Socrates's Defense

Does Socrates persuasively defend himself in the Apology? Why or why not? What, precisely, do you think Socrates is defending in the Apology? Choose any two arguments Socrates deploys in the Apology to support your account of his defense. Plato‟s „Apology‟ presents Socrates‟s arguments at the trial where he has persuasively defended himself before the time of his death. Through the questions in which he posed, he has successfully earned the admiration from the youth but much hatred from those he humiliated and thus, the reason he was put into trial. Socrates handled his arguments in an honest and direct manner for he stood up for what he believed in by utilizing many theories through reasoning and was still executed for his beliefs. The idea of accepting the punishment in the end has proven that his defense of seeking for wisdom and educating the youth showed that it was clearly his highest aim in life knowing that he puts his life at risk for the good of others. Socrates was charged due to his immorality of corrupting the youth by introducing new deities to the Athenian society, according to Meletus, the chief accuser of Socrates at the trial. In Socrates‟s case, he was trying to protect the youth from the falsehoods that the jurors and those who claimed themselves as teachers. In reference to the text Socrates was referred to as, „a doer of evil, and corrupter of the youth, and he does not believe in the gods of the state, and has other new divinities of his own.‟ Based on this statement, Socrates is no longer popular amongst the people in the court of law since he objects that the doings of the politicians and the jurors are indeed dishonest. Socrates further his analogy by referring himself to as a „gadfly‟, which is bothersome for the horses, in which he refers the Athenian state with. Here he has justified that if there was none like Socrates who could challenge the law and provide positive influence to the youth, irritating as it may be to some (the gadfly) there will be no positive impact in the youth‟s life. Socrates‟s explanation of his behavior in questioning Meletus was evident in the case. Although he has no experience in the court of law, he mentioned that from a prophecy by the Oracle at Delphi he was claimed to be the wisest man of all. In proof, „he (Chaerephon) asked the oracle to tell him whether there was anyone wiser than I was and the Pythian prophetess answered that there was no man wiser.‟ To fulfill his duty, he has doubted those „wise‟ men and exposes those with false wisdom (ignorance) through questioning Meletus at the trial. He has used the good and bad neighbor terminology; „Do not the good neighbors good and the bad do them evil?‟ to support his defense in court and also as hope that he could pay a fine rather than to be exiled. Despite that being unsuccessful to the decision, Socrates warned the jury and those who voted against him that in silencing their critic than to listen to him, they have harmed themselves much more than they have harmed him, thus, the idea to the corrupt doing bad to their neighbor. Overall, Socrates‟s quest for wisom and the instruction of others has resulted him in martyrdom. In addition, protecting the youth in exchange of his life has showed that Socrates is indeed a man of wisdom as he has honored his word in terms of educating the

people of Athens by changing the corrupted perceptions of society. With his greatest saying, “the unexamined life is not worth living.”