Unit Three Modern Socrates

When i think about Socrates and the way he lived it is hard to think of a person who could be considered a modern day Socrates. I think Martin Luther King Jr would be a good example of a modern Socrates. His unwavering attitude in the face of racial inequality is similar to that of Socrates. He stood up to face his peers and challenged the accepted beliefs of the country. He refused to give in and back down even if that meant being unliked and put on trial or thrown in jail.

Martin Luther Kings "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" is a prime example of how he is like Socrates. In the letter he like Socrates in the apology stands up to defend himself and his actions which were being condemned as disruptive and uncalled for. In a very Socratic like type of method he defends himself and the actions he has taken in Birmingham which got him thrown into jail. Even the opening statements of his letter remind me of Socrates. I have included the opening paragraph of his letter and a link to further read the letter in its entirety if you so choose. It is for these reason and several others which i did not go into that I think Martin Luther King Jr is a modern Socrates

"While confined here in the Birmingham city jail, I came across your recent statement calling my present activities "unwise and untimely." Seldom do I pause to answer criticism of my work and ideas. If I sought to answer all the criticisms that cross my desk, my secretaries would have little time for anything other than such correspondence in the course of the day, and I would have no time for constructive work. But since I feel that you are men of genuine good will and that your criticisms are sincerely set forth, I want to try to answer your statement in what I hope will be patient and reasonable terms."

Link to full letter
http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html