PLATO’S APOLOGY

SOCRATES' BELIEFS

• Self-knowledge.• Develop understanding of one’s own nature.• No one could ever knowingly and willing do evil.• Evil comes from ignorance and lack of self-

knowledge .

APOLOGY

• Athens 399 BCE• Meltetus charged Socrates with impiety and

corruption of youth. • Refusal to recognize gods recognized by the state• Introducing new divinities.

• His refusal to apologize for his life and beliefs.• His defense and justification. • Defense of his quest for wisdom and truth.

APOLOGY

• “How you have felt, O men of Athens, at hearing the speeches of my accusers, I cannot tell; but I know that their persuasive words almost made me forget who I was- such the effect of them; and yet they have hardly spoken a word of truth.” (19)

• Tone and direction for rest of his speech • Conversational and informal• Suggests innocence • An answer to the question “Who is Socrates?”

APOLOGY

• “…and not let yourselves be deceived by the force of my eloquence…unless by the force of eloquence they mean the force of truth” (19)• Sophists- professional teachers paid for educational

services.• Socrates distances himself from “professionals” • Socratic Irony

• He’s a plain man who simplistically speaks • Using rhetoric and focus on facts • Turns accusers words against them

THE APOLOGY

• Downplays his speaking abilities

• Sets audience up to be disappointed, when in reality they will be much more impressed because of their initial thoughts

• Alters the definition of eloquence and therefore alters the accusers’ accusations

• changes the accusations into positives and agrees with them

APOLOGY

• “…for then I do indeed admit that I am eloquent. But in how different a way from theirs! Well, as I was saying, they have hardly uttered a word, or not more than a word, of truth; but you shall hear from me the whole truth: not however, delivered after their manner, in a set oration duly ornamented with words and phrases.” (19)• Create his own, original speech to defend himself • Does not need elevated speech to indicate who he is and

his justification • His speech is not prepared, focus on substance • Ironic since Plato’s rendition and not improvised

APOLOGY

• “And first, I have to reply to the older charges and to my first accusers…and I am more afraid of them than of Anytus and his associates.” (20)• Refers to old play • “Socrates” and his “think store” • Creates new gods and teaches the youth • Meletus’ claims against Socrates is based on this

APOLOGY

• Accusations • “’Socrates is an evil-doer, and a curious person, who

searches into things under the earth and in heaven, and he makes the worse appear better the better cause, and he teaches the aforesaid doctrines to to others.’” (21)• Tries to provide physical explanation to aspects attributed to

the gods• Teaches men to believe weaker claims over stronger ones

APOLOGY

• Socrates discredits accusations• “As little foundation is there for the report that I am a

teacher, and take money; that is no more true than the other. Although, if a man is able to teach, I honor him for being paid.’” (21)• Doesn’t condemn sophists or “presocratics”• Distances himself from them • Says he lacks any experience in these matters

Geschke/English IV AP Plato's Apology

THE APOLOGY

• The Wisest Man in Athens • “the god of Delphi” (Apollo)

• The oracle is the one who said Socrates was the wisest man

• How can people dismiss the oracle?

• How can he be an atheist?

THE APOLOGY

• Tries to prove the oracle wrong • “…therefore I asked myself on behalf of the oracle,

whether I would like to be as I was, neither having their knowledge nor their ignorance, or like them in both; and I made answer to myself and the oracle that I was better off as I was, and I made answer to myself and the oracle that I was better off as I was.”(24).

• Gods were correct • Politicians, artists and Poets are not wise • He is wiser because he does not pretend to know what he

does not know• Those who humbly accept that their wisdom is lacking

are truly wise

THE APOLOGY

• Reason for Accusations • “…young men of the richer classes, who have not much

to do, come to me of their own accord; they like to hear the pretenders examined, and they often imitate me, and examine others themselves; there are plenty of persons, as they soon enough discover, who think that they know something, but really know little or nothing; and then those who are examined by them instead of being angry with themselves are angry with me…” (24)

APOLOGY

• Many admire/ dislike Socrates’ ideas• Those whose ignorance Socrates makes evident • They have no substantial reason to dislike Socrates • They make accusations instead of accepting the truth

• Thus ignorant not wise

• It is the duty of the philosopher to show wisdom dose not come from specialized knowledge

• The philosopher questions and clarifies knowledge; he does not affirm it.

APOLOGY

• Cross-Examination of Meletus• “One man if able to do them good, or at least not manu;-

the trainer of horses, that is to say, does them good, and others who have to do with them rather injure them?” (26)• Is Socrates the only person in all of Athens who has a

negative influence on the youth?• If only horse trainers have a positive influence on horses and

everyone else has negative influence, it is hard to think that everyone can have a positive influence on the youth?

APOLOGY

• “…and am I, at my age, in such darkness and ignorance as not to know that if a man with whom I have to live is corrupted by me, I am very likely to be harmed by him, and yet I corrupt him, and intentionally, too?” (27)

• If he is truly wicked, it was unintentional • If intentional, then would consciously be causing himself

harm because he is part of said society• If unintentional, cannot punish him must redirect him

APOLOGY

• “…for I do not as yet understand whether you affirm that I teach others to acknowledge some gods, and therefore do believe in gods, and am not an entire atheist…” (27)• If I teach about supernatural beings (gods), then I have to

believe in them?

APOLOGY

• Justification for the philosopher’s life • “God orders me to fulfil the philosopher’s mission of

searching into myself and other men…if I disobeyed the oracle because I was afraid of death: then I should be fancying that I was wise when I was not wise.” (30)• Do not fear what one does not know

• The afterlife

• Will not disobey the will of the gods • Pursuit of the truth and perfection of the soul is what is

important in life

APOLOGY

• “…they have no witness of that. And I have a witness of the truth of what I say; my poverty is a sufficient witness, a witness of the truth of what I say; my poverty is a sufficient witness.” (32)• Suggestion that he is a gift from god, makes it more

difficult to executer him.• His poverty indicates he cannot be an atheist since there

is no benefit- he suffers for his actions/ beliefs.

DEATH AS PUNISHMENT

• “Because I am afraid of the penalty of death which Meletus proposes? When I do not know whether death is a good or an evil, why should I propose a penalty which would certainly be an evil? Shall I say imprisonment? And why should I live in prison, and be the the slave of the magistrates… until the fine is paid?” (37)• Is death an evil or reward?

Is there an appropriate punishment, when he has not intentionally wronged someone?

• Since he cannot intentionally wrong someone, how can he unjustly condemn himself?

APOLOGY

• “Some will say: Yes, Socrates, but cannot you hold your tongue, and then you may go into a foreign city, and no one will interfere with you? Now, I have great difficulty in making you understand my answer to this. For if I tell you that to do as you say would be a disobedience to the God, and therefore that I cannot hold my tongue, you will not believe that I am serious; and if I say again that daily to discourse about virtue, and of those other things about which you hear me examining myself and others, is the greatest food of man, and that the unexamined life is not worth living, you are still less likely to believe me.”

APOLOGY

• “…I would rather die having spoken after my manner, than speak in your manner and live. “ (38)• Only through his philosophy can he come to know his

true self and have lives of meaning and value.• We as well as those around us live happy lives.

• An unexamined life is not worth living

• Many people provide the semblance of success, but Socrates gives the reality.

• If Socrates gives up philosophizing, he would be better off dead.

APOLOGY

• “For I say there will be more accusers of you than there are now; accusers whom hitherto I have restrained: and as they are younger they will be more severe with you.” (39)• Ironic since earlier stated he would be difficult to replace.• Plato’s words?

• Harsh criticism toward Socrates' accusers.• Socrates’ influence on future generations of philosophers.

• Increases his criticism

APOLOGY

• “When my sons are grown up, I would ask you, O my friends, to punish them; and I would have you trouble them, as I have troubled you, if they seem to care about riches, or anything, more than about virtue; or if they pretend to be something when they are really nothing,--then reprove them, as I have reproved you, for not caring about that for which they ought to care, and thinking that they are something when they are really nothing. And if you do this, both I and my sons will have received justice at your hands.”

APOLOGY

• Treat my sons the way I treated you• Emphasizes that he wants his sons to grow up

with his philosophy—even if that philosophy caused his death