Play Review - Ang Apologia ni Sokrates

Ang Apologia ni Sokrates

Play Review by Ana Sophia Andrada

I. PLAY INFORMATION

• Watched in the DOREEN BLACK BOX OF ARETE campus of ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY  on September 17th, 2019
• The actors are from the Philosophy Department of the University
• A THEATRICAL PLAY based on the Socratic Dialogue written by philosopher Plato, "The Apology "
• Translated by: Padre Roque Ferriols, SJ
• Directed by: Jovi Miroy

II. MAIN CHARACTERS

1. Ron Capinding as Sokrates

- Socrates is a phenomenal Philosopher from the Athenian period, known for his incredible teaching skills and considered the Wisest Man because he admitted to knowing nothing. In the play, his final moments are shown, along with the narration of his Philosophy and its impact to the people of Athens. His famous saying is, "Ang buhay na hindi isinasaliksik ay hindi buhay tao." ("The unexamined life is not worth living.")

2. Miletus

- Miletus is the ruler of Athens during the period of Socrates's death. He was the one who ordered that Socrates's should be killed for his Philosophy offends his beliefs.   

3. Young Man

 - this character was never in the dialogues written by Plato. He is added to the cast to mirror and to give the play a representation of modern times. He was going through a true-to-life situation wherein he wants to kill himself. Through the play, Socrates taught him a timeless life lesson.

III. SYNOPSIS

     There was a young man in the modern age who is struggling with life. He wanted to commit suicide, and was feeling so unworthy enough to make him not scared of death and nothing could make him think otherwise. 

     Socrates was a very wise Philosopher who answered all questions thrown at him with valid reasoning. He taught everyone all that he knew and expressed humility in those that he didn't. He was sentenced to death by the then ruler of Athens, Miletus, for 3 reasons: teaching false doctrines, impiety, and corrupting the youth. He explained himself one more time to *hopefully* convince the people to think that he should not be killed, because the final verdict depended on the number of votes of the people. In the end, he still was sentenced to death.

     Going back to the young man, while Socrates was defending his stand and professing his love for Philosophy to everyone, he also answered the question to if suicide is acceptable. The young man was there in the scene, asking him that. Socrates answered him convincingly that his view is wrong, and convinced the young man to look at the picture in a different perspective. 

   Socrates was given the chance to escape his punishment, but it meant giving up Philosophy forever. He did not take this opportunity. He drank the hemlock, symbolizing his passion, love, and loyalty to Philosophy.

IV. GUIDE QUESTIONS

a. Sino si Socrates? Paano siya isinalarawan sa dula (itsura, katangian, kaisipan, at ugali) na iyong pinanood?

    

      Sagot: Si Socrates ay isang Pilosopo sa panahon ng Athenian Period. Tinagurian siyang pinakamatalinong nilalang dahil sa pag-amin niyang wala siyang alam, kilala siya ng marami bilang isang magaling na guro dahil sa pagsagot niya sa mga katanungan gamit ang mga wastong depinisyon. Dahil sa pamamaraan niyang ito, agad at madaling pinaniniwalaan ng kanyang mga kausap ang mga pinagsasabi niya.

     Sa dula, ipinakita ang kwento ng kanyang huling mga sandali, at ang pangangatwiran niya sa lahat ng mga bagay. Siya ay isang nilalang na halos may-edad na at may malaking pangangatawan. Tapos may suot siyang kwintas na panigurado ay malaking kabuluhan sa kanyang buhay. 

b. Anong pangyayari o usapan sa dula ang tumalab sa iyo? Bakit? Mayroon bang kaisipan o aral mula sa ating klase sa Pilosopiya na iyong naalala na konektado sa iyong napanood na dula? Paano at Bakit?

     Sagot: Sa pagnood ko ng dula na iyon, namulat ako sa maraming bagay. Yung pinakasikat na kasabihan ni Socrates, "Ang buhay na hindi isinasaliksik ay hindi buhay tao", ay paulit ulit na binanggit. Ito ay nagsasabi na dapat natin kilalanin ang ating sarili at madalas na magreflect sa mga ginagawa at sinasabi natin dahil ito ay magreresulta sa makabuluhang buhay. Naniniwala akong isa dapat ito sa mga "words to live by" ng mga tao para maalala nating ang mga kagagawan at kasabihan natin ay gumagawa ng impact sa mundo, maging sa buhay rin ng kapuwa.

         Isa pang kasabihan sa dula na tumatak sakin ay yung debate tungkol sa pagpapakamatay, kung tama ba ito o mali. Para sa mga gustong magpakamatay, paraan nila ito para mawala lahat ng pagod, kalungkutan, at sakit na nararamdaman nila na dulot ng pagiging buhay sa mundo. Sa pamamagitan ng kamatayan, makakapagsimula ulit sila ng panibago. Ang kasagutan ni Socrates dito ay walang nakakasigurado kung may bagong panimula pagkatapos ng kamatayan, walang kasiguraduhan kung matatapos na doon ang pagod, lungkot, at sakit, na malay natin sa kabilang buhay pala ay mas matindi ang mga pagsubok na kailangan lagpasan. Walang nakakaalam ng mangyayari dahil wala namang tao ang bumalik na pagkatapos nilang mamatay, kaya hindi ba mas mabuti nang manatili dito sa mundo na kung saan alam natin ang nagdudulot ng sakit sa atin? kesa na tumungo tayo sa daan na walang nakakaalam at hindi na pwedeng bumalik.

     Isa siguro sa mga pangyayari na pinakamay-kabuluhan para sa akin ay ang mga binintang ni Meletus kay Socrates. Nakita ko na ang pinakadahilan na kung bakit nila ipapatay si Socrates ay dahil hindi nila tanggap na tama ang mga tanaw ni Socrates sa lahat ng bagay, hindi nila matanggap ang wastong pangangatwiran ni Socrates. Sila ay may kaisipan na ang dapat masusunod ay ang may awtoridad, ang mga sikat, at iba pa, at ang dapat lamang paniwalaan ay ang mga turo ng kanilang mga ninuno, kahit na walang mga argumento na sumusuporta sa mga ito. Kung susundin natin ang gusto nila Meletus, na ang ating paniniwala ay dapat naaayon lang sa mga turo noong unang panahon, balewala ang mga bagong natutuklasan, at mga agham. Mabubuhay tayo nang walang kaalam-alam sa katotohanan. Ang pawang layunin lamang ni Socrates ay mulatin ang bawat isa sa katotohanan na may pangangatwiran. Hindi tama ang pagpatay sa kanya sa ganung kadahilanan. 

     Isa naalala ko ay yung kwento na maaring natakasan ni Socrates ang parusa ng kamatayan ngunit hindi niya ito ginawa. Tingin niyang hindi siya dapat mamatay ngunit, kung ang ibig-sabihin nito ay itigil ang Pilosopiya, mas pipiliin niyang magpakamatay nalang. 

 

c. Anong mahalagang mga kaisipan at aral na iyong natutunan sa iyong karanasan ng panonood ng dulang ito? Paano makakatulong sa iyo ang mga kaisipan at aral na nabanggit sa iyong paglalakbay sa Pilosopiya at bilang isang Josephian?

     

     Sagot: Madami akong natutunan sa pagnood ng dula. Tinuruan ako ni Socrates na una sa lahat, ay saliksikin ang aking buhay, tinuruan niya akong laging maging bukas sa bagong kaalaman, at napatunayan niya ang pagmamahal niya sa Pilosopiya. Tinuruan ako ni Socrates na tignan ang lahat ng bagay sa lahat ng perspectibo, at hindi lang sa akin. Sa pamamagitan ng mga turo niya, ako'y lalaki bilang bukas na tao, bukas sa opinyon ng iba, na laging iisipin ang nararamdaman ng iba. 

     Bilang Josephian, matutulungan ako ng mga pagtuturo ni Socrates na maging mapagkumbaba sa aking mga kaklase, na kung may nahihirapan na iba sa larangan na magaling ako, matutulungan ko sila, at kung ako naman ay nangangailangan, maigi akong makikinig sa iba.

V. PLAY RATING: 5 STARS

- The play was spectacular. The cast's acting was amazing, the lighting was on-point, and the plot was remarkable. Ron Capinding portrayed Socrates so well that the short entertaining commercial he did snapped me back to my senses that he is only acting. I am more that honored to have been part of the audience that got to witness such a beautiful theater show. 

Creative Synthesis: Keyboard Warriors and Internet Fallacies

Creative Synthesis: Keyboard Warriors and Internet Fallacies

For my third blog post, I will compile and give a few examples of fallacies that I have seen and encountered during my time as a social media user. There  may or may not be screenshots of anonymous private messages here that I had with others. Just a disclaimer, some of these may be insulting to others as we all have different opinions, and beliefs. There might also be examples here that are too stupid for one to handle. Again, these are fallacies, and I am just citing examples.



                                                             #1: Red Herring  

This is an example of a Red Herring Fallacy, because she did not answer the important questions I asked. Instead, she focused on a minor thing I included in my questions. She also did not understand what I meant by my words. Thus, making the conversation even more meaningless. It ended without my questions answered.

#2. It doesn't follow

The above tweet is an example of a fallacy that doesn't follow. The reason being is that, the name of another mayor was never brought up in the first place, or that mayor's actions. It has nothing to do with how Pasig mayor Vico Sotto is doing his job.

#3. Against the Person

   This is an example of a fallacy that is Against the Person, because the twitter user attacked Manny Pacquiao and refused to rejoice in his success in defeating his opponent in a recent boxing match just because of the fact that Manny is not a very great country leader. She chooses to treat Manny Pacquiao based on his leadership skills and opinions as a senator, and completely ignoring the fact that he is the country's pride in boxing, which was the main topic in the first place.

#4. Appeal to the People

This screenshot of Andrea Brilliantes's Instagram post is an example of a fallacy that appeals to the people because she endorses a product as someone who is famous and appeals to most of the population. With her endorsing this product, many people will be engaged to also buy the product endorsed, because many people look up to Andrea as an influencer.

#5. Appeal to the Authority

This is an example of a fallacy that appeals to the authority because Psychology, as a very specialized and authorized subject basing on facts, is used as something that supports this statement. There is no official proof as to this being proven. It may be acknowledged by many because of experiences and it is reality, but it was never based on the teachings of Psychology. 

QUESTIONS:

1. What are the common characteristics of the social media posts you have chosen? 
Answer: The common characteristic that they have is of course, the fallacy that their claims carry. Their statements aren't based on pure truth, and it cannot be said that their statements are purely false either.What they really have in common is that they can appeal to the audience that sees their content that they have put out there on social media for everyone to see.

2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using social media to express personal opinion, perspective, or even posting personal takes about your life?
Answer: As someone who uses social media a lot for the reasons stated, I have gotten my fair share of experiences of those advantages and disadvantages. A good thing this brings is that we are able to freely express ourselves with its use, that there are actually platforms wherein we can say anything without having to worry about what others personally think. A counterpart to this advantage is that people who may not agree will tend to attack you for posting it. Also, by seeing what others are posting out there can make us see things in different perspectives. We are able to see the whole picture of something because different opinions and beliefs will be seen commenting on posts. 

3. How can you become a responsible social media user through philosophical reasoning?
Answer: I think it is to carefully think about whatever you decide to put out there first before actually getting it out there. There's no other way but to think about things thoroughly first-- if it will offend others, or most importantly, if it makes any sense that others will agree with you. Being a responsible user is to stop being stupid. 

4. What advice can you give many "Keyboard Warriors" in the internet on responsible use of social media?
Answer: Then again, (I cannot stress this enough) we should thoroughly think about everything first before posting anything. We should, at most, try to see all situations in every possible perspective and not just ours. Most importantly, we should always set our feelings aside whenever we face issues in social media, because our emotions play very important roles in what we put online for everyone to see. By doing these simple things, and to keep it as a practice, everyone will be more responsible social media users, and display a better image for the audience that sees them. 

Reflection Blog: July 30, 2019

REFLECTION BLOG: JULY 30, 2019

It was yet, another Philosophy class, discussing about great philosophers from the early times. I learned that the Sophists were just self-proclaimed smart people that think no other person is as wise as them. They charged people just so they could trick them into learning something useful. They were supposed to be professionals, PROFESSIONALS! I cannot even contain my disbelief. And then there was this man who, according to him at least, knew nothing, but because of that, was proclaimed as the wisest of all human beings. Because of that, I came to a conclusion that Irony will always be present in Philosophy.  

I look up to the wonderful person that is Socrates. I relate to him in some of the simplest ways. We're so different, yet so similar at the same time. He was a curious, humble, and devoted man. Without sounding so mean or offending, he helped others learn while also learning from them. Because he believed that Philosophy is for the society, and not just to show himself off. I'm a lot like that -- eager to learn, and not for mere numbers that'll show on a piece of paper at the end of a term. Having high of those will never equal to truly learning and getting something out of it. 

I acknowledge the Sophists' desires to possibly sharing information with others, and their intelligence. (I am no better than them) I just couldn't agree with their goals and objectives to end Philosophy with Rhetoric, and using others to gain wealth. They were never lovers of wisdom, they used their wasted gift of knowledge for fame and power.

An ideal Philosopher for me, is of course, Socrates. After learning what an amazing mind he has, and a good soul at that, he instantly became an inspiration to me. Everyone should be like him. We should never reject wisdom, and the opinions of others. We should share knowledge everyone in the best way possible. And we should never run away from the consequences of life, like how he refused to flee from exile because he knew what price there is to pay when people from his time can never relate to his level of thinking.

Reflection Blog: July 8, 2019

REFLECTION BLOG: JULY 8, 2019

A few days ago, we officially started our Philosophy class for this academic year. I was really looking forward to this subject, mainly because I've never had it before. It's really interesting to learn something that everyone can get something from. We're all from the same strand (STEM) but we'll be taking different career paths after two years. It's nice to have a subject like Philosophy that all of us can be united for. 

Sophia, my second name. Only a few people call me by it and I know that I was named Ana because of my grandmother, but I never knew where Sophia came from. Not that I asked my parents about it, I was never really curious. I just liked how it sounds so womanly, and there's no male name counterpart to it. But it was only after the first Philosophy class I truly understood what my name meant. It was wisdom. Sophia means wisdom. And I loved it even more because of that simple fact.

Okay now for the real thing:

I learned a whole lot just from the first class and, I can truly see myself enjoying it (despite the 25 minutes of pain and torture). I learned that Philosophy is the sole reason for everything. It is the foundation of truth, and why we believe in the things we believe in today. If there is science because of curious minds, then Philosophy sparked all the curiosity in this world. We all owe it to Thales, even though he discovered not much, but he opened the door to find reality to fully believe in because he's seen it with his very own eyes. 

It wasn't just history discussed in the three hours of Philosophy that day. Fr. Kevin told stories of ghosts and his love for the newly released film, Spider-Man: Far From Home (whenever that topic was brought up, I jokingly covered my ears because I haven't seen it and was really excited to. I watched it with friends almost immediately). That and the Philosophy class has taught me that as humans, we commit mistakes we don't mean to. We trust people we've seen only a small part of, people who showed us a facade of themselves, and it's okay. Having interacted with many people despite the young age, instances like these are unavoidable. I learned then and there that Evil will never prevail. God will never let it.