democracy as we know it now-days. The charges that were made to Socrates would be ridiculous today, but in Ancient Greece, they were legitimate crimes. At that time, speaking of other gods, having different ideologies, disagreeing with Athenian politicians, etc. were seen as unacceptable. Socrates was believed to be that kind of man. Plato and Xenophon, two of Socrates students, claimed that because of Socrates openly criticized of Athenian politicians made him gain many enemies. Not to mention that
Socrates is known to be a great philosopher in Greece, who’s teaching has been giving great impact in today’s world. Socrates throughout his life has been teaching in Athens, unbothered. At the age of seventy, he was put on trial and executed by Athens. A lot of factors influenced his trial in 399 BCE. It still raises the same question as to what really happened and why was Socrates sent to trial at such a late age in life. First, cultural factors are some factors that influenced his trial in Athens
Yount, many Athenians still regret their decision to put Socrates to death to this day. Is this feeling of regret acceptable? This paper will explore the details surrounding the trial of Socrates and whether or not he was treated fairly throughout the sentencing process. In The Apology of Socrates, Plato describes the charges against Socrates as not believing in the gods recognized by the state, introducing supernatural beings, and corrupting the youth (246. 9-12). By considering Socrates’ impiety,
The Greek philosopher, Socrates, was believed to be guilty by the Greek politicians whom charged Socrates with impiety and corrupting the youth of Athens, to which the sentence was capital punishment. Yet, Socrates was not a threat to the Athenian state because he was an atheist or because he negatively influenced the Athenian youth. As Herodotus once said, “Custom is the king of all”, and physically and mentally, Socrates challenged the ideas of the Athenian elite. Socrates was a threat because he
In 399 BC, Socrates was executed on charges of not believing in the same Gods as Athenians, and for being a bad influence on the young. Were these charges just and fair? No, they were not. Socrates was not guilty of these charges. In fact, in the presence of his accusers, Socrates proved that he was an innocent man and was simply in the process of carrying out his mission to share truth in an attempt to improve the lives of his neighbors. Though with no avail, Socrates was still found guilty of crimes
Socrates’ Trial Defense in Terms of His Values In his Apology, Plato recounted the trial that led to the execution of his friend and mentor, Socrates. The account revealed that values of Socrates’ accusers and his own fundamentally differed, and that they had been angered because he tried to prove that they had misplaced theirs. Those differences created conflict between the two parties that culminated in his trial. With the understanding that a jury condemned Socrates to death
In Plato’s Apology Socrates is being tried by Anytus and Meletus for two new charges: “corrupting the young, and not acknowledging the gods of the city acknowledges, but new daimonic activities instead” (Morgan 2005, 51). Throughout Plato’s Apology and Euthyphro Socrates uses complex rhetoric to challenge the charges brought against him based on his thoughts and understanding of what is right and wrong. He never once states he is not guilty nor does he provide reasons to support his innocence. He
and Socrates’ apologia Aristophanes’ Clouds , a satirical comedy, presents the conflict between politics and philosophy, considering philosophy as a destructive influence upon the life of the polis and harmful to the civic virtue which is significant in maintaining the stability in political order. In the play, Aristophanes depicted Socrates as an investigator of the thing aloft, as a teacher of how to make the weaker speech the stronger, and as a disbeliever in Zeus and the traditional gods. Almost
Socrates, Philosophy and the Good Life Socrates' belief was that he was called on by the Gods to live his life examining others and himself. He believed the necessity of doing what one thinks is right even in the face of universal opposition, and the need to pursue knowledge even when opposed. "I became completely convinced, to the duty of leading the philosophical life by examining myself and others."¹ Socrates believed that to desert this idea was ridiculous and would make his life absurd
how they view their world. The people in Socrates’ Apology and the Hebrew Bible have different ways of life. The Greek gods and the Hebrew God shape these people’s views, and they live the way their Gods want them to. Socrates’ gods and the Jews’ God give them a sense of authority in how they live and view their world. It evidently shows in Socrates’ Apology while Socrates defends himself in court, and in the books of the Bible when the Jews follow God and how they judge before and after Jesus