Humanist Society of Greater Phoenix (HSGP)

Sunday Speaker Topic: Socrates' Life, Death, & Relevance Today

This talk covers how Socrates lived, his trial and death, and what lessons we can learn from his life.

In this talk, Dr. Dave Yount will give a general biography of Socrates, including his family, what he did for a living, his Athenian military service, some idiosyncratic/“fun” things about his personality, and how he practiced philosophy. Then I will describe the charges that were brought against Socrates: (i) corrupting the youth; (ii) believing in Gods other than the Gods of Athens; and (iii) creating new Gods; and the possible bases for those charges. Next, I will briefly summarize Socrates’ trial, how it worked (compared to our justice system), how he began by defending himself against a popular play that had “Socrates” as a character in it that inaccurately described what Socrates really stood for, did, and believed. Then I will give some evidence that he believed that he was unjustly accused (and eventually convicted), and his defenses against each of the three charges. In addition, I will quote Socrates' statements as to how he told the jurors that he would not cease practicing philosophy. Following that, I will give the votes for guilt and acquittal and describe the penalty phase of the trial. He proposed several different penalties, the first of which really offended his accusers: Free meals at the military academy. Then I will give the votes for the death penalty v. the fine that he proposed. Next, I will relate what he told both the jurors who voted for guilt and the jurors who voted for acquittal, and a prediction he made about Athens, which, as far as I can tell, came to be true. Then I will read Plato’s description of the death scene when Socrates drank hemlock. Lastly, I will give reasons why Socrates’ life and philosophy are still relevant today, including the way in which he modeled a philosophical life with integrity, urged people to care more about being a good person rather than their bodies, wealth, and reputation, among other reasons.

Bio:
Professor of philosophy at Mesa Community College, Dave holds a Ph.D. and a M.A. in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a B.A. in philosophy and psychology from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Courses he has taught include: Introduction to Philosophy, Contemporary Moral Issues, Medical and Bio-Ethics, Environmental Ethics, History of Ancient Philosophy, and Philosophy of Sexuality. Dr. Yount has been the MCC Philosophy Club Advisor since its founding in 2003. He has published Plato and Plotinus on Mysticism, Epistemology, and Ethics (2017) and Plotinus: The Platonist: A Comparative Account of Plato and Plotinus’ Metaphysics (2014).

Please Note:
Doors open at 9:00 am for optional buffet breakfast ($5 donation) and socializing. Speaker program begins at 10:00 am.

Important: $5 breakfast fee waived for awesome humans bringing in food to share!