The Trial of Socrates

In the trial of Socrates, I juror number 307, Ryan Callahan vote the defendant is Not Guilty on the
first charge of Corrupting the youth. My justifications for this vote are as follows. Socrates didn 't
corrupt the youth, he just shared his ideas with them and they in turn chose the path to take these
ideas. Part of understanding this case is understand the time in which the case was held. This time
being 399 B.C., a time in which Athens was a free democratic city, a town which prided itself at the
time on the fact that its citizens had much freedom, particularly freedom of speech. Socrates
believed that only people who were educated should rule the people, which meant that people were
not capable of government participation ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
On top of all that when the arrogant Socrates went on trial he left the jury no choice but to find him
guilty so he played right into their hands. So to sum up the trial, the charges against him were
officially two, corrupting the youth and impiety. The two charges were, of course, linked, and, in the
relevant senses, he was, we must admit, guilty of at least one of them. For his effect on the lives of
the young men who followed him was indeed disrupting, and even corrupting, of the social order.
What his followers learned from him above all else, is to do two things. They learned to scrutinize,
and they learned to be skeptical. It was not that they mindlessly adopted a motto like "trust no one
over 30," or that they became, like many of today 's young people, contrary simply for the sake of
being contrary. Rather, they learned not to take on authority or on faith what others told them about
virtue, justice, or piety; they were seeking, as was Socrates himself, the truth of the matter and the
reasons for taking it to be the truth of the matter. And as we all know, the relentless pursuit of the
truth produces enemies. A Socrates may in the long run serve mankind, but in the short run he
aggravates virtually everyone around him.
Socrates was thus put to death for teaching others to scrutinize and be skeptical about what they are
told, and

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 Arguments Against The Trial Of Socrates

Trial of Socrates

What do Jesus, Joan of Arc, Martin Luther King Jr., and Socrates all have in common? All of them
died for their beliefs. The Trial of Socrates depicts a scene where Socrates is in prison condemned to
death and he is speaking with an acquaintance Crito. Socrates is being put to death because he was
charged with corrupting the youth and not acknowledging the gods. Although over the course of the
trial Socrates has numerous opportunities to evade the death penalty, he does not seem interested in
pursuing those options. When he is convicted and put in jail, he has many opportunities to escape
from prison. Crito offers three arguments to try and convince Socrates to escape but Socrates
counters all of Crito's points. I believe that Socrates did not escape from prison after being convicted
because he wanted to cement his legacy and beliefs through his death. Socrates believed that he was
sent to Athens by the gods to wake them from their intellectual slumber. He describes himself as a
gadfly stinging a horse. He is trying to pester the Athenian people into think about the truth. This
quote depicts a scene of Socrates talking to Crito and his students about why he is not going to
escape. "You would have me act on blind impulse? This is not what I have taught you. Reason must
rule our every action. I can't run from my fate. My life was here in Athens. My purpose was to
protect this city from herself. I will not live without her" (Trial ).

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 The Socrates Trial

For over 50 years socrates had been publicly questioning an attacking on the traditions of the
Athenian life, he had gained a group of youthful followers surely this must of weekend the cities
moral character. On the command of the Assembly, Socrates was arrested in charges of questioning
the state religion and corrupting the youth of the city. The Athenians would now put to trial the one
man who dared to question the way they lived their lives. Socrates trial was held in Athens central
market place he was trailed my a jury of his fellow citizens but this trail was very different then
today, no lawyers no trailed judge, he was only given I limited amount of time to defend himself all
speeches in the Athenian courts were times by a water

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 The Trial And Death Of Socrates Analysis

In order to leave a memorable past, you have to learn how to stand tall for what you believe in.
Anyone who can be easily persuaded is not someone who cares to be remembered. The ones who
are always remembered are the ones who didn't follow the rest of the crowd. In the Trial and Death
of Socrates, Socrates was brought up on false chargers and was still able to hold his stance. For
Socrates he thought he would think logically instead of like the others. However, at that point it was
frowned upon to think a different way. Socrates tries to use his own ideology and make others see
from his point of view. When he is put on trial, he uses good arguments to defend himself. For
example, when Meletus says that majority improve the young while the minority corrupt it, but
Socrates brings up a great point with horses and other animals. While with animals the minority
improve and the majority corrupt. (25B) During Socrates' trial, a lot of details cluing into a bigger
picture showing how he is able to prove his innocence and also stand up for what he believes in.
One example, is him trying to focus the attention away from him being a sophist. Socrates was not
charging his student to learn his teachings. He was teaching from his own will, not for a pay cut.
Most of the leaders who start big movement do it ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
For Socrates, the Athenian law has made him good, just because one mistake he isn't going to turn
away from it. He wants to be known for his support to the Athenian law. Socrates cares to show
himself in a good manor and set example for his sons. Socrates wish's not to be freed from jail
because, the people will feel as if he is going against what he believes; and if this becomes the case
then Socrates will lose his support from followers. Socrates believes that the opinion of the many do
not matter as much as the opinion of the

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 Plato : The Trial And Death Of Socrates

Amanda Kewal
Phil 103
Essay #1
Plato: The Trial and Death of Socrates
"Euthyphro"
In Plato's Euthyphro, Euthyphro is surprised to see Socrates at the courthouse because he doesn't
seem like the kind of person that should be anywhere around a courthouse. They both discuss why
Socrates is there in which he tells Euthyphro that he is being indicted by Meletus for corrupting the
youth because he does not believe in the old gods of Athens and makes up new gods. Socrates goes
on by telling Euthyphro his issue is not if he is being laughed at in the courthouse, but his concern is
how serious the charges will be. The conversation now takes a turn to Euthyphro and his reason for
being at the courthouse in which he tells Socrates he is there to ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Socrates was not satisfied with his first definition, it was perceived as an example of what piety
meant and what he wanted was a definition.
Euthyphro responds with a second answer to the meaning of pious which is what is dear to the gods.
Socrates responds by saying: the pious and impious are very different, the gods fight and disagree,
the same things that gods cannot agree on occur in men as well. Men and gods do not argue over
things that can be measured. There is no reason to argue over how many chairs are in a room or how
heavy a desk is. We just need to count them or weigh it. Gods and men argue over things that cannot
be measured like good and evil, beauty, and ugly, just and unjust, pious and impious. So, if piety is
dependent on what the gods love then the same things will be pious and impious. Euthyphro's
second definition did not satisfy Socrates.
Euthyphro then says piety is what all the god's love. Socrates asks Euthyphro if it is pious that is
loved by the gods because it is pious or is it pious because the gods love it. Socrates wants to
measure the actions and objects. For example, the object of horse breeding is the horse, so in other
words, the object of love is the thing being loved. Socrates asks Euthyphro, "Is the pious being
loved by the gods because it is pious, or is it pious because it is being loved by the gods?"

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 The Apology About The Trial Of Socrates

The Apology was about the trial of Socrates, how he went before the jury to defend himself from the
charges brought against him.
Socrates was charged with impiety he does not believe in the gods whom the people believes in he is
portrayed as an atheist and he speculates about the heaven and thing beneath the ground, he seeks
natural explanation for astronomical and geological phenomena rather than the gods and also he
corrupts the youth he infuses in them a spirit of criticism his questioning of authority had effects on
the youth. He makes the weaker reason seem to be stronger.
Socrates went before the jury to lay his case, he was overwhelmed with the lies told about him and
how persuasively they went about deceiving the people of Athens, he told the jurors he was before
them to tell the truth and prove his accusers wrong and trust in justice, it would not be fitting at his
age to come before them and lie.
Socrates begged the jurors to listen to him and he would speak to them with the same language with
which he was accustomed to and the same way he spoke in the market place by the bankers table,
where most of the people heard him speaking every time. He also told them this was the first time
appearing in a law court at the age of seventy, he was a stranger to these manner of speaking and he
wanted them to excuse his dialect and manner with which he was brought up, but hey should
concentrate their attention on whether he spoke the truth or what is just or not, because

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 The Function of the Quest or Journey Motif in the Apology...

The quest, in the classical era to the modern notions of the word has meant a coming of age or to
notions of learning where at the beginning there was nothing known. The quest in its very nature is a
search to find an answer, an artifact of power and wealth or perhaps even for peace; in the platonic
dialogues they play a crucial role in the Apology of Socrates and the Crito. The Apology in the trial
and death of Socrates is an example of a quest or journey motif applied, whether or not quest or
journey is the preferred word is left to you who are reading this. In the apology, Plato is accused of
corrupting the youth of Athens and of Atheism, to elaborate on these they are one and the same as
Socrates is claimed to have corrupted the minds ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
It is to fulfill some such function that I believe the god has placed me in the city" and further claims
his works were for the betterment of the people in his state, never to have charged a fee to teach and
never to have been a madman as portrayed by the play of Meletus, Aristophanes, a portrayal of him
walking on air and a series of nonsense. From an alternate perspective the Apology is more or less a
dissection of the journey motif in a narrative as it explains the process of how Socrates arrived at his
ill fate of death and condemnation by his peers, mirrored by other forms of storytelling like
Shakespeare's literary works.
A point to be taken of the quest motif applied to the apology is the actions taken by asking the
questions he needed to deduce that politicians were liars to the people, poets didn't understand their
own meanings and works and that craftsmen were pretentious speaking as if he were the voice of the
oracle of Delphi. His actions thus earning him the ire of the people he claimed to such, the most
prominent of which in their stand against Socrates were Meletus, Anytus and Lycon, this represents
the establishment of an antagonistic force to be combated by Socrates in his defense, an important
part of the motif that purveys the story to continue on.
In retrospect the use of the quest in the apology is to convey the knowledge learned by

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 Plato and Socrates Relentless Question

Socrates knew the trial brought onto him by three citizens of Athens was not just and the official
accusations of corrupting the youth and impiety are not the true reasons for the trial. He was put to
death because of his method of challenging others in the search for wisdom and knowledge.
Socrates was given the opportunity to defend himself and choose not to beg for his life but praise his
life and to honor his mission. He opposed the charges by a cross–examination of the people who put
him on trial to show they had not put enough thought into their claims. Socrates' downfall, was that
he made his defense in the same method he spent his life work by making many wealthy and
powerful people reveal their own ignorance and lack of ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Socrates discovered that men of good repute were not wise in their moral values and were foolish.,
while those of lesser means were more knowledgeable. The argument here is that Socrates earned a
poor reputation because he publicly exposed the wealthy men of Athens in their ignorance and lack
of knowledge. This inquisition led Socrates to have many enemies. (Apology, 3) During the trial
Socrates referred several times to the force of truth. He is implying that he wants Athenians to
accept logical conclusions even if they may not want to. Socrates also claims that obsession with
wealth and material things must never take precedence over the care of one's soul. Socrates
challenges their values and asks if they are not ashamed of their eagerness to possess wealth, honor,
and reputation and caring little about wisdom and truth and enriching their souls? Socrates is
attempting to reveal to the jury that the soul is forever and is more important then physical
obsession. Furthermore, he says that "this is the command of God and that my service to you is to
show you that I'm here to improve your soul." (Apology, 6) Wealth and prestige, for most Athenians,
was very important and hearing these claims and the commands from god further fueled the anger
against Socrates. Later he identifies himself as a gadfly sent by god to awaken and arouse the people
and to show them the way to enlightment and improve their soul. To prove his mission that he was
given by god, he

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 Essay On Socrates Apology

Kat Hroncic
Professor Amentas
October 17th 2016
PHIL 1000c
Midterm Paper

The Apology of Socrates by Plato, is the dialogue that tells the story of Socrates legal self–defense,
where he represents himself at his trial for impiety and corruption in 399 BC. Throughout the book
Socrates tries to maintain his innocence. Apology of Socrates is essentially a defense against the
charges of "corrupting the youth, not believing in gods in whom the city believes, but in other
daimonia that are novel to Athens" (24b) Socrates challenges each of the charges he is brought up
against. Socrates is brought up on three charges, corrupting the youth, challenging belief in the gods
that were accepted and reveled by the State, and introducing a new religious ... Show more content
on Helpwriting.net ...
Plato named this dialogue based on the Greek word "Apolgia". Apologia translates to being a formal
defense of someone's conduct. Socrates tries to defend himself on his own at his trial but at no
means does he apologize or admit to anything he is accused of. By the end of this trial he is
convicted as guilty. The jury gives Socrates three options, prison, exile, or to pay a fine. Socrates
being as stubborn and sarcastic as he is, jokily says "Pg 40 spot 36e. Socrates almost becomes a
different person where he refuses to beg for forgiveness by the jury even if it was to save his life.
What I also noticed was how Plato demonstrates the difference between what a man before he is
found guilty seems to be, and then what a man who is found guilty appears as,
Throughout this book I could not figure out if I personality liked Socrates or not. He seemed
arrogant and rude, but then at other times he often made sense. Many times he doesn't exactly tell
the truth, yet he doesn't fib either. I think Socrates is one of the smartest person I've ever learned
about. The way he tried to work the jury especially since he was more or less a one man team was

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 Socrates Trial In The Apology By Plato

The Apology by Plato is a firsthand account of how Plato remembers Socrates' trial and the speech
he gave while he was trying to prove his innocence. In the first part contains Socrates introductory
statement in which he states his manner of speaking. He will speak only the truth and he asks the
judges to pay attention to his words. Socrates begins his defense by explaining his philosophical
way of life. He goes on to discuss the accusations made against him and how he had old accusers
and new accusers. The old charges against him were that because he exposed ignoration, he was a
Sophist which is someone who was good at winning arguments through verbal quibbling (Westacott,
2016). The new charges he is accused of are two criminal offenses by Meletus, Anytus, and Lycon.
He was accused of having atheistic views and not recognizing the gods, and of corrupting the young
people of Athens. Socrates argued that if he corrupted the young, he did so unknowingly since he
believed that one never deliberately acts wrongly ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
His actions of questioning people were prompted by the prophecy of the Oracle of Delphi declared
that Socrates to be the wisest man. Socrates was baffled by this because the Oracle couldn't be lying
but he felt that he was ignorant and had no wisdom. To try to figure out what the Oracle meant,
Socrates began approaching people who were believed to be wise to find out what makes them wise.
He approached politicians, poets, and artist and after speaking with all of them he determined that
they all had false wisdom and in fact were ignorant. Many things they thought they knew, they in
fact didn't know. Socrates felt that a wise man should understand that he doesn't know everything.
This caused many people to dislike Socrates. The young people of Athens admired this about him
but also earned him much hatred from those people that he

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 Trial and Death of Socrates

Benjamin Jowett. The Trial and Death of Socrates (Dover Edition). New York: Dover Publications,
1992 "What is the charge? Well, a very serious charge, which shows a good deal of character in the
young man, and for which he is certainly not to be despised. He says he knows how the youth are
corrupted and who are their corruptors. And I fancy that he must be a wise man, and seeing that I am
anything but a wise man, he has found me out, and is going to accuse me of corrupting his young
friends. And of this our mother the state is to be the judge. Of all our political men he is the only one
who seems to me to begin in the right way, with the cultivation of virtue in youth; he is a good
husbandman, and takes care of the shoots first ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Socrates begins by stating that, since Meletus claims to know who is corrupting the youth, he must
know who improves them. After some back and forth between the two men, Socrates gets Meletus
to say that all Athenians improve the youth and that Socrates is the only one who corrupts the youth.
Socrates continues to use Meletus own words against him throughout and thus making him look
quite foolish in front of the court. " I have said enough in answer to the charge of Meletus: any
elaborate defence is unnecessary; but as I was saying before, I certainly have many enemies, and
this is what will be my destruction if I am destroyed; of that I am certain;––not Meletus, nor yet
Anytus, but the envy and detraction of the world, which has been the death of many good men, and
will probably be the death of many more; there is no danger of mine being the last of them." (p. 29).
Here Socrates, in my opinion, shows the court again that he will turn the other cheek to his accusers
and not blame them, but instead chooses to blame what I would like to call the human condition.
That is, putting your own self interests before that of others to further your gain. This is why
Socrates struggles with anyone giving him a definition of piety, because I think that to Socrates
piety means acting altruistic. Since the human condition is that of self serving your own interests, he
sees through peoples definitions because he knows that they

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 Trial of Socrates

Socrates was a great philosopher of the Greek world. He was quite an atypical and distinctive
person. Being different from all the other philosophers of the land, Socrates was teaching his
students ideas totally out of the ordinary from what the society believed was right. As a result, he
displeased many people so much that they decided to get rid of him. Socrates was put to trial,
accused of spoiling the youth of Athens, tried and sentenced to death. His personal defense is
described in works two of his students: Xenophon and Plato. Both of them wrote papers called
Apology, which is the Greek word for "defense". In this essay I used Apology by Plato as the main
resource, since it contents a more full account of the trial of Socrates and ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
However, I do feel quite a bit of compassion for his accusers. Socrates was changing their sons'
minds by making them question the supremacy and intelligence of the people whose wisdom was
recognized in the state. He made young people question even the intelligence of their fathers. It
should not have been easy for the fathers to stay put and listen to him philosophizing about his ideas
of the world. No wonder Socrates had to beg them to listen to the end and not to interrupt at least
three times throughout the Apology.

Despite the fact that I do not quite approve Socrates' attitude and the way he was defending himself,
I would not be able to give him any advice on doing it differently. This man had a very insightful,
logical and genuine mind. He was teaching his disciples his beliefs. It was his beliefs he spoke about
in the court. In order to defend himself and make a positive impression on the jury, Socrates would
have had to mask his convictions and pretend to be something he was not at all. Besides, I do not
think the he would be able to apologize and promise not to challenge people on their wisdom ever
again. He just would not be able to keep the promise! This was his life and Socrates was already
seventy years of age – too late to change and start forming his ideas and opinions all over again. If I
could speak to the famous Greek now, I would beg him not to provoke the jury and apologize to
them, but there is no way

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 Comparing The Trial And Death Of Socrates

In reading, The Trial and Death of Socrates, Socrates presents himself against "the majority" and
endures prosecution for inventing new gods and not believing in old ones. Socrates lives a life that is
opposite of much of the "the majority" ideals. "The majority" values goods, possessions, and
uncontrollable attributes given to them by others such as a high reputation and honor. In addition,
The Greek Philosopher was able to refuse the opportunity to escape his death sentence while he had
sons at home because he does not see death as the greatest evil and provided his sons a positive role
model. He showed calmness in the face of his trouble, while the vulnerable and fragile majority
would have been in constant fear of death. Socrates, in saying goodbye to Crito in his cell "Then let
it be, Crito, and let us do as I say, seeing that God so directs us." (Plato, 102)
Socrates believes that you cannot harm a good man in life or death. Through The Trial and Death of
Socrates, Socrates' has to overcome a test of his ideals. He proves to the people and the readers that
he is unharmable. If a person suffers a loss of a valued good of life, it causes the person to be
harmed due to the loss or absence disrupting the status of their happiness. The the loss of goods by
forces beyond their control can afflict an individual. Socrates knew "the majority" recognized
wealth, honor, reputation, possessions, and power as goods of life. An ordinary man would fear the
loss of those, as they

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 The Trial And Death Of Socrates : The Trial And Death Of...

The Trial and Death of Socrates, depicts the different stages of Socrates's life, from his prosecution
until his execution. During the narratives, Socrates gives us, as readers, insight towards his beliefs
and philosophy, which are viewed as reasons for his imprisonment. Phaedo's recollection of
Socrates's last few hours alive, reveals Socrates's most important belief, that the soul is an entity
which is immortal and is valuable during and after life. All perceived lusts, greed, and fear are
caused because people fail to pursue knowledge over self–indulgence, which is meaningless once
the body is deceased. Socrates is accused and sent to prison. Meletus, Anytus, and Lycon are the
main prosecutors against Socrates for his teachings. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
When Socrates is interviewed by his friends he expresses no regret or fear for his life. Socrates
distinguishes himself from the average person, because he coins himself a philosopher. The
philosopher welcomes the idea of death as a concept for expanding the mind. The average person
fears death because they only understand their physical entity "We fear for what we don't
understand". Compared to the average person, who seeks to only expand their wealth and stomach,
Socrates openly states "The philosopher despises anything with the body except the soul, therefore
asks for death" (TDS, p. 62).
In addition, Socrates proclaims the non–philosophers are unworthy to life. If the purpose of the
individual is to survive for luxury, they are not truly living "a person who only cares about bodily
pleasures is already dead" (TDS, p. 62). Therefore, the physical form contributes towards misfortune
and the pursuit of spiritual knowledge.
The fulfillment towards only the physical form leads to the chaos and struggles of life. If a person
lives their life to satisfy their body, then they are not alive at all. All issues of life occur because
pleasure causes pain "for wars are occasioned by the love of money, and money has to be acquired
for the sake and in the service of the body" (TDS, p. 64). Therefore, this idea expands upon
Socrates's claim of him being superior to all professionals, the skilled workers have

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 Trial of Socrates

Socrates was a great philosopher of the Greek world. He was quite an atypical and distinctive
person. Being different from all the other philosophers of the land, Socrates was teaching his
students ideas totally out of the ordinary from what the society believed was right. As a result, he
displeased many people so much that they decided to get rid of him. Socrates was put to trial,
accused of spoiling the youth of Athens, tried and sentenced to death. His personal defense is
described in works two of his students: Xenophon and Plato. Both of them wrote papers called
Apology, which is the Greek word for "defense". In this essay I used Apology by Plato as the main
resource, since it contents a more full account of the trial of Socrates and ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
However, I do feel quite a bit of compassion for his accusers. Socrates was changing their sons'
minds by making them question the supremacy and intelligence of the people whose wisdom was
recognized in the state. He made young people question even the intelligence of their fathers. It
should not have been easy for the fathers to stay put and listen to him philosophizing about his ideas
of the world. No wonder Socrates had to beg them to listen to the end and not to interrupt at least
three times throughout the Apology.

Despite the fact that I do not quite approve Socrates' attitude and the way he was defending himself,
I would not be able to give him any advice on doing it differently. This man had a very insightful,
logical and genuine mind. He was teaching his disciples his beliefs. It was his beliefs he spoke about
in the court. In order to defend himself and make a positive impression on the jury, Socrates would
have had to mask his convictions and pretend to be something he was not at all. Besides, I do not
think the he would be able to apologize and promise not to challenge people on their wisdom ever
again. He just would not be able to keep the promise! This was his life and Socrates was already
seventy years of age – too late to change and start forming his ideas and opinions all over again. If I
could speak to the famous Greek now, I would beg him not to provoke the jury and apologize to
them, but there is no way

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 Four Levels Of Defense In The Trial Of Socrates

The trial of Socrates often referred to as the Apology of Socrates was a defense speech made by
Socrates against the accusations that have been made against him. In his speech, Socrates targets the
jurors, the judge, and all of the spectators in the crowd. There are two sets of accusations made
against Socrates. There are the original, older accusations and the current or newer accusations.
Socrates uses his wisdom to attempt to show the jurors, and his fellow Athenians that these
accusations are false and that he is innocent. First, we must look at what Socrates is defending.
There are four levels of defense that we see in the Apology. The first is that Socrates is defending
himself against his fellow Athenians. Since, Socrates is a philosopher, then he is in fact defending
philosophy as well. Socrates' student Plato, who accounts the Apology is defending his mentor as
well, so he is in fact defending philosophy with future generations in mind. The Apology is not only
about Socrates defending himself, but it is also about Socrates defending philosophy and keeping it
alive for future generations. Socrates starts his defense speech by addressing the audience. He
explains to the audience the manner of the Socratic speech. He tells them that his speech may not be
as persuasive as his accusers', but it will be the truth. He tells his audience to look past the mere
appearances and to focus on the reality. Although his accusers may have a very persuasive speech, it
is false. He

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 Was There Justice In Socrates Trial

Was There Justice in Socrates Trial?

The question of whether there was justice in Socrates trial is a question that relies on the new
democracy in Athens. Webster's dictionary defines justice as, "the process or result of using laws to
fairly judge and punish crimes and criminals." In many ways Socrates beliefs and his love to teach
lead to his death. In his trial, Socrates defends his character and his morals to the bitter end. He
makes claims of being a simple man of little knowledge and speech. Some of the injustice found in
his trail is caused by Socrates himself who gives his magnificent defense and still holds onto his
beliefs to the bitter end. Socrates deliberately leaves himself open to the prosecution thus
condemning himself ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Anythus and Meletus just got done telling the jury that Socrates was a liar and do not be deceived by
his speech. Socrates states in 17a, "Of the many lies they told, one in particular surprised me,
namely that you should be careful not to be deceived by an accomplished speaker like me." He
follows up by saying, "when I show myself not to be an accomplished speaker at all...". Socrates
was considered a very accomplished speaker and philosopher. In my opinion, he is telling the jury of
501 Athens that he is a common man with no special class privileges. He wants to be seem as a peer
to the common person in Athens. Socrates is a skilled speaker who feels that simple, direct language
would be used to arrive at the truth. While Socrates is saying he is a common man who charges
nothing for his views and wisdom. He tells of the poets, craftsman and politicians that he met with
that were skilled in their trade but they lacked wisdom. Socrates can't stop there he states, "So even
now I continue this investigation that god bade me– and I go around seeking out anyone, citizen or
stranger, whom I think wise. Then if I do not think he is, I come to the assistance of the god and
show him that he is not wise." 23b. Socrates sticks to his morals in pointing out the shortcomings in
Athens even if this offends the jury and ultimately cost him his

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 The Virtue: The Trial Of Socrates

The trial of Socrates took place in 399 B.C.E., five years after the Peloponnesian War ended and at a
time of great turmoil in Athens. A scapegoat for the loss in war was needed and Socrates was the
prime candidate. However, Socrates' "apology" is far from apologetic, rather; he defends his actions.
At one point, Socrates even implies that he is a better person than most because he possesses self–
knowledge, whereas many of the high–ranking members of society do not. Socrates believes self–
knowledge makes him a better because he neither ignorant nor arrogant when having self–
knowledge and he is also serving the gods when he attempts to have others see their lack of self–
knowledge.
Socrates views humans without self–knowledge to be ignorant while also being arrogant, a
destructive combination. After the Oracle of Delphi said "no one is wiser" (25) than Socrates, he is
dumbfounded by the claim thinking to himself, 'What can the god be saying? What does his riddle
mean? For I'm only too aware that I've no claim to being wise in anything either great or small'"
(25). Without even realizing, by thinking this statement, Socrates is already proving himself to be
wiser than the masses because he knows he does not know ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
Socrates asserts there is a difference between divine wisdom and human wisdom. The gods know
all, but humans cannot know everything. As Socrates says, "...gentlemen, it's pretty certainly the god
who is really wise, and by his oracle he meant that human wisdom is worth little or nothing" (27).
Socrates' point in making this statement is that any man who thinks his wisdom is comparable to the
gods is sadly mistaken and unwise. Furthermore, Socrates explains that when he proves men to be
unwise, he is actually serving the

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 Socrates' Trial Essay

In Plato's: The Apology Socrates was charged and put on trial for impiety, as well as accused of
committing many other crimes. I will first explain the most important issues of why Socrates was
sent to death. Then I will argue the position that Socrates is innocent, and should not be have been
found guilty.

To introduce, Socrates was placed on trial and charged with the crime of impiety. Impiety is the lack
of reverence for the gods and other sacred things. As well another major claim was that Socrates was
corrupting the children of Athens. He also was believed to be an atheist, even though Socrates
claimed to have a strong belief in the gods; he even believed "The god has commanded me to
examine men, in oracles and in dreams and in ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
He claimed that he had a "Sufficient witness to the truth of what I say–my poverty" (pg 41). Not
only did Socrates believe in his philosophical lifestyle but he also lived it; he claimed this as a
reason for his innocence. As a result he felt that he should no expose his family to the trail and he
would not, "Bring any of them forward before you and implore you to acquit me"(pg. 43). Socrates
was found to be a stubborn man and therefore this had an extensive impact on the trail.

His position had an immense impact on the guilty verdict of his trial because he behaved arrogantly
toward the judges who would choose his verdict and punishment. For example Socrates refused to
refer to the judges to the as their titles but only as, Athenians. This caused an outrage towards
Socrates this was seen as disrespectful. As well Socrates would talk back to the judges, "Do not
interrupt me Athenians, with your shouts. Remember the request which I made to you, and do not
interrupt my words"(pg. 41). Logically Socrates should have been much more agreeable towards the
judges considering the situation he was in, but in contrast he remained true to his philosophical
lifestyle and pursued his innocence in a way he felt was best. The third issue Socrates was found
guilty was because he was assumed to have polluted the children of Athens. This meant Socrates
was damaging the minds of the future of Athens and this charge was not taken lightly.

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 The Trial And Death Of Socrates

Philosophical attitudes, as Arthur E. Murphy explains, are attitudes where ones should not cease to
stop pursuing the truth, which they should wonder about things around them, understand the
meaning behind of that existence, perceive the ideas from different perspective, and knows one self's
knowledge. He also points out that the one with philosophy attitudes should be open–minded and
responsible. However, we need a certain example to prove whether this explanation is right or not.
For that, in this essay, we will use Plato's The Trial and Death of Socrates, as our example of how
this kind of attitudes play in Socrates' life as it is well–known as intelligently and morally lived one.
In Euthyphro section, Socrates meets a man named Euthyphro before his trial, where he is being
accused by Meletus for corrupting the youth. While Euthyphro is here to prosecute his own father
for the case of murder. Socrates starts to ask him about his meaning of piety. "It is not being seen
because it is a thing seen but on the contrary, it is a thing seen because it is being seen; nor is it
because it is something led that it is being led but because it is being led that it is something led; not
is something being carried because it is something carried, but it is something carried because it is
being carried."
What Socrates means from this is that what people might believe is the truth might not be the truth,
just because people believe it to be the truth. People tend to follow the

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 Euthyphro Analysis

The story of Euthyphro took place in ancient Greece, and was written by Plato. Plato's stories are
about the life, and death, or Socrates. This specific story focuses on the Socratic Method, and how
Socrates would go about preforming it upon individuals. Plato only started writing the various
dialogues after Socrates death. The Socratic Method is based on the thought that ignorance is blind.
He, Socrates, would approach various people claiming to be experts in a specific knowledge. He
would then question them to discover how much they truly knew about the topic. In this story
Socrates was outside the courthouse awaiting his trial. He was on trial for the corruption of the
youth of Athens, and also impiety. While lingering outside the courthouse he encounters a man
named Euthyphro. He was ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
He even went as far to claim that he was an expert on piety. Socrates took this as an opportunity to
request for him to grant him enlightenment about piety. There were many gods believed to exist
during this time, so Euthyphro firsts tries to answer the question with a simple deffiniton. He
explains how Zeus punished his father for the sinful deeds of killing his previous children. That it
does not matter who brings him to justice, only that it is completed. He says, "Piety is doing as I am
doing; that is to say, any; prosecuting any one who is guilty of murder, sacrilege, or of similar crime
–– whether he be your father or mother, or whoever he may be –– that makes no difference; and not
to prosecute them is impiety." (5e). This would mean that piety is simply persecuting ones father.
Socrates is not satisfied with this simple definition answer, because an example cannot be the
accurate deffiniton of something. He states, "Remember that I did not ask you to give me two or
three examples of piety, but to explain the general idea which makes all things pious to be pious"

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 Socrates Trial Analysis

Throughout the entirety of Socrates' trial he never believed that he would prove himself innocent. It
didn't matter the points he made or the arguments he won, Socrates believed his fate was sealed
years before the trial even began. The reason for this unwavering doubt was not because of his
inability to prove his innocence but in the predetermined notions the jurors came into the trial
believing about him. The actual charges brought against socrates were corrupting the youth and
impiety and the actual charges, that Socrates believed he needed to defend himself from were things
called the old charges. These old charges consisted of Athenians believing that he is a natural
philosopher and a sophist. According to Plato, Socrates concluded that ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Before that happens Socrates explains that the children who follow and listen to him are not there
because he asks them to be. These children are not his students they just enjoy watching Socrates
make fools of their elders and some of the time these children use the same methods on other adults
to try out their own luck with making their elders look dumb. After this Socrates brings Meletus to
the stand and begins to cross–examine him and states four reasons why the corrupting the youth
charge is fictitious. First reason, Socrates asks Meletus if he wants the best for the young generation.
Than asks if he believes in the best for the youth then who is somebody who has a positive effect on
the youth? Meletos can't answer and eventually says laws. If you know what is bad for the young
you should know who improves the young. Eventually Meletos says that Socrates is the only one in
the entire city of Athens who corrupts the young. This makes Meletos look ridiculous because if that
was true Athens would be a Utopia. Second reason, is that Socrates asks Meletus "is it better to live
among good citizens or bad citizens?" Meletus answers in the obvious manner and then Socrates
asks "would anyone rather be harmed than helped?" Meletus replies obviously helped. Socrates then
asks the tricky question, "Do I knowingly corrupt the youth?" Meletus answers that he knowingly
corrupts the youth. Meletus answered too quickly and he realized almost immediately that he made a
huge mistake because Socrates replies why would I knowingly corrupt and make evil people that I
would have to live with everyday? Meletus has no answer and this is the second time Socrates
makes Meletus look like a fool. Third Reason, if Socrates has been unknowingly corrupting the
youth for the entirety of his life than Meletus is at fault. According to Athenian law, it is his duty to
advise

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 The Apology And Interpretation Of The Trial Of Socrates

The Apology is Plato 's account and interpretation of the trial of Socrates (399 BC). When the Thirty
Tyrants were ruling Athens, Socrates was asked by them to help capture Leon of Salamis, a wealthy
man. This arrest was to be made simply because Leon was a just Democrat and the Tyrants wanted
to take his huge estate for themselves. Socrates disobeyed these orders hence why he was later
executed as a traitor of Athens. Meletus was the man who then brought Socrates before a jury for
prosecution.
Socrates pleaded innocent in his trial. Similarly, several arguments are used to support the idea that
he was innocent and should not have been executed. In his argument for his innocence, Socrates
poses his defense before the jury as shown by ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
He made people think he was smarter than everyone else, and that he would always argue better
than they could. Moreover, he always aimed at embarrassing people with tough arguments rather
than trying to educate or correct them. In this specific argument with Euthyphro, he tries to
understand the meaning of holiness, although his state of mind is to show his companion that he
always wins in arguments. To begin with, Socrates asks for the meaning of holiness. Euthyphro
responds by stating that holiness is what he is doing; prosecuting the wrongdoer even if it is his own
father. However, Socrates is not satisfied with this answer and pins down the argument by adding
that there are more holy things and that it is an example not a definition.
Socrates' way of arguing with people always led to heated debates, and most people usually walked
away from him. He was always a nuisance when it came to explaining matters involving doing
things the way that they were done. Just as he argued with Euthyphro, he did the same with the
Tyrants. They had issued a command that he should help in the arrest Leon, the Democrat. It was
highly likely that Socrates would oppose this move as he was always against what people did as
long as he was not satisfied. He found no reason to go after Leon and did not trouble himself with
answering to the Tyrants' call for Leon's execution because Socrates believed

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 Socrates 's Argument On The Trial

After the trial, Socrates was found guilty of his allegations and sentence to death. While waiting for
his upcoming execution, he received a visit of his old faithful friend named Crito. Actually, Socrates
friend had made an arrangement with other friends to help him escape from prison. Contrary to
Crito's suggestion, Socrates vetoed his friend proposal. Socrates on the other hand, provided several
good and convincing reasons of not escaping prison by using law as a principal guide.

After the trial, Socrates was sentenced to death for impiety against the gods and corrupted the
Athens youth. In contrast to the jury sentence, Socrates and his friends still believed on his innocent
and though that the verdict was unjust. According to the Atheniens tradition, no states were allowed
to execute prisoners on the absence of the Galley ship. Or is it that, Socrates trial's happened when
the galley ship was in mission due to that his death was postpone. Aware of the arrival of State
galley from Delos, Crito's visits Socrates and offers him to escape into exile. Cristo emphasizes
Socrates on the arrangement he has made for is bolt, and if he doesn't escape, Crito's will lose a
friend and his reputation. Surprisingly, Crito's suggestion is rejected by Socrates. In response to
Crito's arguments, Socrates declines it because in his point of view majority opinion is less
important contrary to Crito's view of majority opinion who will judge of not helping

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 The Trial Of Socrates Justice System

The "justice" system, a system in which we as a society use and believe in, to hopefully help filter
out the good people from the bad. Putting the bad people, the cruel individuals behind bars to teach
them a lesson and to keep them out of our society in which we only wish for peace and harmony.
The justice system has existed for centuries, it was created to help distinguish the difference
between a good person and a bad person, and hopefully punish the bad person so they can learn their
lesson, but over thousands over years this so called "justice" system has fell apart and turned into
more of a persuasive conflict to convince either the judge or jurors that the defendant is guilty, rather
than to state proven facts to help solidify the reason ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
How is he a criminal when he did no harm? Why is an innocent man being punished and put to
death for having a belief? He didn't rape anyone, he did not murder, so why should one be punished
for a belief. The justice system seems to have too many cracks in its wall for the innocent to fall
through and become considered the guilty. The "justice" system was created to keep the innocent
from being considered the bad and to help prove that one is innocent until proven guilty, but
Socrates is proven guilty because the "Men of Athens" persuade the people to believe that you are
not allowed to have other beliefs when it comes to the Gods. The only idea that truly bothers me
about Socrates is the fact that he claims he is innocent, he tried so hard to prove himself in that
courtroom that he knows a lot more than people think. Why is it when Crito comes to help Socrates
escape stating that everyone and their mothers know Socrates is innocent, why does Socrates believe
he deserves to be there? Why does he not want to escape the prison instead of being put to death,
when he has the chance to escape. He believes that the Gods did this to him and this is what they
would have wanted for him. But the question on the other hand is; yes, maybe the Gods did want
Socrates in this position, maybe it was signs from God that he was to be put to death, but the
question is, how does he not know that the Gods sent him

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 Comparing The Trial And Death Of Socrates

If there were an NFL for philosophers, Socrates would be the MVP every year, have dozens of
Super Bowl rings, and be one of the few in the hall of fame. Though Socrates lived before Christ
was born, his ideas are still relevant in today's society. Not many people can say that their words will
have a direct impact on people's lives in 100 years, let alone 2,500 years. Socrates' impact
throughout history is the reason why he is considered to be one of the greatest thinkers of all time. A
good amount of what we know about Socrates' personality comes from the writings of Plato. In
Plato's The Trial and Death of Socrates, the reader can develop a vivid image of the type of person
Socrates would be. After reading this book, I believe that Socrates was a composed man who spoke
with conviction and would not rest until he found an answer. His personality is definitely something
to strive for. However, Socrates always needed an answer, and sometimes his answers would
contradict each other. There is no doubt that Socrates is full of wisdom and experience, but all of his
wisdom must come from failure at some point in life. Socrates was not a politician. He would give
unpopular answers, make fools out of people who questioned his intelligence, and refuse to give into
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Many players do not know how to respond to questions, and a lot of coaches lose their cool while at
the podium. However, Bill Belichick and his New England Patriots have mastered the art of post
game press conferences. The players learn from Belichick to be concise and direct with their
answers. The brevity of Belichick's wise statements make him comparable to Socrates. Belichick's
stage presence is similar to Socrates when he is on trial for corrupting the youth of Athens.
Obviously, Belichick is not influencing society as a whole like Socrates did. However, Belichick is
changing the NFL and the game of football, one Sunday at a

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 Philosophy Of Socrates Research Paper

If a person knew that they were innocent of charges and could escape would they still face possible
death? It is solely questionable why Socrates would continue to endure false imprisonment and the
account of jealousy and thoughtless men. Socrates an astute and scholar; questioned the usual ideals
of Athens. His forming opinions and thoughts Socrates challenged many ideals and theology of his
time and men were greatly offended by him. Socrates had a way with the youth of Athens and this is
what made him a wanted man and for all purposes a guilty man. At this time Athens was growing
and transferring through a political change, one which Socrates was not favorable. Socrates did not
condone the system of democracy causing him to have men further ... Show more content on
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In several of his teaching Socrates believed that having the soul as most important not to be
priorities of the men he was surrounded by. Socrates would be wrong to escape giving that his whole
teaching would cause him to be a hypocrite. He would be essentially the same as the men who put
him on trial. Theology of Socrates would not allow him to escape; running from jail would cause
him to have a moral dilemma. Understanding his views determines his faith in not of bad judgment
but faith in the truth. Also, it is apparent that Socratic ignorant is another reason why he choose to
stay because he was ignorant to the understanding of his own teaching. The belief of not knowing
his own intelligence leads the ideal of Socrates as man of thinking but not of perfection. He did not
know the values of his own words yet were threading to the poly god society. Men of this society
always saw this man as a danger however that could not get to him because of amnesty. So insisting
violation on the grounds of religion is how Socrates accuser was able to make official charges.
Socrates actions while seemingly calm appear also to be contemplated

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 The Trial and Death of Socrates Essay

The portrayal of Socrates, through the book "the trial and death of Socrates" is one that has created a
fairly controversial character in Western history. In many ways, Socrates changed the idea of
common philosophy in ancient Greece; he transformed their view on philosophy from a study of
why the way things are, into a consideration man. Specifically, he analyzed the virtue and health of
the human soul. Along side commending Socrates for his strong beliefs, and having the courage to
stand by those convictions, Socrates can be commended for many other desirable characteristics.
Some of those can include being the first martyr to die for his philosophical beliefs and having the
courage to challenge indoctrinated cultural norms is part of ... Show more content on
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The apology is an account of the speech that Socrates makes during his trial. In Socrates' trial, he is
being accused of not recognizing the same gods that the others in Athens recognize (specifically that
those in authority). Instead, Socrates is charged with inventing new gods, and in doing so is
corrupting the youth of Athens to whom, Socrates frequently preaches to about his theology.
Socrates' speech, however, is not an apology, as the name may suggest but rather an explanation of
his beliefs. During his trial speech, Socrates makes frequent reference to his beliefs explaining that
his behavior stems from a prophecy by the oracle at Delphi, which claims that he was the wisest of
all men. Although Socrates is honest and direct about these beliefs, this did not sit well with many of
the trial members who were evaluating him. Despite the fact that Socrates made frequent references
to the fact that it is destined for him to be the wisest of all men, he also recognizes that he does in
fact lack in knowledge when it comes to world affairs. To which, Socrates states only adds to his
wisdom as he is aware of the fact that he does not know everything and that realization alone makes
him wiser than most other men. In his explanation of his behavior, Socrates also adds that part of his
duty as a wise man, is to make sure that he questions the behavior of other wise men to make sure
that those men are also aware

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 Essay on The Trial of Socrates

Socrates was accused of being a sophist because he was "engaging in inquiries into things beneath
the earth and in the heavens, of making the weaker argument appear the stronger," and "teaching
others these same things." (Apology, Plato, Philosophic Classics page 21) Socrates is also accused
of denying the existence of the gods, and corrupting the youth. Socrates goes about trying to prove
his innocence. The jury that Socrates was tried by was made up of 501 Athenian citizens of all
classes of society. While he fails to convince the Athenian jury of his innocence, he does a
wonderful job in this effort. I personally believe that Socrates is innocent, and that the Athenian jury
made the wrong decision.

Socrates was accused of ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...

Socrates tells a story in an attempt to explain this. It starts with a man named Chaerephon, a well
respected citizen of Athens, who had died recently. Chaerephon goes to the Oracle at Delphi and "he
asked if there was anyone wiser than" Socrates. (Apology, Plato, Philosophic Classics, page 23) The
Oracle, of course, says that there is no man wiser than Socrates. When Socrates heard of what the
Oracle said, he begins to wonder what riddle is hidden in those words. He knows that he is not a
wise man, so he knows that he cannot be the wisest of men. Not knowing what then Oracle truly
meant, he goes out to investigate this. He went to a man who was reputed to be very wise. He
thought that he would find a man who is wiser than himself, and thus point out to the Oracle its
mistake. Socrates finds that this man actually knows nothing that is worth knowing. When Socrates
tries to point this out to the man, he and the bystanders become angry. Socrates says that he is wiser
than this man because, while they both know nothing, Socrates realizes this. The other man thinks
he knows things that he does not, while Socrates knows that he knows nothing. Socrates claims that
he has done this with many men, and that each time, he came to the same result: the man knows
nothing and thinks he knows everything, and Socrates has made the man angry. In continuing to do
this, Socrates made many men angry, and that anger turned into

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 The Trial And Death Of Socrates And The Gita

Given the current movement calling for all people to be themselves or "be–you–tiful" the idea of
nonconformity has transferred to being an example of conformity itself. In this essay, I will argue
that this paradox is also true of the ancient texts The Trial and Death of Socrates and The Gita,
despite their conflicting messages on the importance of individuality. In The Trial and Death of
Socrates, Socrates seems to take an individualist approach in that people choose to follow their
"god", or conscience, while The Gita argues that people are being guided by truth. The Gita shows
this with Arjuna's devotion to Krishna's wishes despite his inherent ties to his family. Both Socrates
and Arjuna find themselves at odds with their devotion to ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net
...
The Gita makes this known by having the god Krishna, who in himself is the universe, tell Arjuna
that in following him he is following his duty, which in Arjuna's case is fighting in the war he does
not want to be apart of. The Trial and Death of Socrates also speaks of following god, but not a god
in the traditional sense. This difference was also lost upon the Athenians surrounded himself with,
shown by the way they sentence Socrates to death for not adhering to their conception of gods (Plato
27a). In a sense their rationale is wrong, because the "god" Socrates speaks of is not a god at all, but
rather his conscience. Take the quote, "I was attached to this city by the god––though it seems a
ridiculous thing to say––as upon a great and noble horse which was somewhat sluggish because of
its size and needed to be stirred up by a gadfly. It is to fulfill some such function that I believe the
god has placed me in the city" (Plato 30e). Notice Socrates' use of the word "the" before god, this
shows that god is not a supreme being, but rather a concept. The particular concept is the concept of
universal truth, which "speaks" to Socrates through his conscience. Now that the idea of

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 The Trail of Socrates and the development of Western...

THESIS STATEMENT Socrates was accused of corrupting the youth of Athens and sentenced to die
for his beliefs. He accepted this punishment because he truly thought what he believed was right.

PURPOSE STATEMENT By conducting research and examining various sources, The trail of
Socrates proved to be an important part in history, impacting the development of Western
Philosophy and allowing the beliefs of Socrates to live on to this day.

INTRODUCTION "The death of Socrates has had a huge and almost continuous impact on western
culture" (Wilson 1). Socrates life, trial, and death are all important parts of history. Socrates was a
philosopher in Athens who believed in using reason to explain different aspects of life. During his ...
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Throughout his entire life, to the moment he died, he did his best to help the people around him. He
wanted them to think and make correct moral decisions. "Athens, one of the world's earliest
democracies, raised Socrates, educated him and finally sentenced him to death, having found him
guilty of religious unorthodoxy and corrupting the young" (Wilson 2). Socrates was born in
Alopece, a district of ancient Athens. He was born of Sophroniscus and Phaenarete. He married
Xanthippe and they had three children. We do not have any writing that Socrates wrote himself.
Therefore, our major sources for Socrates are Plato, Xenophan, and Aristophanes. Plato was a
student of Socrates. However, not everything he wrote about Socrates can be taken literally. Plato
used Socrates as a figure to voice different viewpoints. Everything Plato said about Socrates may
not be completely true. Xenophan defended the accusations that were being held against Socrates. In
the Apology, he describes Socrates mindset. This gives us an understanding of how Socrates stood
up for his beliefs to the point where it cost him his life. Aristophanes wrote a play entitled The
Clouds. Socrates was a character in this fictional comedy. The Clouds portrays Socrates as
corrupting the youth of Athens and not properly venerating the gods of Athens. Socrates did not take
offense to this, as comedies are meant just as entertainment.

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 Socrates Trial Analysis

1At his trial Socrates was formally charged with two important crimes being impiety and corrupting
the youth with an additional one relating to his questioning of many and their self–proclaimed
wisdom. During his trail Socrates would go on to defend himself against these charges by
addressing his accusations and also interrogate one of his accusers Meletus. Much of Socrates'
defense was focused on addressing each charge individually beginning with past ones than moving
on to present charges amid the same time his accuser would take the stand. Socrates, attempting to
defend himself, while succeeding to some level by providing sincere reasoning, however, here and
there would speak to the Athenian audience with suggestive rewards they should give ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
One of Socrates' key points at his trail explaining his past charges was that for a long time after the
Delphic oracles declared him the wisest he has since strived to prove this declaration false by
seeking others wiser than him (p.32). While much of Socrates' reflection on the past explains his
motives and beliefs, his cross–examination of Meletus begin an interrogation in which he attempts
to fight his newer charges. Accusing his accusers and Meletus of not entirely being sincere with their
legal actions. Socrates would ask Meletus who influence the youth to do well (p.36). Followed by
Meletus' response, Socrates would then challenge Meletus' notion that everybody in Athens except
for Socrates would be an ideal good, however, it can never be one person, but a group of people,
whereas one person can be more beneficial in educating the youth using an analogy of horses and
horse trainers (p.37).Socrates is also noted as saying that his accusers never reached out to him to be
counselled on any unintentional things he has done but more so have no interest in doing so. Moving
on to speaking on deities, Socrates challenging Meletus' accusation, states that his beliefs of spiritual
beings, particularly off sprints (e.g. children of gods) conflict with Meletus' claims (p.40).
Furthermore, Socrates' sole belief in spiritual entities prove Meletus' claim that Socrates believes in
no god at all false. Even more so Socrates goes on succeed in showing Meletus' own personal
knowledge on the issue being questionably vague reflecting much inconsistencies, which he
believes was never the issue of topic, but more so to formally indict him with something for trail

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 Socrates' Trial Essay

Socrates' Trial

In 399 B.C., Socrates, a seventy year old man, was brought to trial. He faced several accusations of
different sorts. Initially, the court had pronounced Socrates guilty. However, because the law had no
penalty ordained for his offense, it was required of Socrates to propose his own penalty, or to take
the one suggested by Meletos, the death penalty. When the time had come for Socrates to state his
defense, he addressed each of the accusations made against him, one by one, in attempt to absolve
himself from wrong doing. The first accusation Socrates chose to contest declared that he was a
student of natural philosophy. This meant that Socrates was believed to be one who sought to
replace mythical explanations of ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
When the court called upon the parents and kinsmen of those Socrates had supposedly corrupted to
testify, though many were present at the trial, none came forward. Because of this, Socrates believed
that he had not corrupted others, for if he had, they would surely seek revenge and be glad to testify
against him, given the chance. Socrates truly felt that people enjoyed listening to his stories and
spending time with him. He claimed that it was never his intention to teach anyone, only to discuss
issues with those who cared to listen. Socrates was also accused of being an atheist, or one who does
not believe in a god. This indictment was contradicted as the elderly man justified to the court his
belief in spirits and other gods. He said it was not possible for a man to believe in divine things and
spiritual things, as he did, and yet, not in gods and spirits and heroes. In other words, Socrates said
that the belief in qualities implied the existence of those things to which the qualities corresponded.
To further illustrate this idea, he used an example involving horsemanship, or the quality of riding
horses well. If this quality existed, then horses must also exist since horsemanship would not be
possible without them. Therefore, if Socrates believed in spirits, as Meletos's affidavit affirmed, he
must have also believed in spiritual beings, or gods, as well. And because he did, Socrates could not
have been an atheist after

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 The Trial of Socrates: an Analysis and Construction of...

The Trial of Socrates: An Analysis and Construction of Socrates Defense

Understanding the decisions made by the jurymen in Socrates trial will always be a mystery, but one
can perceive why some would have voted the way that they did. Politically and historically Athens
was a thriving place of innovation and philosophical advancements. Athens could very well be
divided, morally on various aspects, one of them being which "political" affiliation Athenians
related themselves with. Some choices were between the Traditionalists, Sophists or an up and
coming ideas of Socratics or Platonics. Militarily, during the life of Socrates, Athens was involved in
the Peloponnesian Wars, a set of conflicts between Sparta and Athens, in which Athens ... Show
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What Zeus! Are you mad? There is no Zeus." This notion strongly suggested and became an
aggravating factor in persuading the common juryman in the Athenian courtroom. Plays like the one
made my Aristophanes only helped in his conviction because the common juryman was not well
informed, at least politically, so plays like this can be used against Socrates in this instance in order
to color in their verdict against Socrates.
The next part of Socrates trial was the accusations regarding the corruption of the youth. Corruption
of the youth would in modern times be hard to assess, but in Athenian times I feel it would be easy
to conceive, due to the general public and their notions regarding Socrates methods were considered
unorthodox. Socrates tries to substantiate his innocence primarily on the vagueness left by the
prosecution at the trial. Socrates says, "...it can neither be teaching them the kind of "nonsense"
about natural science which he is made to talk in the play of Aristophanes, nor exercising the calling
of a professional sophist." Essentially, Socrates tries to use some sort of comparison to substantiate
his defense in the corruption of the youth allegations. Socrates later alludes to Meletus and others
that politicians, such as themselves, are essentially incompetent politicians because he asks, "If his
prosecutors would be candid, they would have to confess that the alleged harm done to the

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 The Tragedy Of Socrates As A Tragic Hero

In the era of the Enlightenment, many philosophers were creating their own understanding of how
the individuals of society function and the purpose of existence; one of these philosophers was
Socrates. Spending majority of his life in Athens, Socrates exercised his freedom of speech, for
which, he had vocalized his opinions to the people of Athens of the authority of the government and
whether if the they are suitable to help society function in a positive light (Brumbaugh 230).
However, in the development of government, the conservative government of Athens charged
Socrates with religious treason and the corruption of the youth of Athens (Brumbaugh 228). During
the trial, Socrates personally defended himself in court with a jury of over ... Show more content on
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In an example of his dramatic writing, Plato emphasizes on the portrayal of Socrates addressment to
the jury before they conclude their verdict on the case, in which, Socrates says:
From me you will hear the whole truth, though not, by Zeus, gentlemen, expressed in embroidered
and stylized phrases like theirs, but things spoken at random and expressed in the first words that
come to mind, for I put my trust in the justice of wat I say, and let none of you expect anything else.
(Cooper 21)
Although this is a small portion of the speech, Socrates bases his speech on the truth, in which, he
does not try to deceive the jury into believing that he is an ignorant philosopher, but that his beliefs
are indifferent than those of the society and that punishing him on those terms is an injustice. This
creates a sympathetic connection to the audience as Plato shows that Socrates was not malicious or
in any form had dramatic reaction from the trial as he was acceptance of his fate, in which, the jury
would decide and only asked that they would take his truthful speech into consideration while
voting on the verdict. With the continuation of the aspect that Plato dramatized the trial of Socrates
to form am emotional connection with the audience, giving context of Socrates' life adds to

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 Comparing The Trial And Death Of Socrates

Plato's The Trial and Death of Socrates presents the reader with complex competing conceptions of
what should be considered "the good life". According to Socrates, "the most important thing is not
life, but the good life" (Crito, 48b). The majority, who live a non–philosophical life, believes the
goods of life include wealth, reputation, and honor: all things that can easily be taken away or
destroyed. On the other hand, Socrates lives a philosophical life filled with self–sufficiency. He
views wisdom, truth, and the best possible state of one's soul as the goods of life. The plot in The
Trial and Death of Socrates arises as Socrates challenges the minds of those around him. After being
accused of "corrupting the young and of not believing in the gods in whom the city believes, but in
other new spiritual things", Socrates faces the death penalty (Apology, 24b–c). The challenge the
reader faces within The Trial and Death of Socrates stands as deciding rather the philosophical or
non–philosophical life serves as the flourishing life. In The Trial and Death of Socrates, "the
majority" serves as the embodiment of the non–philosophical life. A flourishing life, according to
the majority, revolves around the "eagerness to possess as much wealth, reputation, and honors as
possible" (Apology, 29e). Each of these attributes are known to bring individuals greater freedom
within society. With greater freedom comes greater opportunity, hence a greater life, thereby making
these "goods"

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 Axial View Of The Trial Of Socrates

In Plato's account of the trial of Socrates he wrote, "It is intimation that what has happened to me is
good, and that those of us who think death is an evil are in error" (Plato 112). Socrates, a
philosopher in Athens, was tried and executed, but did not fear death. Athens, like other cities
around the world, took part in an axial transformation in which the people valued compassion and
finding the truths of life. The execution of Socrates emphasizes the regression of Athenian values.
[Need another sentence about regression] Socrates axial way of thinking caused him to be the target
of a vulnerable and intolerant Athenian government, who wrongly charged him because of their
societal regression.

Thesis: Socrates axial way of thinking caused him to be the target of a vulnerable and intolerant
Athenian government who wrongly charged him because of their societal regression.

Body Paragraph 1 (Socrates beliefs):

Topic sentence: Socrates embodied axial beliefs and the intention to always ask questions and find
truth.

Evidence 1: Socrates often compared himself to a gadfly sent by the gods to question everyone. Don
Nardo wrote in his novel The Trial of Socrates that Socrates, after he received a prophecy from an
oracle, decided it was his destiny to "question his fellow citizens about what they knew in life, to
criticize them where they erred, and to remind them when they were not being true to themselves"
(Nardo, 27). Though many of the Athenians thought Socrates

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 Was Socrates Justified In The Apology

In the Apology, Socrates was on trial for crimes including corrupting the youth and not believing in
the same gods as the rest of Athens. Though he was faced with execution, Socrates refused to
appease the jury because he truly believed he had not done anything wrong. He valued truth above
all else and refused to compromise this value, even when faced with death. By not trying to avoid
his unjust death sentence, Socrates ensured that he would die a martyr and inspire his students to
continue philosophizing.
During his trial, Socrates did not conform to the usual practices of the Athenian justice system.
While another man on trial might lose all dignity, and beg for the charges to be dropped, Socrates'
plan was instead to "inform [the jury] of the facts and convince them by argument" (63). His belief
was that "I do not think that it is just for a man to appeal to the jury or to get himself acquitted by
doing so" (63). Socrates valued truth and logic above all else. In his eyes, he had no need to appease
the jury or resort to the emotion–provoking measures that were ... Show more content on
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It certainly would have been easier for him to compromise, and agree to live the rest of his life
without practicing philosophy. However, doing so would be in complete contradiction to everything
that he believed in. Socrates viewed himself as "a fly; all day long I never cease to settle here, there,
and everywhere, rousing, persuading, reproving every one of you" (57). His self–proclaimed
mission was to wake others up to their ignorance and encourage them to think for themselves,
through discussion and question–asking. Simply going off and quietly living out the rest of his days
would not honor Socrates' beliefs, as Socrates proclaimed that ""examining both myself and others
is really the very best thing that a man can do, and that life without this sort of examination is not
worth living"

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 Essay on A Hoax in Court: The Trial of Socrates

Albert Einstein quoted, "In matters of truth and justice, there is no difference between large and
small problems, for issues concerning the treatment of people are all the same" (Brainy Quote).
Were justice and truth a part of Socrates' trial? The primary question is: what is justice? According
to Merriam–Webster dictionary, the definition of justice is: "the administration of law, especially the
establishment or determination of rights according to the rules of law or equity." Meletus brought an
elder man to court for corrupting the youth and for refusing to believe in the gods of the city. 501
Athenian male residents observed as the jury to magistrate and center their decisions off Meletus's
accusations and Socrates' defense to ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
– The Councillors, also. But, Meletus, what about the assembly? Do members of the assembly
corrupt the young, or do they all improve them? – They improve them. All the Athenians, it seems,
make the young into fine good men, except me, and I alone corrupt them" (Apology 28). It should
take the child's peers, friends, and parents, as well as their teachers to transform their impression of a
certain issue or idea of the gods. Young children are first introduced to religion by their parents, and
next begin school transferring the greater influence to the teachers and friends of the student. No one
person can essentially "corrupt" the youth, but instead, there must be supplementary sources at fault.
Likewise, how can one elder man harm adolescents for several years, and just now endure
conviction a few years before his own death? Generally, when a person commits a crime, the
prosecutor representing society would bring the charge against the defendant immediately following
the offense. Socrates had been preaching his knowledge and insight of the gods for many years at
this point.
Later in his defense Socrates states, "If I corrupt some young men and have corrupted others, then
surely some of them who have grown older and realized that I gave them bad advice when they were
young should now themselves come up here to accuse me and avenge themselves" (Apology 36).
However, at this moment in

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