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Achillies and Socrates

As heroic figures, both Achillies and Socrates are each celebrated for their past glories. As a brave warrior, Achillies appreciates the fact that he is half-divine and half mortal. Nevertheless, he does not dwell on that fact. Even his pride is simply a personal trait that has nothing to do with knowing his fate and destiny. Perhaps the fact that we find Achillies matching out against Hector reveals that he seeks to know himself beyond the establishment of the oracle. He is fully aware that his fate and Hector’s are tied together. However, the human nature in him makes him livid with fury and he proceeds to do things his way. It should also be noted that his involvement with Briseis was probably another scheme to know himself. Achillies comes to war not because the king Agamemnon has ordered it, but for his own glory. He breaks all established rules so as to know himself better.

Unlike Achillies, Socrates proceeds to investigate the Delphic oracle about his personality rather directly. He argues philosophically in what has been interpreted differently by different scholar that he confesses that he lacks wisdom. However, a close scrutiny reveals otherwise. Socrates pattern of language has challenged many as far as understanding what he meant is concerned. In order to find out the oracles assertion that he is the wisest man, Socrates approached different classes of the Greek society in pursuit of the truth of the statement. Socrates begins with the political class, but he is amazed at their not being sufficiently knowledgeable. He wonders at how they run public affairs given their ignorance. Socratic Method of knowledge inquiry can be said to be partially similar to that of René Descartes of personality inquiry that begins with self-doubt. Therefore when Socrates says that he knows nothing, he does not necessarily discredit his being knowledgeable. He seeks to find out the amount of wisdom that there is in his knowledge. He concludes that only god is wise, though his realization of this last disposition is what actually qualifies him to be considered wise. The oracle was therefore a prophecy of his growth from being knowledgeable to being wise.

Most importantly, the degree to which each one knows himself varies significantly. Achillies appears not to know himself beyond the oracle, fate and destiny. Nevertheless, he does not care about that fact. In fact, he lets himself loose to do as he pleases. In the final analysis, it is not very clear how much he grew to know himself up to the point he is shot with an arrow by Paris. Achillies was still in the process of knowing himself and making a change from living as a half-divine warrior to living as other men with emotions like love and anger inter-playing to influence his decisions. Homes portrays Socrates as mature, knowing himself well and being ready to asses and evaluate any other opinion about him. As pertains to sacrifices, Socrates sacrifices his reputation and declares that he knows nothing so that he can proceed to investigate the much he knew. Achillies sacrifices an early glory by delaying to enter the war. He also sacrifices himself when he opts to face Hector, knowing very well that their fate is tied together. He kills Hector and disgraces him and bravely awaits his own fate.