King and Socrates

Vincent Ifill

Intro to Religion

Dr.

2/16/11

King and Socrates: True Men

Although they were from different time periods, Socrates and Martin Luther King Jr were very similar in their respect to civil disobedience. They both had a similar concept of how individuals should conduct themselves while promoting to reach a position of political stature, but their overall definition of such a position in society widely varies. And within the writings of the Apology and the Crido by Socrates, and the Letter from Birmingham Jail by King, you can see the similarities between the two.

It is quite a coincidence that both of these philosophers wrote some of the best work behind bars. Socrates was locked away in a Greek prison where he wrote the Crido and the Apology, while King was imprisoned in Alabama when he wrote Letter from a Birmingham Jail. Even more peculiar within King’s letter, he quotes Socrates and gives him credit for his ideas.

“Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative analysis and objective appraisal, we must see the need of having nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men to rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood.”

After I read this from his speech, I started to get a better idea of the kind of mindset that Socrates himself had as a person. His stories were a great eye opener to the kind of virtues and moral’s he had as a man, but to hear an alumni of my school talk of him in this way really made me think about what kind of person he really was to society. I know that both of these men were very influential during their lifetimes, and I am honored to know of their names and the kind of ideals they believed in. Not only will they help me mold my myself as a man, but they will help me find my god given...