A Comparative Analysis On SocratesTruth Or Lies?

against him in the Court of Law of Athens, Greece. The nature of the accusation that has

In his defense, Socrates claims over and again that he is innocent and is not at all wise, “…for I know that I have no wisdom, small or great.” Throughout the rest of his oration he seems to act the opposite as if he is better than every man, and later he even claims that, “At any rate, the world has decided that Socrates is in some way superior to other

Socrates was a man who spent most of his time talking to people. He would ask them hypothetical questions, and make them think for themselves about the true answer they believed in, by serving as a guide for the conversation. Many people, including the accusers, believed that while Socrates did this, he was serving as a Sophist. A Sophist is a person who talks to people, and teaches them how to argue a point, whether the point is right or wrong. A Sophist would collect money for this lesson, and go on with their teachings (Xenophon 42). This accusation is inaccurate because Socrates did not collect any money for his conversations with people. Instead, Socrates was a very poor man, who happened to have rich friends. Talking to these people was a way for Socrates to try to spread his way of life to the Athenian's. He enjoyed conversing with people about ethical issues, and moral beliefs. In his argument, Socrates refutes Meletus' charge that he corrupts the young. One crucial point deals with the idea of Socrates as a paid teacher. This would imply that Socrates was actively seeking students and teaching "corrupting" ideas. This plays a part in the argument, by Meletus, that Socrates has deliberately corrupted the youth. Socrates says that, "the young men who follow me around of their own free will, those who have most leisure, the sons

In this reading Plato tells the story of Socrates and his trial which ultimately lead to his death sentence. Socrates was a 70 year old man at peace with his own mortality yet willing to face his accusers with an almost definite possibility of death to maintain his own integrity and beliefs and morality. He fully understood from the beginning of his trial what the sentence handed down would be yet on a level of honor and courage not seen in abundance in modern society he maintained his stance and delivered a compelling and convincing argument. He openly stated that he knew his actions had offended Meletus and

The charges against Socrates were brought upon him by a man names Meletus. Meletus was a young man that Socrates did not know very well. These charges brought on by Meletus caused the indictment of Socrates. One of the charges in the affidavit written by Meletus against Socrates is that he is "corrupting the youth." Another charge that is brought upon Socrates is that of he is making up new Gods and disregarding the old Gods the Athenians believe in. These were the charges brought on Socrates.

Athens could also be seen as a place where they educated their citizens. Socrates understood that he would not be the man who he is today, without Athens. Like anything, a child would not willingly do harm on a parent, especially if they receive love and protection, and no harm in return. This parental versus child relationship is quite similar to the relationship Socrates had with Athens. The people of Athens could have assumed that Socrates would try to escape and that his death sentence would not follow through, but Socrates did not see this as an important factor. He believed that if he escaped, it would hinder the image of Athens because he would not be following their laws, which might influence the citizens to also break the laws of Athens. People with a lot of influence, have a lot of followers, for example, the people of Athens. If Socrates, supposedly the wisest man were to escape from prison and his death sentence, other people might think it is fine to disobey Athens as well. On the other hand, the citizens expected him to escape, but the fact that he stayed in prison to face his death sentence shows how seriously he took subjects like harming others and obeying the state to heart. Another objection to this argument could be, that Socrates was falsely accused and was harmed when he was truly innocent, he did not commit any of the crimes he was accused of, but Socrates still had the opportunity to a fair trial, he just did not use

Socrates implies that the true nature of this charge was, in fact, vengeance carried out on the part of the power-holders of the Athenian society; the politicians, the poets, the manual artisans.  Socrates, unwillingly made fools out of these people by exposing their speeches as mere rhetoric than actual wisdom and knowledge.  These men who were seen as the wisest and the most enlightened, but in fact, by believing that they are most knowledgeble is what keeps them from real wisdom.  Socrates is also being charged with attacking the Athenian society by corrupting its citizens, mainly the youth.  He defends himself by claiming that either Meletus beleives that Socrates does not corrupt the youth or he does corrupt them but involuntarily.  Socrates bring to light that "if I corrupt them voluntarily, the law does not call upon you to procecute me for an error which is involuntary, but to take me aside privately and reprove and educate me" (33).  Socrates goes on further to say

Socrates spends much of his time thinking of ridiculous theories and playing with words. Most of the topics he mentions are absurd and do not show the sophistication that Socrates claims to strive for. Also, Socrates seems very sure of his arguments despite the fact that he has no real evidence to prove them: “Clouds fill up with lots of water, then they’re forced to move about, sagging suddenly with rain, then getting heavier perforce, collide with one another, breaking up and making crashing sounds” (Aristophanes IV. 375-380). Whenever Strepsiades is confused or disagrees with the words of Socrates, he is quickly attacked and ridiculed. Socrates is portrayed as an arrogant, “all-knowing,” and rude old man who is turning the younger generation into a bunch of corrupt, selfish, and egotistical men who have no

Another major theme of the story is discrimination; as previously mentioned, Socrates being an African-American, struggles to find work in society due to his background, and this is evident in the passage when Socrates asked the assistant manager Anton Crier for a job application. Anton tried to belittle Socrates by knitting his brow, saying “An application for what?” (Mosley 1372) “Anton Crier’s brow knitted” (Mosley 1372), Anton is surprised by the fact that a low class, black man, like Socrates is coming up to the store to ask for a job application. Anton continued to belittle Socrates by asking “Uh. How old are you, sir?” (Mosley 1372) Socrates responded back saying, “Askin’ me my age is against the law, you can’t discriminate against color or sex or religion or infirmity against age (Mosely 1372). Anton followed with, “Uh well, yes, of course, it is, it’s just that we don’t have openings at this time” (Mosely 1372). At this point, Socrates was feeling very disrespected, and started to wonder “if any of those young black women would stand up for him” (Mosley 1373). “You looked at my clothes and at my bald head, first, yo’ eyes said that this is some kinda old hobo and what do he want here when it ain’t bottle redemption time.” (Mosely 1378). Socrates believed everyone should have an equal

According to the majority of the jury members of Athens, Socrates is a corruption to the youth, doer of evil and does not agree with the gods of his people. In the Apology, written by Plato these are the assumptions and accusations Socrates is held in court for. In court, he is faced with what most men fear, being wrongly accused leading to the death sentence. Socrates argues and strives to prove that he has no fear of being hated, being accused of serious crimes, being threatened with punishment, or being put to death.

In Plato's, The Apology of Socrates, Socrates was accused and on trial for two charges: that he had corrupted the youth of Athens with his teachings, and, that he advocated the worship of false gods. Socrates taught his students to question everything in a thirst for knowledge. Thus, many politicians were looked at as hypocrites. Because of this, many politicians feared Socrates and wanted Socrates away from Athens. Socrates tried to defend himself against the charges by addressing each accusation. He classified the accusations into two categories, recent and ancient. The recent being the actual accusations and the ancient being the rumors that had circled Athens for years about how Socrates was a man of evil and a man who makes the worse

I think of arrogance as excessive pride or dramatization with one’s own achievements. The only blatant case of arrogance to me is when he proposes “maintenance in the Prytaneum to be a just return” (Pojman and Vaughn). Looking more into the Prytaneum, I found this is where victorious Olympic athletes ate for free; for Socrates to say he deserves free meals for the rest of his life does sound conceited. This feeling must have been shared by the jury, by comparing the first vote, determining if he was guilty, to the second vote, which determined his punishment, nearly 80 of those who voted for him to be “not guilty” supported the death penalty shortly after he made that remark. It’s hard to say if he was serious though, all we get is a synopsis, his gesticulations could have indicated that he was trying to lighten up the atmosphere with a joke. Some may consider the anecdote about him finding out he was the wisest man alive from the God of Delphi to be arrogant; however, he wasn’t the one who seeked the answer, it was his friend Chaerephon. Moreover, he was skeptical to find out that was the case, so he immediately set out to provide counter evidence to the Oracle. Lastly, emphatically advocating to reproach those who pretend to know something when they know nothing makes it hard to say he was arrogant; I see his behavior as a healthy skeptic who was hungry for the truth. The death penalty was absolutely unnecessary; unfortunately, he had more enemies in the jury than friends. As history shows unconventional views are generally suppressed by those with a vested interest, those who brought charges against him along with his other enemies enjoyed the superior social status that came with inflating one’s wisdom, and

Socrates tells a story in an attempt to explain this. It starts with a man named Chaerephon, a well respected citizen of Athens, who had died recently. Chaerephon goes to the Oracle at Delphi and "he asked if there was anyone wiser than" Socrates. (Apology, Plato, Philosophic Classics, page 23) The Oracle, of course, says that there is no man wiser than Socrates. When Socrates heard of what the Oracle said, he begins to wonder what riddle is hidden in those words. He knows that he is not a wise man, so he knows that he cannot be the wisest of men. Not knowing what then Oracle truly meant, he goes out to investigate this. He went to a man who was reputed to be very wise. He thought that he would find a man who is wiser than himself, and thus point out to the Oracle its mistake. Socrates finds that this man actually knows nothing that is worth knowing. When Socrates tries to point this out to the man, he and the bystanders become angry. Socrates says that he is wiser than this man because, while they both know nothing, Socrates realizes this. The other man thinks he knows things that he does not, while Socrates knows that he knows nothing. Socrates claims that he has done this with many men, and that each time, he came to the same result: the man knows nothing and thinks he knows everything, and Socrates has made the man angry. In continuing to do this, Socrates made many men angry, and that anger turned into

Socrates traveled from one group to another visiting wise politicians, poets, and craftsmen, making enemies out of each group. After talking to the “wise” men Socrates realized they were all arrogant for thinking themselves wise. Because Socrates knew he was not wise he believed he was better off then them. In the end it was a representative from each group that charged Socrates with the crimes that got him condemned to death. This "occupation" consumed his leisure as well as his finances. Socrates told the court at his trail: "I live in great poverty because of my service to the god"(6). Socrates compared himself to a gadfly, and the city of Athens a steed he was just trying to stir into life (11). When a horsefly bites me I squash it, and that is exactly what the city of Athens did to Socrates. Instead of squashing him they made him drink poison, a little bit less messy. Socrates was a gadfly by questioning Athenians on subjects they rarely talked about, making them think about something they normally wouldn’t. He did his questioning out in the open where Athenians congregated so the public could observe and hopefully think on whatever subject that was being talked about. Socrates would question respectable Athenians making them look stupid too a crowd, because they would not know what to say. Making the person being questioned very angry towards Socrates for putting them in such a position. Socrates

Socrates was a wise man that over the time ended up with a bad reputation in the eyes of the society. He claims that “what caused [his] reputation is none other than a certain