Socrates attributed his reputation to a unique kind of wisdom. He recounted how his friend Chaerephon once asked the oracle at Delphi if anyone was wiser than Socrates. The oracle replied that no one was. Socrates, puzzled by this, sought out those reputed to be wise—politicians, poets, and craftsmen—to see if he could find someone wiser. He concluded that while these men thought they were wise, they were not, whereas Socrates knew he lacked wisdom. This, he argued, made him wiser to a small extent: he recognized his own ignorance.

The Oracle Of Delphi

As he began his defense, Socrates acknowledged that these accusations were not new. For years, he had been branded as dangerous and impious, partly due to the playwright Aristophanes, who had depicted him in a satirical play and the oracle of delphi's statement that he is the wisest. Socrates believed this long-standing prejudice was more damaging than the current charges.

Defense Against The Older Accusations

Premise 1: Socrates has been accused of impiety for years, largely due to misunderstandings and portrayals by playwrights like Aristophanes (older accusation).Premise 2: Socrates acknowledges belief in spiritual entities (daimonian), which contradicts the claim of atheism.Conclusion: The charge of impiety is based on misunderstandings and contradictions; Socrates does not reject the traditional gods.

Impiety (Argument)

ImpietySocrates then cross-examined Meletus, one of his accusers, exposing contradictions in his arguments. He demonstrated that Meletus had little concern for the youth and was merely using the trial to attack Socrates. Regarding the charge of impiety, Socrates showed that Meletus accused him of both atheism and believing in demigods, a contradiction.

Socrates faced two main charges. First, he was accused impiety, rejecting the gods that is worshipped in Athens. Second, he was charged with corrupting the youth who followed him and emulated his habit of challenging the city's elites on their claims of wisdom.

Introduction

Socrates also refused to beg for mercy, asserting that justice should not be swayed by emotional appeals. The jury found him guilty and sentenced him to death. In his final words, Socrates reiterated that his death would harm Athens more than himself, as his role was to provoke critical thinking and self-examination.

The Verdict And Sentencing

Premise 1: Young men follow Socrates voluntarily because they enjoy his method of questioning and seeking truth.Premise 2: If Socrates unintentionally corrupted the youth, it would be against his own interests as they would harm him in return.Premise 3: Socrates encourages critical thinking and self-examination, which he views as beneficial.Conclusion: Socrates does not corrupt the youth; he educates and improves them.

Corrupting the Youth (Argument)

Socrates accepted his fate with composure, suggesting that death might either be a peaceful sleep or an opportunity to converse with great figures of the past. He concluded by saying, "Now the hour to part has come. I go to die, you go to live. Which of us goes to the better lot is known to no one, except the god."

Ending

As for me, all I know is that I know nothing, for when I don't know what justice is, I'll hardly know whether it is a kind of virtue or not, or whether a person who has it is happy or unhappy.

Corrupting the YouthTurning to the charge of corrupting the youth, Socrates pointed out that young men followed him of their own accord, enjoying his method of questioning and exposing the ignorance of prominent Athenians. These young followers then began questioning others themselves, which angered those questioned, who blamed Socrates for their embarrassment.

Defense Against The Current Accusations

Despite the serious charges, Socrates remained unyielding. He declared that he would rather die than give up his pursuit of philosophy, believing it was his divine mission to challenge and improve his fellow citizens. He rejected the fear of death, claiming no one knows whether death is a blessing or a curse.

Defense of His Life and Philosophy

Premise 1: Socrates claims to have wisdom in that he recognizes his own ignorance.Premise 2: He conducted investigations into those considered wise in various fields (politicians, poets, craftsmen) and found that they professed knowledge they did not truly possess.Premise 3: Socrates asserts that the recognition of one's own ignorance is a form of wisdom superior to the false knowledge of others.Conclusion: Thus, Socrates justifies his claim of knowing nothing by arguing that his awareness of his own ignorance makes him wiser than those who falsely believe they possess knowledge.

I Know Nothing (Argument)

Apology is Plato's version of the speech given by Socrates as he defended himself in 399 BC against the charges of "corrupting the young, and by not believing in the gods in whom the city believes, but in other daimonia that are novel." Socrates begins by telling the jury that their minds were poisoned by his enemies when they were young and impressionable. He says his reputation for sophistry comes from his enemies, all of whom are envious of him, and malicious. He says they must remain nameless, except for Aristophanes, the comic poet. He later answers the charge that he has corrupted the young by arguing that deliberate corruption is an incoherent idea. Socrates says that all these false accusations began with his obedience to the oracle at Delphi. He tells how Chaerephon went to the Oracle at Delphi, to ask if anyone was wiser than Socrates. When Chaerephon reported to Socrates that the god told him there is none wiser, Socrates took this as a riddle. He himself knew that he had no wisdom "great or small" but that he also knew that it is against the nature of the gods to lie. Socrates then went on a "divine mission" to solve the paradox (that an ignorant man could also be the wisest of all men) and to clarify the meaning of the Oracles' words. He systematically interrogated the politicians, poets and craftsmen. Socrates determined that the politicians were imposters, and the poets did not understand even their own poetry, like prophets and seers who do not understand what they say. Craftsmen proved to be pretentious too, and Socrates says that he saw himself as a spokesman for the oracle (23e). He asked himself whether he would rather be an impostor like the people he spoke to, or be himself. Socrates tells the jury that he would rather be himself than anyone else.