Edward R. Murrow & Socrates Essay

Indestructible courage, persistence and public service drove both Socrates and Murrow to live their lives with unwavering commitment for truth, critical thinking and unbendable integrity. With these values, Socrates and Murrow made their own lives as vivid examples of truth and veracity. They set the standards for all subsequent Western philosophy and the ideal broadcast journalism respectively. Nevertheless, their enduring courage may have brought them also to make half of themselves as merely ego maniacs or perhaps, self-centered intellectuals. Socrates’ pursuit of virtue and his strict adherence to truth clashed with the current course of Athenian politics and society. During his time, Socrates appears to have been a critic of democracy wherein some scholars had interpreted his trial as an expression of political infighting. He boldly face the charges made by the jury as seen in Plato’s â€Å"Apology,† an account of Socrates’s (unsuccessful) speech in his own defense before the Athenian jury. Socrates’s speech includes a detailed description of the motives and goals of philosophical activity as he practiced it, together with a passionate declaration of its value for life. I was really struck when Socrates purposefully gave a defiant defense to the jury because â€Å"he believed he would be better off dead. † With this statement, we can say that Socrates really happens to be a man of truth and valor similar to his modern counterpart, Edward Murrow. According to Wadleigh, â€Å"†¦ Murrow, at every juncture, did what he thought was right. He took risks that at the time seemed outrageous†¦ and he was not afraid of anything. † Furthermore, his exceptional courage is seen when he let Senator McCarthy hang himself with his open criticism program- but without any â€Å"expose† (Wershba & Hottlelet). It was found out that Socrates’s works are often philosophical or dramatic texts rather than straightforward histories. Parallel to Murrow, â€Å"†¦ his voice made the words catch fire! The way he could add drama to the simplest looking text made him amazing! † (Wershba & Kalb). Murrow offered himself to public service analogous to the teaching life of Socrates. Socrates pointedly declined to accept payment for his work with students whereas Murrow fearlessly did his job as a broadcaster. â€Å"†¦ He was a driven reporter – truly driven to tell people what was going on. He do it with intensity! † (Hottlelet) Plato refers to Socrates as the â€Å"gadfly† of the state (as the gadfly stings the horse into action, so Socrates stung Athens), insofar as he irritated the establishment with considerations of justice and the pursuit of goodness. If Socrates stung Athens, then Murrow stung America: â€Å"†¦ using his charisma, integrity and personal standards† (Wershba). It is Socrates and Murrow’s critical thinking that made themselves â€Å"men of worth. † Socrates showed this (critical thinking) through his philosophical works while Murrow made this appear through his jobs as a writer and broadcaster. These two men were really exceptional by committing themselves in pursuit of truth. However, their deep thinking and boldness has somehow conflicted their commitment to truth thus making half of themselves as merely ego maniacs or self-centered intellectuals. It was supported by the reasons why Murrow left his job at CBS: â€Å"Then there was the other side of Murrow, the driven news reporter. Murrow made Harvest of Shame and showed the rotten spots of American life. [CBS Chairman William] Paley didn’t like that. It scared away sponsors. Paley wanted it tame. Murrow wanted it real. † (Hottlelet) Another statement was from Hewitt telling that â€Å"†¦ Murrow would talk with his Person to Person guests beforehand†¦ Murrow felt that for entertainment some discussion to prepare the subjects was legitimate. Paley disagreed, so Murrow left. † He has that hidden pride in his self. Like what I’ve said earlier, he did what he thought was right†¦ which is to leave CBS. Another thing I noticed about Murrow is his sense of egoism or perhaps, self-importance. It was stated in one of the interviews that â€Å"Murrow selected very good people, who, in his presence, got better. Those around him never wanted to disappoint or embarrass Ed—so they pushed themselves to their outer limits†¦ He set the pace; he was the example. † (Kalb) This statement was further supported by Hottlelet – â€Å"He never gave instructions. He knew his worth. I think he just expected the trained reporters he hired to follow his example. † The life of Socrates appears to be really parallel to the life of Edward Murrow. By following what they thought was right and by pursuing the truth, they made half of themselves as the greatest and the most defiant men in history but half as conceited and egoistic individuals of all times.