Post by alangarcia on Jan 12, 2015 2:50:35 GMT
1. Why was Socrates sentenced to death?
Socrates was sentenced to death for two main reasons. He was persecuted by Meletus and sentenced to death after his trial for corrupting the youth of Athens and impious actions: not acknowledging the Athenian gods and making up gods. In How Socrates Died, Socrates explains to Euthyphro that Meletus said “he [knew] how the youth are corrupted”: implying Socrates was to blame. Additionally, Socrates adds that Meletus also accused him of being “a poet maker of gods, and that [he] invent new gods and den[ied] the existence of old ones”. These allegations show that Socrates was sentenced to death because he generated problems for the Athenian officials by questioning them and showing how incompetent they really were in their professions. Through his clever rhetoric and questions he asked, Socrates embarrassed many high ranking officials showing them how little they actually knew about their statements. Moreover, by challenging their religious beliefs and not accepting to apologies for his actions or leave Athens the Athenian officials were left with one option: to sentence Socrates to death.
2. Why is there a conflict (for some) between science and religion?
There is a conflict between science and religion because each, in certain situations, attacks a fundamental belief in the other: a way of thinking or perspective. For example, In The Great Mystery: Matter vs. Spirit the question arises of how someone would feel if they were made of light as opposed to matter. The commonplace answer being that a person felt better knowing that they were made of light instead of “flat” matter. That being said, there is a conflict between science and religion because people don’t feel good when they are described as what is thought to be “flat” dull matter. However, as the book states, “the dilemma isn’t between matter and spirit, but the persistence of wholly inaccurate and misleading definitions of them” (Lane 13). People are misled and unable to grasp and understanding of what matter really is and how fascinating it actually is because of the way they perceive science or religion. As the first part of the short film Mysterium Tremendum puts it, “matter . . . can do different things under different circumstances” and therefore is not just “flat”. Ultimately, it can be said that the conflict between science and religion is a misunderstanding of each in how they explain the world.