The Mind and its Place in Nature

First Essay

October 11, 2005

Are Socrates Arguments Sound"

Socrates believes one cannot fear what one does not know. He believes since no one has an absolute knowledge of what follows death in the natural world, man should not fear death. He has several arguments to back this up. In this paper I will look at two of his arguments and conclude that his arguments are unsound due to the fact that opinions are not truths.

First of all, to prove Socrates' arguments are not sound, one must know what a sound argument is. In a sound argument all of the premises must be true. For example:

People under 18 are not eligible to vote;

Some students in college are under 18;

Therefore, some college students are not eligible to vote.

This argument is not only sound but also it is valid. It...