2.7.07

Philosopher's Drinking Song


I must say I find it albeit rather preposterous to let drop your last name and use your middle name for spin reasons.
Just reading the entry on Wikipedia about Socrates makes me laugh if you transpose them into present times. Much as Socrates is the Portugese PM today, the rest is hilarious if treated much the same way.
"Plato's dialogues portray Socrates as a teacher who denies having disciples, as a man of reason who obeys a divine voice in his head (we do have medicine these days to keep out the little voices -it's called Thorazine I believe, and a pious man who is executed for the state's own expediency ( illegal phonetapping anyone?) Socrates disparages the pleasures of the senses, yet is excited by beauty (Armani suits perhaps?); he is devoted to the education of the citizens of Athens, yet indifferent to his own sons ("Socrates is divorced and said to maintain good relations with his ex-wife Sofia Fava, with whom he has two sons." ).
The trial and execution of Socrates was the climax of his career (well it would be the climax of his career if he were at his peak and then he was dead shortly after) and the central event of the dialogues of Plato. According to Plato, both were unnecessary. Socrates admits in court that he could have avoided the trial by abandoning philosophy and going home to mind his own business (in a sense like Barosso and Guterres before him?) . After his conviction, he could have avoided the death penalty by escaping with the help of his friends (are we talking a Blair-like escape here?).
Socrates has a post grad degree in Sanitary Engineering. Nice to have someone in charge who knows what he's doing amid sewage facilities and clean drinking water. With those kind of qualifications he's by far the right man for the job presiding the EU for 6 months!

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