A New Perspective Leads to a New Society

"If there is one indisputable fact about the human condition it is that no community can survive if it is persuaded--or even suspects--that its members are leading meaningless lives in a meaningless universe."

--Irving Kristol


Irving Kirstol is completely correct when she says that "no community can survive if it is persuaded...that its members are leading meaningless lives...". Imagine what would happen if the American people found out that the United States Government was making deals solely in order to benefits those in the government, completely ignoring the demands of its people. Not only would that be completely unconstitutional but it would cause for extreme riots from the American people. No one wants to think that the things they accomplish or the request they make are meaningless, no matter how small or big the accomplishments or requests may be.

To relate this back to Plato's Apology, the townsfolk was afraid that Socrates was going to persuaded the youth to believe that the wise, or those in charge, had no position to be in charge, for their wisdom was really just a facade. But thinking about the situation from those who were considered "wise" point of view, their fear was legitimate. If Socrates had been successful in convincing the youth of this, according to Kirstol, the community would not have been able to "survive". Socrates had only appealed to a small number of the people in the community, but the "wise" people were afraid the snowball effect would happen: whether or not what Socrates spoke was truth, he would tell someone, then that person would tell someone, and then that person would tell someone still.... the supposed blasphemy that Socrates spoke of would have ruined society as they knew it.

For this reason, it seemed the acts that the wise took against Socrates was beneficial. With Socrates dead, a precedent would be set for any future people who desired to be as blasphemous as Socrates would be killed just the same. However, killing Socrates did just the opposite: it made Socrates appear to be a martyr; a man willing to die for what he believed in. And what he believed in was what he shared with those he talked to. What I believe Kirstol is saying when she states the society will not be able to survive, I think she is inferring that the society leading meaning lives will end, and in its place a new society will form. We see this in Apology or perhaps with the readings following it. Socrates is dead, but his words and messages continue to spread - those considered wise are dubbed unwise - being afraid to question is now a thing of the past. At the end of the last paragraph I wrote, "would have ruined society as they knew it." The 'as they knew it' part is important because it reminds us that life will continue no matter what, but perhaps just in a different way.