Defense of Socrates

589 Words2 Pages

Plato’s “Defense of Socrates” follows the trial of Socrates for charges of corruption of the youth. His accuser, Meletus, claims he is doing so by teaching the youth of Athens of a separate spirituality from that which was widely accepted.
Socrates’ argument was unique in that he tried to convince the jury he was just an average man and not to be feared, but in actuality demonstrated how clever and tenacious he was. He begins with an anecdote of his visit to the Oracle of Delphi, which told him that there was no man smarter than he. He, being as humble as he is, could not take the Oracle’s answer for granted and went about questioning Athenians he felt surpassed his intelligence. However, in questioning politicians, poets, and artisans, he found that they claimed to know of matters they did not know about. Socrates considered this to be a serious flaw, and, as Bill S. Preston, Esq. put it: that “true wisdom consists in knowing that you know nothing.”
Socrates acknowledges the fact that he knows nothing, at least in areas which he is unlearned in. By knowing this, he has obtained true wisdom, according to the above maxim. So, in essence, he maintains that he is not a smart man, but the Oracle was not flawed in its testimony.
Socrates argues that he could not have intentionally corrupted Athenian youth through two premises: The first being that he would certainly not want to live amongst ...

Show More
Related

  • The Apology and Crito

    345 Words  | 1 Pages

    Socrates was wise men, who question everything, he was found to be the wise man in Athens by the oracle. Although he was consider of being the wises man alive in those days, Socrates never consider himself wise, therefore he question everything in order to learned more. Socrates lived a poor life, he used to go to the markets and preach in Athens he never harm anyone, or disobey any of the laws in Athens, yet he was found guilty of all charges and sentence to die.

    Read More

  • The Function of the Quest or Journey Motif in the Apology and the Crito

    963 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the beginning of Socrates’ quest it is at the oracle of Delphi where his friend, Chaerephon, asks whether there was anyone wiser than Socrates, the oracle replies that the gods have found none wiser than Socrates and according to him it is not in the nature of the gods to lie about such matters. So he begins to take this as a riddle, “how can a man who knows nothing, be the wisest of all men?” In a phrase, the journey of Socrates leading to his condemnation and death is the answer to the divine paradox interpreted from the oracle. Such as the questions posed by Socrates against those he viewed as pretentious, meaning that they never understood the nature of their work or existence, the craftsmen, politicians and poet...

    Read More

  • Does Socrates see himself as the most important teacher in the city?

    998 Words  | 2 Pages

    The city did not share Socrates own view of himself as the most important teacher. They believed his philosophies were evil and they were willing to put him to death for his ideas. In Socrates’ first defense, he uses the story of the Delphic oracle. According to Socrates, the oracle once declared that no one was wiser than Socrates. At first Socrates thought the oracle to be wrong so he began to obtain evidence by conversing with wise people in order to refute the oracle:

    Read More

  • Xanthippe In Shakespeare's 'An Excerpt From Socrates'

    2012 Words  | 5 Pages

    “At last, you have found me,” said the strange old man in a deep swift. He then began to undrape himself from his black scarfing, just to the point where his foreface was visible. “I have invited you here today to inform you of this atrocity that is happening to my friend, it would be a disservice to him if I did not inform you of what’s happening to him. I know that you have not spoken to or seen him in a while, but madam, your Socrates is about to be tried for poisoning the youth of Athens. By poison, he has developed a following where he has convinced the youth to not believe in the same Gods as the city does, and

    Read More

  • The Defense of Socrates

    1218 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Defense of Socrates begins with Socrates stating he does not know if his fellow Athenians, his jury, have been persuaded by his accusers. This is a crucial statement because Socrates explains how of the many false claims that his accusers have made, one particularly can be proven as untrue. His accusers have sent out a warning that Socrates is a “clever” speaker and he clarifies that he would admit that he is an orator if a “clever speaker” is one who speaks the truth. (17b) He states that although he has no experience with the court of law, he will speak the truth.

    Read More

  • The Wisest Man In Plato's The Apology Of Socrates

    1274 Words  | 3 Pages

    His last request was for the ones who convicted him to punish his sons, if they ever grow up putting their own interest of wealth instead of their goodness of other’s including their virtue. This request goes hand in hand with Socrates mission in life from the Gods, which was “to examine his fellow citizens and persuade them that the most important good for a human being was the health of the soul” (Socrates II. Priority Care of the Soul). Meaning that, living as a law-bidding citizen and respecting society made you a better person, which is healthy for the soul. By taking it upon himself to take care of the City of Athens, Socrates wanted to make Athenians “…law-abiding, more efficacious in their chosen work, more prudent or moderate, and more self-controlled” (Xenophon 2. Xenophon’s Socrates). By doing so, Socrates portrays the city as a horse who is in need of guidance to water, during his trial in court. Since the city is in need of someone to guide it to “water”, Socrates infers as himself as the guidance Athens needs. By using the metaphor of leading a horse to water Socrates shows that he was not corrupting the youth but instead being an attribution to the city of Athens. Also, by asking the jury to punish his sons if they lose their virtue he is further implying the ethics in which he lives by. Furthermore, since Socrates was law-biding and moderate, he was following the mission the Gods gave him of guiding the city of Athens, making him the wisest among men. This is because as the definition of wisdom sates, a man has to have good judgment and certain principles to acquire knowledge; furthermore strengthening Socrates

    Read More

  • Religion In Plato's Apology

    145 Words  | 1 Pages

    According to Athenians, Socrates, a Greek philosopher, was corrupting the younger generations with his ideas. In a society where worshipping anything besides the Olympian Gods was considered illegal, Socrates was a threat. Socrates’ ideas were beyond what the Athenians already knew or thought they knew, and this led them to become defensive against Socrates. Through Plato’s Apology, readers are able to understand how Athenians lived back then, and what the popular ideas and beliefs were. The importance of religion in Athenian society is highlighted by the accusations of the Athenian council against Socrates, the laws are thoroughly laid out when Socrates is sentenced, and the significance of one’s place in the society’s social structure is

    Read More

  • Defense of Socrates

    1586 Words  | 4 Pages

    There are times in every mans life where our actions and beliefs collide—these collisions are known as contradictions. There are endless instances in which we are so determined to make a point that we resort to using absurd overstatements, demeaning language, and false accusations in our arguments. This tendency to contradict ourselves often questions our character and morals. Similarly, in The Trial of Socrates (Plato’s Apology), Meletus’ fallacies in reason and his eventual mistake of contradicting himself will clear the accusations placed on Socrates. In this paper, I will argue that Socrates is not guilty of corrupting the youth with the idea of not believing in the Gods but of teaching the youth to think for themselves by looking to new divinities.

    Read More

  • Argument in the Apology

    881 Words  | 2 Pages

    The main argument in The Apology by famous ancient Greek philosopher Plato is whether, notorious speaker and philosopher Socrates is corrupting the youth by preaching ungodly theories and teaching them unlawful ideas that do harm to individuals and society. In his words Socrates quoted the prosecution’s accusation against him: “Socrates is guilty of corrupting the minds of the young, and of believing in supernatural things of his own invention instead of the gods recognized by the state.” 1 Further Socrates consistently introduces tediously compiled number of examples to provide valid and sound arguments to prove that he is innocent of the charges brought up against him to the court.

    Read More

  • Who Is Socrates A Gift To Athens

    1128 Words  | 3 Pages

    It takes one person to begin expanding a thought, eventually dilating over a city, gaining power through perceived power. This is why Socrates would be able to eventually benefit everyone, those indifferent to philosophy, criminals, and even those who do not like him. Socrates, through his knowledge of self, was able to understand others. He was emotionally intelligent, and this enabled him to live as a “gadfly,” speaking out of curiosity and asking honest questions. For someone who possesses this emotional intelligence, a conversation with Socrates should not have been an issue-people such as Crito, Nicostratus, and Plato who he calls out during his speech. (37) The problem is that many of the citizens of Athens who wanted Socrates dead, lacked that emotional intelligence and thought highly of themselves. So of course they become defensive when Socrates sheds light on the idea that they may be wrong. As someone who cared most about the improvement of the soul, Socrates would have made a constructive role model to the criminals of Athens, as he would go on saying, “virtue is not given by money, but that from virtue comes money and every other good of man…”(35) Socrates was able to benefit everyone alike as he had human wisdom- something that all the Athenians could relate

    Read More

  • The Apology and the Republic

    925 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the Apology, Socrates was told by the Delphic Oracle that there was nobody wiser than him. With ancient Greece having been a prominent home of philosophy and art since before Socrates' time, the Athenian court found his proclamation both insulting and hard to believe. Socrates goes through great lengths to find the wisest of men and seeing if their reputations are in fact true. He hoped to find a man wiser than him to prove the oracles prediction was false, even Socrates failed to believe he was the wisest man. He first went to a man that seemed wise. After he spoke with him Plato quotes "I came to see that, though many persons, and chiefly himself, thought that he was wise, yet he was not wise."(77) With his certainty that Socrates was wiser, the man was insulted and hated Socrates for derailing his intelligence. Socrates then goes to another wise man, but is again let down. He still believes he is wiser. Convinced that he would not find a more intelligent man amongst wise men, he then questioned the more "educated people", such as poets and artisans. According to Plato, Socrates says "I imagine, they find a great abundance of men who think that they know a great...

    Read More

  • The Charges Against Socrates

    634 Words  | 2 Pages

    Socrates starts his defense by addressing the jury and telling them that his accusers had a prepared speech, while Socrates' speech will be completely improvised. Socrates continued to further disassociate himself from the opponents by telling the jury to forgive him for his conversational tone in his speech, for that's how he best speaks. He also asks the jury to keep an open mind and not concentrate on how his defense is delivered, but the substance of his defense. Socrates tells the jury that he is not a sophist. Sophists were known for charging fees for their work, and Socrates does not charge a fee for his words. His next decides to cross-examine Meletus. Basically Socrates turns the tables on his accuser and accuses Meletus of "dealing frivolously with serious matters." Socrates says that the youth he supposedly corrupts follows him around on their own free will, because the young men enjoy hearing people and things being questioned. In this line of questioning of Meletus, Socrates makes him look very contradictory to his statements in his affidavit. Socrates then moves on to the second part of his defense. Moving on to the second charge that he does not believe in the Gods accepted ...

    Read More

  • Socrates Summary

    460 Words  | 1 Pages

    Socrates claimed to the jury that didn’t matter, hence he was doing what the oracle required of him, he was simply doing what the gods wanted him to do. While he is talking, he is justifying himself to the jury, so he mentioned that in the process of testing the wisdom of those who thought as themselves wise, a group of rich young men who seemed to get a kick of Socrates making fools of their elder began following him and in effect began imitating him. This made people angry, for is one thing for Socrates to go around making fools of everyone he talked to, but for a young man to do it, was just insolence, therefore Socrates was charged with corrupting the youth which leads to unjust blame placed on him for him himself never asked to be imitated. So, this concludes Socrates defense against his old

    Read More

  • Socrates and the Sophists

    675 Words  | 2 Pages

    Socrates was a philosopher who set out to prove, to the gods, that he wasn't the wisest man. Since he could not afford a "good" Sophist teacher, surely a student of one had to be smarter than he. He decides to converse with the youth of Athens, but concludes that he actually is wiser than everyone he speaks with. He then realizes that their lack of intelligence is the fault of their teachers. Socrates understands that the practice of "sophism" leads to a lack of self-knowledge and moral values. Socrates was later accused of corrupting the youth of Athens and put on trial. In The Apology of Socrates he sta...

    Read More

  • The Unexamined Life Is Not Worth Living

    1037 Words  | 3 Pages

    When Socrates was brought to trial for the corruption of the city’s youth he knew he had done nothing wrong. He had lived his life as it should be lead, and did what he ne...

    Read More

More about Defense of Socrates

Open Document