In what ways does Muhammad Ali fulfill a Socratic function in today’s society? Compare and contrast Muhammad Ali and Socrates.

In Plato’s version of the trials of Socrates, titled “Apology,” Socrates responds to accusations of the court of Athens put against him for corrupting the local youth. Socrates has spent his entire life in the supposed service of the god Apollo, testing to show the god who amongst the people of Athens is wise. To perform this duty, commissioned to him by the Oracle at Delphi, Socrates spent his days in dialogue with those around him, mostly asking questions. He claimed to have no knowledge of his own, since if one knows something, one cannot effectively learn that thing. His questions were pointed, however, and often made the people he was speaking to look ignorant. He made a lot of the local leaders look unintelligent, and that made them angry, hence the accusations and the trial. He was directed to stop querying people in this manner, and he refused to comply. Socrates was one of our earliest recorded examples of conscientious objection. 

Muhammad Ali, born Cassius Clay before converting to Islam in 1964, refused to be inducted into the US Armed Forces when he was drafted in 1967, while the United States was active in the Vietnam War. He cited both his religious beliefs and the fact that he had no personal issues with the Vietcong as reasons for his refusal. In June of that same year, he was convicted of draft evasion (although, technically he showed up for induction and refuse to step forward when his name was called, so he didn’t exactly evade the draft). He was sentenced to five years in prison and a fine of $10,000. His conviction was overturned in June of 1971, after he had suffered a three year ban from boxing. 

The question of whether or how Ali serves a Socratic function in society suggests, first of all, that Socrates himself had a particular function in society.  It could be argued that Socrates was simply living his life in the manner he felt best, and when that became a problem for society he chose civil disobedience rather than compliance. The same could be said for Ali, in some sense, although Ali was a notable figure in the boxing world prior to being drafted, so his response to the draft was instantly visible and public.

On the other hand, Socrates certainly did have a public presence, even if he had no formal function in society. He called into question the key leaders in Athens from the point of view of a regular citizen. Ali was also a “regular citizen” whose personal convictions led him to disagree with a requirement of the state, and when commanded to meet that requirement he too chose civil disobedience rather than compromise his conscience.