Defense of Socrates Essay

O gentlemen of the jury, I am Plato, student of Socrates. This man that Meletus, Anytus, and Lycon are trying to place the blame upon is innocent. Some may have noticed that men like these constantly try to find a scapegoat for their jealousy, their envy when they realize, they are not the wisest of all and their ego is just an illusion. Furthermore, there has never been a law against freedom of speech and different beliefs. We support other people’s beliefs, but questioning other’s beliefs is still expressing that freedom. Moreover, the fallacious argument that Socrates corrupted the youth is false. This man has empowered the youth; not corrupted them. He encouraged them to think for themselves, question the “truths” they had been told. He

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

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.

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.

A8: Socrates believes he is on trial for not believing in the same gods that the city believes in and for creating new gods. (P.75, 3)

To introduce, Socrates was placed on trial and charged with the crime of impiety. Impiety is the lack of reverence for the gods and other sacred things. As well another major claim was that Socrates was corrupting the children of Athens. He also was believed to be an atheist, even though Socrates claimed to have a strong belief in the gods; he even believed “The god has commanded me to examine men, in oracles and in dreams and in

Socrates does not explicitly answer whether or not he believed in the many gods of Athens, but he definitely believed in at least one divinity: his inner voice. Although this may still be considered a form of impiety by an Athenian jury, it is erroneous to describe Socrates as an atheist.

Socrates has shown he has no fear in being accused of crimes he knows he didn’t do. He gives explanation by saying that if you are accused of mothing you didn’t do they accusers will be the ones in pain from the loss and wrong doing. He goes about explaining how he has never charged or tried to seek material good for his teachings, he only wanted to help people through their own wisdom. While in court they go through all of his accusations and Socrates has no struggle disproving his guilt and proving them wrong. He explains that the accusers offer no witnesses to the charge and even if they charged him he could not pay for it because he is poor (28). Socrates is a selfless man as seem through his actions that is only trying to prove his knowledge through wisdom and teachings. While in court Socrates was accused of not believing in the Gods of Athens. He goes on to explain that he does believe in the gods, he states that one cannot teach spiritual things without believing in the Gods themselves and cherishing their worth. He backs this up with the statement that

The third charge that was made against Socrates was that he went against the gods. One of the accusers named Meletus alternates between accusing Socrates that he is atheist and accusing him of having belief in new gods rather than the old gods. Now you tell me what you think of this. First

Conversely, there are some scholars who are convinced of Socrates’ guilt, including Myles Burnyeat who, in his work “The Impiety of Socrates,” defends the jury’s verdict. He asserts that Socrates does not believe in the gods of the city, and that his corrupting the young in believing the same is a direct result of his impiety. In this essay, I will argue against Burnyeat’s view by attempting to demonstrate that the charges brought against Socrates were simply unfounded. Furthermore, I will put forward that the real motivation behind the charges had more to do with prejudice against him due to increasing unpopularity

Meletus, the only accuser to speak during Socrates' defense accused him of both atheism and believing in demi gods. Socrates did believe in the idea of the gods but brought the catechism of their abilities into fruition. He later answers the charge that he has corrupted the young by arguing that deliberate corruption is an incoherent idea. Socrates wanted to know what goodness was, what morality was, what piety was, whether virtue could be taught and what knowledge was in society. The community took this thirst for knowledge as a threat, which is the negative counterbalance of

According to his accusers, Socrates didn’t believe in the same Gods as the Athenians and that he made up different spiritual beings. This accusation is false for many reasons. First, Socrates stated many times in

What authority does Socrates answer to? He doesn’t answer to the God’s authority? Does Socrates think that he is more powerful than a God? Can Socrates stop the ocean from flooding a town, a drought from killing many people? If Socrates can prove that he has the power to stop the judgements of the Gods, than I say that we honor and worship him, but if he does not, than I say that he is blasphemous and he must be punished in a manner severe enough for him to understand the fault in his actions, but not severe enough for him to be consider a martyr for this risky and unjust cause. If Socrates wishes to acknowledge his wrongdoing in angering the Gods and harming the stability of our future, I would propose that his words be spread across Athens as a testimony to the truth of our Gods and the protection that they provide over the great city of Athens. Socrates has done a great harm and in an unjustifiable manner to the protectors of Athens. Socrates’s message has spread from youth to youth and I warn all of you, if these messages persist to be spread at such a rapid rate, we will lose the support of the Gods and Athens will cease to

Some express that Socrates is guilty of corrupting our youth, but our youth wish to follow him of their own volition, not indoctrination, for Socrates is unlike other sophists who merely teach their students out of greed. Socrates simply asks challenging questions to his followers or anyone he happens upon, his poverty is proof enough for this. And is it not our parents who, when it is most convincing to us as children, instill their own beliefs upon us? Although subtle is a form of corruption, because we deny our youth the ability to reason for themselves. Socrates is not wrong in claiming, “The beginning is the most important part of any work, especially in the case of a young and tender thing; for that is the time at which the character is being formed and the desire impression is more readily taken.” (Plato’s Republic, pg. 119). Socrates is not the corruptor of youth, nor is he to blame for the outbursts of your children. It is the teachings of poets and playwrights who

One of the accusations brought against Socrates is he disregards the gods of the state, instead teaching purely physical explanations for heavenly and earthly phenomena, which are typically explained by the doings of the gods. Socrates refutes this claim by stating that he has no knowledge in the field of scientific explanations. This is pre-Socratic philosophy, which Socrates states he has never taught. He asks the jury “Tell one another, then, whether any of you has ever heard me discussing such subjects, either briefly or at length; and as a result you will realize that the other things said about me are equally baseless.” (Pojman 37) Socrates goes on to rebut the first part of the accusation by explaining that while he does not necessarily believe in the gods of the state, he does believe in a higher god. Socrates argues that he cannot believe in one god without believing in other gods as well. So, although he may not directly believe in the gods of the state, he acknowledges the fact that such gods must exist. He points out the paradox in his accusers’ statement