How Is Socrates Guilty

During his trial, Socrates did not conform to the usual practices of the Athenian justice system. While another man on trial might lose all dignity, and beg for the charges to be dropped, Socrates’ plan was instead to “inform [the jury] of the facts and convince them by argument” (63). His belief was that “I do not think that it is just for a man to appeal to the jury or to get himself acquitted by doing so” (63). Socrates valued truth and logic above all else. In his eyes, he had no need to appease the jury or resort to the emotion-provoking measures that were

Living in a democracy, everyone is exposed through television and other various forms of media everyday to numerous trials by jury. Usually they are rarely given a second thought, but every once in a while along comes a specific trial which captures the attention of the entire country. This goes the same for trials throughout centuries in our past. Although they did not have the same forms of media as in this, modern era, there were still specific trials in which everyone knew about. One trial that stands out is the one against the great philosopher Socrates. Accused of corrupting the youth, being an atheist, and believing in other gods, Socrates faced trial by jury. The early forms of democracy

Socrates, in his conviction from the Athenian jury, was both innocent and guilty as charged. In Plato’s Five Dialogues, accounts of events ranging from just prior to Socrates’ entry into the courthouse up until his mouthful of hemlock, both points are represented. Socrates’ in dealing with moral law was not guilty of the crimes he was accused of by Meletus. Socrates was only guilty as charged because his peers had concluded him as such. The laws didn’t find Socrates guilty; Socrates was guilty because his jurors enforced the laws. The law couldn’t enforce itself. Socrates was accused of corrupting Athens’ youth, not believing in the gods of the city and creating his own gods. In the Euthyphro, Socrates defends himself against the

Socrates was accused of disrespecting the gods respected by the Athenians as well as corrupting the minds of the Athenian youth, but I believe that he was not guilty as the accusers made him to be. Although he claimed that he was not wise, Socrates, an intellectual and logical thinker, should have known about the crimes he committed, yet his shaky understanding of impiety led to his whole discussion with Euthyphro leading up to the trial. During the trial, Socrates claimed that the people accusing him of impiety have no actual valid claims as they were what was gossiped about from a long time ago. No witnesses who knew the truth came up, cementing his account of the incorrect accusation (18c-19d). Socrates also stated that he believed in supernatural affairs, and during his exchange with Meletus, Socrates uses Meletus’ answers to support the fact that he is not guilty,

On top of all that when the arrogant Socrates went on trial he left the jury no choice but to find him guilty so he played right into their hands.

As a defender of civic virtue, the significance of obligation and authority of one’s representative government epitomizes the magnitude of respect that Socrates had for Athenian Jurisprudence, irrespective of the fact that he was prosecuted against. In the accounts of the Apology and Crito, there exists a plethora of evidence that demonstrate Socrates’s adherence of institutionalized authority. His loyalty of the Athenian State derives from his notion that the obligation to surrender to the law manifests a just society. One may ask, “how is it possible for a persecuted man to continue to profess allegiance to a polity that sought his trial and execution”? Though many would not have the capacity to sustain such integrity, Socrates had his reasons in

Socrates was a great philosopher of the Greek world. He was quite an atypical and distinctive person. Being different from all the other philosophers of the land, Socrates was teaching his students ideas totally out of the ordinary from what the society believed was right. As a result, he displeased many people so much that they decided to get rid of him. Socrates was put to trial, accused of spoiling the youth of Athens, tried and sentenced to death. His personal defense is described in works two of his students: Xenophon and Plato. Both of them wrote papers called Apology, which is the Greek word for “defense”. In this essay I used Apology by Plato as the main resource, since it contents a more full account of the trial of Socrates and

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

Socrates was accused and tried in 399 BC after Athens defeat by the Spartans in the Peloponnesian war, and from the words of Socrates himself, he was already an old man at seventy years old. The first named accuser was a man named Meletus, who Socrates claimed was but the most recent of many accusers and that they claimed that “Socrates does injustice and is meddlesome, by investigating the things under the earth and the heavenly things, and by making the weaker speech the stronger.” They accused Socrates of being a sophist and rejecting the gods existence. Socrates argued that he did not hold any super-human knowledge, but a human knowledge that is imperfect and not all knowing like the sophists claim to have. Through the Socratic method, Socrates proved to the jury that he was not a sophist as was claimed to prove his innocent to the Athenian

This accusation is extremely ridiculous as well. Socrates accusers, in particular Melatus, are completely contradicting themselves as Socrates states,” For he certainly does appear to me to contradict himself in the indictment as much as if he said that Socrates is guilty of not believing in the gods, and yet of believing them- but this surely is a piece of nonsense” (Plato, p.55). He also further refutes this argument by glorifying the oracle as a God. This causes Socrates to fulfill the oracles prophesy by admitting he knows nothing (Singer lecture, 9-15-11). When Socrates first heard the oracles prophesy he questioned it at first because he did no believe he was the wisest man. But in the end he accepted it by stating, “… he is a god, and cannot lie; that would be against his nature” (Plato, p. 52). He goes on to prove his devotion to the gods, in particular the oracle by refusing to stop fulfilling the oracles prophesy. He states, “… obedient to the gods, and seek wisdom of anyone, whether citizen or stranger, who appears to be wise. If he is not wise, then in support of the oracle I show him he is not wise” (Plato, p.53). He even proves

Socrates, hated and loved by many, was the father of Greek philosophy and communication. Socrates was charged with three crimes, corrupting the youth, Impiety, and not believing in city’s gods (promoting new gods). Found guilty of all three charges Socrates was given a series of option of how he would carry out his sentence. Imprisonment, exile, silence, fines, and death were all his options, but he chose death because to receive the others he would have to admit his guilt, which in his mind was simply a lie. Examining his charges, was Socrates really guilty, maybe it was it his rising popularity that ultimately caused his demise.

Socrates was accused of being a sophist because he was "engaging in inquiries into things beneath the earth and in the heavens, of making the weaker argument appear the stronger," and "teaching others these same things." (Apology, Plato, Philosophic Classics page 21) Socrates is also accused of denying the existence of the gods, and corrupting the youth. Socrates goes about trying to prove his innocence. The jury that Socrates was tried by was made up of 501 Athenian citizens of all classes of society. While he fails to convince the Athenian jury of his innocence, he does a wonderful job in this effort. I personally believe that Socrates is innocent, and that the Athenian jury made the wrong decision.

Plato’s account of Socrates’ defense against charges of corrupting the youth and heresy, reveal the ancient teacher’s view of justice as fairness and support of rule of law. In the Apology, Socrates faces a moral dilemma: to either accept his punishment for crimes he did not commit or to accept the assistance of his friends and escape death by the hand of the state. His choice to accept death in order to maintain rule of law reveals his belief of justice. He beliefs his punishment to be just not because he committed the crimes but because his sentence came through a legal process to which he consented. By sparing his life, he would weaken the justice system of Athens which he values above his own existence. This difference between the two men’s beliefs regarding justice draws the sharpest contrast in their views of effective leadership and government.

Delphi’s oracle conveyed to Chaerephon (who passed the words on to his brother) that, “... no one was wiser [than Socrates]” (Plato, The Apology, §21a). Socrates makes no mention of the oracle asking him to take action, though he launches his own investigation. Though this is not enough to call Socrates impious, Socrates then goes on to lie about the god asking him to take action. Socrates says that, “… in my investigation in the service of the god I found that those who had the highest reputation were nearly the most deficient, while those who were thought to be inferior were more knowledgeable” (Plato, The Apology, §22a). This I would argue is an impious action. Lying about what a god tells you to do, or in this case not to do, is not a pious action. It goes against showing the respect a god deserves by fabricating what the god wants from its subject because it fits what the subject

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