Socrates The Apology

The Trial of Socrates

Names, Terms and Concepts

Aristophanes
Chaerephon
Socrates first accusers
Socrates second accusers

Meletus, Lycon and Anytus

Deductive logic and evaluation concepts

of validity and soundness
Dilemma reasoning

Aristophanes
( 448 380 B.C.)

Aristophanes was a Comic Poet

He wrote a play called the Clouds
The Clouds portrays Socrates as a
Sophist
Socrates mentions this is not a true
portrayal
There are significant differences between
Socrates and the Sophists

Sophists compared to Socrates

A Sophist is a teacher of rhetoric

Rhetoric is the art of persuasive speaking

A Sophist teaches for money

Protagoras ( a Sophist ) is often associated with the
theories of Relativism and Skepticism
In the Clouds, Socrates is portrayed as the head of think
shop
In the Clouds, he teaches students to be immoral and to
make the worst argument appear the better

Socrates denies these fictions of himself in his trial

Charges brought up against

Socrates

Socrates is accused of corrupting the youth and not

believing in the Gods of the state
Socrates explains that this is his first time in a court
of law and that at he speaks only the truth
Socrates explains the difficulty of his task
He has to defend himself against two different sets
of accusers
Socrates claims that Meletus and the others slander
him
Socrates maintains that he is innocent of the charges

Socrates is a victim of Slander

Socrates is accused of being an evil doer who

searches into things under the earth and in the
heavens
Socrates denies any interest in nature philosophy and
claims that he is only interested in Ethics which is a
service to the Gods
Socrates is also accused of being Sophist
Socrates denies being a Sophist

He claims not to be a teacher

He neither accepts fees from others as a teacher nor claims
to have any wisdom to sell

Socrates explains the origin of

his so called wisdom

Socrates explains the story that takes place at the

Oracle at Delphi
Chaerephon, a friend of Socrates, poses a question to
the priestess: is there anyone wiser than Socrates?
The priestess says that there is no one wiser than
Socrates
Socrates was baffled by this news and proceeded to
search for wise men to test the meaning of the
Oracle
History of the Oracle at Delphi

Socrates begins his mission

Socrates questions others in town that had a reputation for

wisdom such as politicians, artists and craftsmen
He finds that they are not really wise at all but only think they
are wise
Socrates explains that his inquiries has lead some of these
illustrious citizens to be irritated with him for challenging their
wisdom
This questioning, however, is his duty to the Gods
Socrates will not be silenced because his questioning is a service
to the Gods which he calls philosophy
Socrates likens himself to a Gadfly that stings people into action
This searching for a wise person is closely connected to the
question on how one should live which is Socrates primary
concern and what he holds to be the most important inquiry

Two kinds of Wisdom

According to Socrates, there are two kinds of Wisdom

Wisdom only the Gods possess

Wisdom that humans can attain

Human wisdom is of lesser value

Socrates explains that his questioning method called
Elenchus is imitated by young people
Socrates suggests this may be one the reasons he is
being brought up on charges
Another reason is that these questioning encounters
by Socrates and others has infuriated those who only
pretend to have wisdom

Socrates questions Meletus

Socrates tries to demonstrate that he does

not corrupt the youth
Socrates uses analogies to challenge Meletus
charge that he is a corrupter of the youth
Socrates uses his direct questioning method
combined with analogical examples to show
the implausibility of Meletus charges against
him

Socrates combines questioning

with Analogy reasoning

Socrates questions Meletus about the Laws

and the improvers of youth
Meletus claims that almost all Athenians
except Socrates are improvers of youth
Socrates suggests that it takes an expert to
train horses
Socrates is suggesting that Meletus claim
that he is a corrupter and almost everyone
else is an improver is implausible by analogy

Dilemma Reasoning and Logic

Part one

Socrates also uses dilemma reasoning to show that

Meletus is a liar
The first dilemma reasoning involves refuting
Meletus charge that Socrates corrupts the youth
Intentionally

Socrates flatly denies that this charge has any plausibility In

the Apology, Socrates uses dilemma reasoning

Dilemma reasoning is a valid form of argument used

in deductive logic
A valid argument is defined as

An argument is valid if it is impossible for the premises to

be true and the conclusion false

Dilemma Reasoning and Logic

Part Two

A Sound argument is defined as one that is

both valid and has all true premises
In Summary an argument is sound if it meets
two conditions

It is Valid
It has all true premises

To show that an argument is not a good one

is done by showing it to be invalid and/or
unsound

Constructive Dilemma Form

The constructive dilemma argument has the

following symbolic form

Premise one: Either P or Q

Premise two: If P, then R
Premise Three If Q, then S
Conclusion: Either R or S

P, Q, R, and S are called statement variables

Socrates answer to Meletus

charges of corruption

After Socrates dismisses the notion that he

would corrupt the youth unintentionally, he
then proceeds to argue that Meletus is a liar.
Socrates uses a dilemma argument.
By showing that Meletus is a liar, Socrates is
hoping that the jury will realize that Meletus
is bringing up false charges
Meletus pretense to knowledge has been
demonstrated and he is seeking revenge
against Socrates

First Dilemma Argument

Premise One: Either I do not corrupt the

youth or I corrupt the youth unintentionally
Premise Two: If I do not corrupt the youth,
then Meletus is a liar
Premise Three: If I corrupt the youth
unintentionally, then Meletus is a liar
Conclusion: Either Meletus is a liar or
Meletus is a liar

Meletus charge of not believing

in the States Gods is addressed

Socrates questions Meletus

Socrates: Can a person ever believe in the existence
of human beings and there not be any human
beings?
Meletus: No
Socrates : Did a man ever believe in horsemanship
and not in horses?
Meletus: No
Socrates: Can a man believe in spiritual things and
divine activities and not in divine beings?
Meletus : No

Socrates brings out the

contradiction

Socrates gets Meletus to agree that he must believe

in Gods.
Socrates then asks Meletus why he maintains a
contradiction
Meletus in essence has accused Socrates of both
believing in Gods and not believing in Gods
Socrates suggests that Meletus charges are mere
fabrications
Socrates concludes that Meletus is attempting to
confuse the jury and slander him with rumors that
are untrue from the past

Socrates explains his divine

mission

Socrates says that his questioning activity or

elenchus is just doing his service to the Gods
Socrates ( like Achilles ) before him never feared
death
Both he and Achilles do what is right without a fear o
Socrates says that a fear of death is an imitation of
wisdom not true wisdom
Socrates does make some claims to human wisdom

Injustice and disobedience is an evil

A good person cannot be injured
The unexamined live is not worth living

The jury finds Socrates guilty

The jury finds Socrates guilty and Meletus proposes

the death penalty
According to the Greek courts, Socrates can offer an
alternative sentence
Socrates first suggests that he should be put up with
meals ( maintenance in the Prytaneum ) like a
champion in the Olympic games
Socrates then offers one mina for his fine because he
is poor
Plato and other friends offer 30 minae

The jury votes again

After the plea bargaining phase of the trial,

another vote is taken in regards to the
alternative offer
Socrates is given the death penalty
Socrates responds to the penalty and makes
some reflections on death
Socrates says that there is good reason to
hope that death is a good
He offers a second dilemma argument

Socrates second dilemma

argument

Premise One : Either death is a nothingness and

utter unconsciousness or there is a change and
migration of the soul from this world to another
Premise two: If death is a nothingness and utter
unconsciousness, then we have reason to hope that
death is a good
Premise Three: If death is a change and migration of
the soul from this world to another, then we have
reason to hope that death is a good
Conclusion: Either we have reason to hope that
death is a good or we have a reason to hope that
death is a good

Classroom Discussion
Dilemma Argument

Get together in small groups of five or so and

create a real or imagined Dilemma
Put your dilemma into standard form and
Discuss whether you can refute the dilemma
by either grasping the dilemma by the horns
or by escaping between the horns
See presentation on working with Dilemmas
for additional help

Websites of Interest

Aristophanes works The Clouds is a satire

about Socrates mentioned in Apology
Overview of Aristophanes
The Oracle at Delphi and the role of the
Priestess
History of Oracle at Delphi
Commentary on the Apology
Socrates compared to Sophists