An Apology From Socrates :: Philosophy

The Apology is Socrates defense at his trial. As the dialogue begins, Socrates notes that his accusers stool cauti geniusd the jury against Socrates eloquence, according to Socrates, the difference between him and his accusers is that Socrates speaks the truth. Socrates distinguished two groups of accusers the primitively and the later accusers. The earlier group is the hardest to defend against, since they do not go forth in judicatory. He is all so criminate of being a Sophist that he is a teacher and takes money for his teaching. He attempts to pardon why he has attracted such a reputation. The oracle was asked if anyone was clear-sightedr than Socrates was. The answer was no, thither was no man quick-scentedr. Socrates cannot believe this oracle, so he sets out to refute it by finding someone who is wiser. He goes to a politician, who is thought wise by him self and others. Socrates does not think this man to be wise and tells him so. As a consequence, the politician hat ed Socrates, as did others who heard the questioning. I am better off, because while he knows nothing but thinks that he knows, I neither know nor think that I know (Socrates). He questioned politicians, poets, and artisans. He finds that the poets do not write from wisdom, but by hero and inspiration. Meletus charges Socrates with being a doer of evil, and dejecter of the youth, and he does not believe in the gods of the State, and has other new divinities of his own. In his examination of Meletus, Socrates makes three main points 1) Meletus has accused Socrates of being the only corrupter, while everyone else improves the youth. Socrates then uses an analogy a supply trainer is to horses as an improver is to the youth. The point is that in that location is only one improver, not many. 2) If Socrates corrupts the youth, either it is intentional or unintentional. No one would corrupt his neighbor intentionally, because he would harm himself in the process. If the corruption was unintentional, then the court is not the place to resolve the problem. The other possibility is that he does not corrupt them at all. 3) In frustration, Meletus accuses Socrates of being a complete atheist, at the same time he claims Socrates teaches new gods. Thus, Meletus contradicts himself. Socrates argues that fear of death is foolish, because it is not known if death is a good or an evil, thus there is no reason to fear death.