Apology
- Philosophy 21
- Fall, 2004
- G. J. Mattey
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Socrates on Trial
- Socrates was defending himself against two charges brought forth by Meletus
- Corruption of the youth of Athens by turning them against religion
- Innovation in religious matters
- The real complaints against Socrates were:
- Being a wise man who claimed knowledge of religious matters beyond the earth
- Making the worse argument appear stronger
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The Sophists
- It was the Sophists who claimed to make the worse argument appear better
- Their goal is mere persuasion, even it this requires eloquent falsehood
- The goal of Socrates was to speak the truth in a plain way
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Wisdom
- The Delphic Oracle had stated that no one is wiser than Socrates
- Since Socrates did not think he was wise, he unsuccessfully sought out someone wiser
- The more prominent the person, the less wise Politicians are especially deficient in wisdom
- The conclusion Socrates drew was that wisdom is worthless, which perhaps no one else realized
- By exposing pretensions to wisdom, Socrates was serving the Oracle
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Corruption of Youth
- Bad people do harm to those around them
- So by corrupting the young people around him, Socrates was endangering himself
- But he is not so ignorant as to do this deliberately
- So either he does not corrupt youth, or he does not do so willingly
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Atheism
- Meletus charged Socrates with not believing in the gods of Athens
- But Socrates tried to work in service of the gods, so he must believe they exist
- He was following a divine voice (his "dæmon")
- Socrates also does not fear death, as is befitting for someone in divine service
- Fear of death is a sign of pretended wisdom, and the wise person recognizes our ignorance about what follows life
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Excellence of the Soul
- It is wicked and shameful to do wrong
- Socrates's mission is to teach that each person should attain the best possible state of the soul
- Excellence of the soul yields wealth and other goods, rather than vice-versa
- The soul of the better man cannot be harmed by the acts of the worse
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The Jury
- The jury can bring no harm to Socrates
- But by condemning a man carrying out a useful mission of the gods, they can harm themselves
- There would be no one left to expose their pretensions to wisdom
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The Mission
- Socrates's mission, to teach the Athenians to care for virtue, is unnatural
- He has neglected ordinary affairs
- He cannot participate in public affairs, as the path of virtue only got him into trouble
- He is not a teacher, gaining nothing material from his open discussions
- None of those whom he allegedly corrupted brought any charges against him.
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Guilty
- It is shameful to beg for mercy from the jury, so Socrates does not do so
- The jury responds by finding him guilty
- Meletus asks fro the death penalty
- Socrates ironically proposes that instead he be rewarded for the benefits he has bestowed upon the Athenians
- Recommending a punishment would be recommending that evil be done to him
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Punishment
- Socrates does not want to be imprisoned
- He has no money to pay a fine
- If exiled, he would meet the same fate again
- Finally, he proposes to pay a fine from funds provided by his friends, including Plato
- The jury sentences him to death
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Shame
- The jury will bring shame upon themselves for executing a man widely thought to be wise
- They have only convicted and sentenced him to death because he refused to beg
- It would be shameful to live under such circumstances
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Consequences
- The jury will create a greater problem by eliminating Socrates
- His followers will be emboldened
- They will miss the opportunity to improve themselves, if they discredit him instead
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Death
- The divine sign has not opposed Socrates's defense, so it is a good thing for him to die
- Death is either a dreamless sleep or a passage to another life
- A dreamless sleep is desirable
- In an afterlife, Socrates would be judged by upright judges and join the company of the dead sages
- A good man cannot be harmed in life or death
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