How Does Socrates Prove His Accusers

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Socrates attempts to defend himself with various arguments that he presents to the courts. He begins his defense by admonishing the jury to pay close attention to the accusations brought by his accusers. They urge the jury to be careful not to be deceived by Socrates accomplished speech. Socrates reasons that if his accusers thought him to be an accomplished speaker, then they must believe he speaks the truth and would be able to sway the jury to his side. Socrates does not consider himself to be an eloquent speaker but he does admit that he is truthful. Socrates asks the jurors to listen carefully and determine whether or not he is telling the truth. Socrates admitted to the jury that he was not an accomplished speaker so his accusers have started off with a false statement against him. He wants the jury to pay attention to what he is saying and not how he says it, to determine whether he is telling the truth.
Socrates argues that his older accusers have had time to persuade the younger accusers because they have been filling their heads with lies about Socrates since they were children and now that they are adults they have the lies engrained in their heads. These accusers started spreading …show more content…

He admits that he is known for his wisdom but it is a natural wisdom and he does not proclaim to have a higher than normal wisdom that would qualify him to be an authority on any subject. This reputation came from a prophecy that his friend Chaerephon received from the oracle at Delphi. Chaerephon asked the oracle if there was anyone wiser than Socrates, and the said there was no one wiser than Socrates. Socrates did not understand why the oracle claimed he was the wisest man. Socrates questioned many men who were wiser than he was and realized that these men thought they knew everything. He realized that he was wiser than these men because he knew he did not know what he did not

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