Socrates was no atheist despite allegations against him; rather he believed in divinity and trusted his inner voice.
Socrates embraced a view of God rooted in Plato’s ideas: that He is transcendent, using eternal forms to form our universe while his creations exhibit patterns but lack full details that would reveal His full intent.
Table of Contents
What is Socrates’ opinion on religion?
Socrates was a philosopher who held religious convictions superior to human power and wisdom, along with many traditional religious commitments shared among his contemporaries. Yet he was an acute critic and reformer of both his inherited faith traditions as well as any new cultic incursions he encountered; McPherran asserts that Socrates’ religious convictions played an integral part in his philosophical mission of moral examination, using these rationally derived convictions to change religious conventions of his time.
Socrates discussed the nature of piety with his dialogues titled Euthyphro and Apology with Euthyphro, who claimed true piety originated within oneself and could only be acquired through religious faith rather than ritual practice or ceremony. Socrates also claimed virtue was determined by one’s essence rather than accidental qualities in themselves or someone else.
Socrates’ interpretation of gods may seem unconventional given his trial accusation for not believing in their gods; yet Socrates argued that his religion was more than mere lip service; instead it served as an inner guide in public affairs that provided advice about what actions to take publicly. Furthermore, Socrates claimed the divine sign was his guide as to what actions should be taken by public officials.
This collection of essays examines how religion and philosophy interacted in fifth century Athens through its concept of divinity as a “divine sign”. It offers valuable insight for those interested in Socrates or Plato, since many contributors raise questions about ancient perceptions of divine signs.
Furthermore, this volume’s contributors highlight an issue not addressed by previous studies of divine signs: their exact meaning remains obscure and thus it would benefit from close analysis of Socratic texts to define and contextualise this term in relation to philosophical projects.
Socrates’ belief in new gods
Many philosophers have struggled to reconcile Socrates’s rationalism with his belief in new gods, with scholars taking differing interpretations of the term “god” to mean either one supreme god who oversaw all others or multiple powerful beings forming part of an amalgamated whole. Socrates stood out among his peers by advocating that people should think for themselves rather than blindly accept what authorities told them; his position earned both supporters and detractors in Athens where he made many enemies during his lifetime.
Plato and Xenophon’s works provide some of the most valuable insight into Socrates’ beliefs regarding new gods. Both authors portrayed Socrates as having had an immense effect on human thought and society; his ideas continue to shape philosophy even today. He wasn’t afraid to question ancient myths for themselves, urging his fellow citizens to employ reason so as to avoid injustice or immorality in society.
Socrates’ trial revealed that prosecutors accused him of not believing in the gods of his city, leading to his execution. While this accusation was technically accurate, Socrates in fact believed in all three. Additionally, he claimed receiving guidance from a divine force or daimon.
Socrates viewed his daimon as a nonrational yet discernible divine sign, offering insight into himself, others, and the world at large. He used it for knowledge and moral guidance when making decisions; in religious terms it provided spiritual ecstasy – Socrates believed the best way to honor his gods was through self-knowledge.
Socrates’ conception of divinity differed greatly from that held by most Greeks at the time. Instead of worshiping through sacrifice and prayers, he advocated studying philosophy so he might grow wiser. Additionally, Socrates believed his God held low regard for everyone except himself – an unprecedented feat during pagan times!
Socrates’ faith in the new gods was an integral component of his philosophy, yet scholars have struggled to reconcile his rationalism with this belief. Recent studies have attempted to shed the idea that Socrates was solely rationalist by exploring his spirituality more comprehensively – Thomas Brickhouse and Nicholas Smith argue that Socrates experienced divine signs not as rational hunches but genuine religious experiences.
Socrates’ divine sign
Since 1950, Socrates’ divine sign has largely remained marginal to Socratic scholarship due to its difficulty of interpretation. Compounding this difficulty is the fact that, had his daimonion existed at all, it must have been compatible with Socrates’ commitment to rationality – making its existence incommensurate with Socrates’ philosophy of rationality if indeed any existed at all! Unfortunately it remains impossible to definitively establish whether it ever was real; nonetheless its mere mention should indicate scholars should continue discussing its possible existence despite remaining on its margins!
Socrates appears to have believed in at least one divinity and was guided by some form of guidance or voice, a profoundly different form of religiosity than what Athenians typically practiced – visiting shrines, making sacrifices, and attending festivals that appeased gods they believed would protect them against harm.
Socrates’ religion differed from that of Athenians because he did not take part in public displays of piety, making him an outcast in Meletus’ eyes and those like-minded citizens who eventually condemned him to death. Meletus believed Socrates degraded Athens’ gods through this behavior.
He did not believe that gods were evil or that his actions caused any damage to them; rather he simply followed his inner guidance, known as to daimon (which is a transliteration of Greek for “divine sign”) so perhaps more accurately translated as “divine guidance”.
Socrates was not afraid of death as he held that souls could survive beyond death and reincarnate, believing that such souls would fare better in this new form since they have no vices and do not require food or shelter.
He believed in an unclear relationship between soul and the universe, with punishment coming for any transgression against either. Additionally, it was impossible for him to learn truth without assistance from outside sources such as nature.
Socrates’ death
Socrates was one of the greatest minds of classical antiquity and his impact on Western thought is profound. He served as an influence for Plato, who later founded Western philosophy. Additionally, Socrates is widely acknowledged as one of the earliest moral philosophers and his claim that living an unexamined life isn’t worth living has become part of modern ethics.
Socrates’ beliefs regarding God and humanity were revolutionary for his time. He held that no person intentionally made mistakes; any failure to do what was right due to ignorance rather than deliberate action was their responsibility alone. This view of human nature as it related to divinity would eventually become known as intellectualism.
Socrates’ trial was highly contentious and jurors found him guilty for numerous reasons, among them his belief in new gods that were contrary to those traditionally worshiped in his hometown, breaking with tradition and making him seem dangerous for democracy.
Socrates’s claim that he received guidance from his daimon was also instrumental to his conviction. This argument attempted to connect Socrates’ experience to that of seers or necromancers appointed and regulated through civic procedures; however, an open-minded juror would have realized that Socrates’s daimon wasn’t compatible with conventional notions of religiosity.
Socrates was not an atheist, but he did believe that gods were indifferent to human lives. Due to this unorthodox concept of piety, Socrates’ city sent him into prison. However, this view became a prominent component of Socrates’ philosophy and contributed significantly to Greek cultural development; yet due to being considered ugly by his peers he may have contributed directly to his death; ancient sources attest to this awkward physical appearance including having snub nose and potbelly; his eyes had exophthalmic focus allowing him to see sideways rather than ahead; his eyes also focused sideways unlike most philosophers of today!
