The Apology
Philosophy 21
Fall, 2004
G. J. Mattey
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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