The Apology
The apology to me does not really feel like an apology. While Socrates addresses the audience of his accusers, he does not sound apologetic. To me, he actually sounds as though he has a higher than thou view of himself based on the oration of an oracle. While this oracle says that, he is the wisest man in all of Athens he goes around trying to disprove it, in the process inflating his ego. At this point, he starts to remind me of Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory. – I know I am smarter than you are, and I have no qualms about telling you because your stupid, we both know it and you just proved it -- Although he does claim that it was a Gods will that he do it. As stated before, an oracle said that he was the most intelligent
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Socrates is the farthest thing you can get from being a sophist; he neither recruited his students nor wanted payment for his knowledge. Socrates believed that knowledge was to be shared and that everyone who wanted his knowledge should have it, even if they did not have money.
As for corrupting the young that gathered to learn his knowledge, this is another accusation that is false. Meletus claims in the trial that Socrates is the sole corrupter of the youth and that all the other citizens of Athens improve the youth. He claims that Socrates corrupts the youth by teaching them new divinities and teaching them to not believe in the Gods of the state. Socrates and Meletus argue during the trial about Socrates motives to corrupt the youth. Socrates argues that if he did so, it was unintentional while Meletus argues that his efforts to corrupt the youth were in fact intentional. Socrates is corrupting no one. I can almost feel like I am making a circular argument here, and coming back to smartest man thing, BUT……. I sense maybe some Jealousy from Meletus. I wonder if he is upset that the oracle spoken of before called Socrates the wisest man in the world and he is on a one-man mission to have his tantrum out in a courtroom. There-by having the smartest man in the land killed so that he is the smartest man in the land. Sounds like … huntsmen take Snow White into the forest and bring me back her heart so
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 the Apology, Socrates aimed to do three things: defend his ideas and principles, continue to teach those who will open their mind and state that he knew regardless of what he said he was aware that all five hundred and one jurors knew who he was and disliked him. Socrates was well aware of the fact that he had made multiple enemies, he knew that the politicians, poets, rich and craftsmen all
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.
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
The Apology is a seemingly misleading title. If your teacher spoke Greek, you too would learn that our word apology is actually derived from the Greek word apologia; meaning “in defense of.” Therefore, Socrates does not beg for forgiveness, rather justifies his profession. The Apology is his chance to “protest” against the authorities and make them listen to his side. Piece by piece, he dissects the charges against him. By doing so, he irritates the jurors. This is why the Apology seems to some proof of Socrates’ disrespect. When the vote came in, Socrates was declared guilty by 280 of the 500 jurors. Socrates is then given the chance to suggest a worthy punishment for himself. Most convicted persons would use this time to plea for their lives and families; Socrates had something else in mind. He says that they should reward him, as they do for the athletes, rather than punish him. The jurors came back and condemn him to death. The jurors were so incensed, even more votes shifted against him this time. Socrates does not break down and plea for his life. He simply thanks the jurors that stood behind him, and asks the others to open their minds more in the future. Socrates tells his audience “ a life
In the Apology Socrates is a very simple man he is Plato’s favorite character based on his personality of appearance. To convey his ideas about honesty and rightness. The peculiar of a method applied in Apology is about an argument which Socrates used to expressed by Plato in The Apology (Steven 29p) uses to defend himself in the course of a court-martial. Plato’s Apology is an example of how Socrates speech makes at the trial in which he is charged with not recognizing the gods recognized by the city, The complaint of Socrates is based on fear people of the man’s thinking which inspires the youth by original ideas and exposure of the ignorance and corruption in the unawareness and dishonesty in the upper circles of the state. Socrates
One of the arguments that Socrates first shows throughout the Apology is that he is being guided by the work of his Gods. He says that he is not scared to be hated because he knows that many people in Athens only dislike
Socrates was a pompous man who believed that he was wiser than most, if not all, Athenian men of his time. He is also credited as one of the fathers of western philosophy, his own philosophy revolving around the welfare of one’s soul and reflecting on what the good life was. He was told by an oracle that he was the wisest of men and spent a great deal of time trying to prove it false, he decided that he was considered wise for accepting that he knew nothing, and never claimed to know anything that he questioned. In Plato’s text “Apology” Socrates is depicted as a man who was arrogant, hypercritical of others, and fixed on his ways no matter the consequences. He had the qualities of a man who saw no error in what he was doing because he
The irony of Plato’s Apology is that Socrates is not apologizing for his actions. Instead, he is merely defending them. Socrates is on trial for corrupting the youth, and believing in spirits that Athens does not. Socrates does not believe that his trial is fair because the accusations of the city are subjective, and he knows that he cannot win. Socrates shows willingness to break the law when he refuses to stop questioning because he is uncovering truths. Even though the State sees this at unlawful, his actions are helping improve the city. In Socrates’ Defense, he gives an example of him breaking the law when he refused to have ten generals arrested for not rescuing others. He felt that they were not at fault, and was willing to break the law even if it meant he could die. Socrates admits that if they offered to acquit him on the condition that he could no
On the first charge that Meletus brought against Socrates that he, ‘corrupted the youth’, this charge could have been seen as true by many. Socrates was teaching his followers to think for themselves. The government and people may have seen this as a threat. They believed that the youth may the try to break away from the norms that were set up, which would have lead to havoc.
By definition, to corrupt someone means “having a willingness to teach someone to act dishonestly in return for money and personal gain”. Meletus accused Socrates of corrupting the youth of Athens; however Socrates proved throughout his trial that what he wanted more than anything was for everyone to be honest with themselves and others. Socrates merely opened up the eyes of the youth, showing them they have other options of what to believe in and how to view the world. The children that Socrates was accused of corrupting were young and impressionable, Socrates simply spoke out and they listened and were encouraged. Socrates had no youth at the trail to testify against him. Socrates chargers were flawed and he is innocent as far as corrupting the youth goes.
When Socrates talks about his charge of corrupting the youth he answers, “And when you accuse me of corrupting and deteriorating the youth, do you allege that I corrupt them intentionally or unintentionally?”. Socrates concludes with, “I suppose you mean, as I infer from your indictment, that I teach them not to acknowledge the gods which the state acknowledges, but some other new divinities or spiritual agencies in their stead. These are the lessons which corrupt the youth, as you say.”. From the beginning to the end of his speech he goes back and
Socrates ended up being put on trial for a number of reasons. Our modern day knowledge of the word apology has no where near the same meaning as the title
Sophists are teachers of public speaking and forensic debating. Sophists used their skill to outwit and out-argue the rest and became aware that knowledge is power, and those with the most power rule (Schleicher). Although Socrates was not a sophist (he did not teach for money and did not seek power), the general public tended to regard him as such.