending pursuit of human excellence. He insists, "No greater good can happen to a man than to discuss human excellence every day and the other matters about which you have heard me arguing and examining myself and others, and that an unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates is found guilty by the court and is given the sentence of death or exile from Athens. He chooses death, staying true to his principles to the end.
-Socrates considers himself

A) a political revolutionary.
B) an atheist.
C) a philosophical gadfly to the state.
D) a reclusive scholar.

Question 5

In this selection from the Apology, Plato recounts the trial of Socrates, accused of corrupting the youth of Athens and not believing in the gods. Socrates defends himself, declaring that he is guilty only of asking probing questions of men who claim to be wise, thus exposing their ignorance. Unlike many who pretend to be wise, Socrates professes no wisdom yet is wiser than most in that he does not claim to know what he in fact does not know. Nevertheless, he tells the court that the good life is one in which we continually search for the truth and examine our lives in a never-ending pursuit of human excellence. He insists, "No greater good can happen to a man than to discuss human excellence every day and the other matters about which you have heard me arguing and examining myself and others, and that an unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates is found guilty by the court and is given the sentence of death or exile from Athens. He chooses death, staying true to his principles to the end.
-Socrates accuses his judges of

A) not being dedicated enough.
B) not attending to the health of their souls.
C) being too harsh.
D) worshipping the wrong gods.

Question 6

In this selection from the Apology, Plato recounts the trial of Socrates, accused of corrupting the youth of Athens and not believing in the gods. Socrates defends himself, declaring that he is guilty only of asking probing questions of men who claim to be wise, thus exposing their ignorance. Unlike many who pretend to be wise, Socrates professes no wisdom yet is wiser than most in that he does not claim to know what he in fact does not know. Nevertheless, he tells the court that the good life is one in which we continually search for the truth and examine our lives in a never-ending pursuit of human excellence. He insists, "No greater good can happen to a man than to discuss human excellence every day and the other matters about which you have heard me arguing and examining myself and others, and that an unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates is found guilty by the court and is given the sentence of death or exile from Athens. He chooses death, staying true to his principles to the end.
-For Socrates, an unexamined life is

A) inconsistent.
B) a godless life.
C) not worth living.
D) not profitable enough.

Question 7

In this selection from the Apology, Plato recounts the trial of Socrates, accused of corrupting the youth of Athens and not believing in the gods. Socrates defends himself, declaring that he is guilty only of asking probing questions of men who claim to be wise, thus exposing their ignorance. Unlike many who pretend to be wise, Socrates professes no wisdom yet is wiser than most in that he does not claim to know what he in fact does not know. Nevertheless, he tells the court that the good life is one in which we continually search for the truth and examine our lives in a never-ending pursuit of human excellence. He insists, "No greater good can happen to a man than to discuss human excellence every day and the other matters about which you have heard me arguing and examining myself and others, and that an unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates is found guilty by the court and is given the sentence of death or exile from Athens. He chooses death, staying true to his principles to the end.
-Socrates preferred exile to death.

Question 8

In this selection from the Apology, Plato recounts the trial of Socrates, accused of corrupting the youth of Athens and not believing in the gods. Socrates defends himself, declaring that he is guilty only of asking probing questions of men who claim to be wise, thus exposing their ignorance. Unlike many who pretend to be wise, Socrates professes no wisdom yet is wiser than most in that he does not claim to know what he in fact does not know. Nevertheless, he tells the court that the good life is one in which we continually search for the truth and examine our lives in a never-ending pursuit of human excellence. He insists, "No greater good can happen to a man than to discuss human excellence every day and the other matters about which you have heard me arguing and examining myself and others, and that an unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates is found guilty by the court and is given the sentence of death or exile from Athens. He chooses death, staying true to his principles to the end.
-Socrates thought that our main duty is the improvement of our souls.

Question 9

In this selection from the Apology, Plato recounts the trial of Socrates, accused of corrupting the youth of Athens and not believing in the gods. Socrates defends himself, declaring that he is guilty only of asking probing questions of men who claim to be wise, thus exposing their ignorance. Unlike many who pretend to be wise, Socrates professes no wisdom yet is wiser than most in that he does not claim to know what he in fact does not know. Nevertheless, he tells the court that the good life is one in which we continually search for the truth and examine our lives in a never-ending pursuit of human excellence. He insists, "No greater good can happen to a man than to discuss human excellence every day and the other matters about which you have heard me arguing and examining myself and others, and that an unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates is found guilty by the court and is given the sentence of death or exile from Athens. He chooses death, staying true to his principles to the end.
-Socrates was a philosophical gadfly.

Question 10

In this selection from the Apology, Plato recounts the trial of Socrates, accused of corrupting the youth of Athens and not believing in the gods. Socrates defends himself, declaring that he is guilty only of asking probing questions of men who claim to be wise, thus exposing their ignorance. Unlike many who pretend to be wise, Socrates professes no wisdom yet is wiser than most in that he does not claim to know what he in fact does not know. Nevertheless, he tells the court that the good life is one in which we continually search for the truth and examine our lives in a never-ending pursuit of human excellence. He insists, "No greater good can happen to a man than to discuss human excellence every day and the other matters about which you have heard me arguing and examining myself and others, and that an unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates is found guilty by the court and is given the sentence of death or exile from Athens. He chooses death, staying true to his principles to the end.
-Socrates wrote several classic dialogues.