Assignment 1.2: Philosopher Multimedia Project by Cori A Forbes

Influence on Government in Athens

lavender008 — 2025-06-20 17:35:28 UTC

Socrates was one of the first individuals to publicly question the government. He ended up getting executed for his actions and in his final speech, stated many ideas that would come up later in freedom of speech arguments. Socrates talked about how people are not wrong for believing what they believe and should be taught new ways of thinking rather than being punished for it.

Socrates Beliefs

lavender008 — 2025-06-20 17:56:34 UTC

One of Socrates ideas was that of being aware of ones ignorance. I really liked this since I hold the same belief as him. He believes that people should at least understand and acknowledge that there are aspects of life they are ignorant to and that being ignorant of that fact is double ignorance. Additionally, Socrates emphasized knowledge and a crucial part of life and even claims that one can be eternal through passing down the knowledge they acquire to others. In my own life, I have to use his "Socratic" method of teaching for my AVID class at school. We must help our peers find answers to their questions by not telling them the answer, but asking related questions to guide their thinking. This results in deeper understanding and further knowledge of the topic.

American Governmen/ Founding fathers

lavender008 — 2025-06-20 18:52:11 UTC

Founding Father, John Adams often associated with the philosopher of Plato, Socrates student. Adams believed that a government should have elements of multiple types of government, one of them being democratic. This ties into Socrates's idea that "A free government is only sustainable if citizens can govern themselves." This notion fuels the democratic principals found in America today.

John Adams Influence in Government

lavender008 — 2025-06-20 19:16:16 UTC

John Adams is the second president of the United States and a founding father. These roles lended him tremendous influence over the government and America as a whole. In 1776, Adams published Thoughts on Government. This was a series of letters highlighting Adam's thoughts on plans for government in independent and free states. Later, in 1779, He solidified the ideas in the letters to draft the constitution in the Massachusetts Constitution. This is widely known for being the official "draft" of the American Constitution since it outlines branches of government and other aspects of constitution.

Socrates Influence on Constitution

lavender008 — 2025-06-20 19:27:09 UTC

Socrates's idea of being aware of ones ignorance is showcased in the constitution. In the constitution, we can see that the right of free speech and protest is to allow for citizens to speak up for themselves and let the government know how their decisions affect people. This is because it would be wrong to assume that the government automatically knows how their decisions affect everyone. The freedom of speech and protest is a way to minimize ignorance in government and allow people to get involved in their community.