Plato’s Apology

Atty Yen Mendoza-Clavano

 Context
• The Apology is Plato’s recollection and interpretation of the Trial of
Socrates in 399 BC.
• In the dialogue Socrates explains who he is and what kind of life he
led
• Greek work “apologia” means EXPLANATION. It does not mean being
sorry or apologizing
 Prologue
• The first sentence sets the tone and direction for the entire dialogue
• Socrates in addressing the men of Athens, states that he almost
forgot who he was
• The speeches of his accusers had led him to this point
• The dialogue will thus be a kind of “recollecting” by Socrates of who
he is.
• The Apology will become Socrates’ answer to the question: WHO IS
SOCRATES?
 The Charges
• The first charges against Socrates arose from GENERAL PREJUDICES
that surrounded him over the years
• The general accusations were that Socrates was:
a. A Physicalist
b. Sophist
• The charge of “investigating things beneath the earth and in the skies
belongs to physicalists like Thales and Anaxagoras
• The charge of “making the weaker argument appear the stronger”
belongs to Sophists like Gorgias, Hippias, and Evanus
 Socrates’ Art and the Delphic Oracle
• The false images of Socrates arose because people misunderstood his
true activity.
• Socrates explains this activity by relating a story about the Delphic
Oracle
 The Saying of the Delphic Oracle
• A friend of Socrates’ went to the Oracle and asked the priestess “Who
is the wisest of mortals?” and the priestess replied: “Socrates is the
most wise.”
• When he heard this he was surprised, since he thought himself as
“most ignorant”
 The Testing of the Delphic Oracle
• After some hesitation, he sought to show the saying wrong by finding
someone wiser than he. He began to question various people,
including politicians, poets, and craftsmen
• In each encounter the person made a claim that he was in possession
of some kind of wisdom or absolute knowledge. The knowledge
relates to the spheres of what might be called the value e.g.
problems of God, the Good and the Beautiful
 Truth of the Delphic Oracle
• After “testing” the saying of the god, Socrates became aware of the
truth of the saying that ‘Socrates is most wise” – it can be expressed
as follows:
Socrates was most wise because he was AWARE of his ignorance.
• And in the profound sense, those around Socrates those who claimed
a “knowledge” in the sphere of values, were ignorant of their
ignorance
 How The Charges Arose
• In the course of Socrates’ verification of the Delphic Oracle, many
people had their beliefs and values questioned and cast into doubt
• The response of many to this experience was confusion and anger
• Over the years, this anger took the form of resentment against
Socrates
 Specific Charges
• The charges made by Meletus and Anytus were that Socrates was
guilty of:
A. CORRUPTION OF THE YOUTH
B. IMPIETY

They demand the DEATH PENALTY

A. CORRUPTION OF THE YOUTH
1. Meletus says that Socrates is the person in Athens who is
responsible for the corruption of the youth. Yet it is absurd to say
that only Socrates corrupts the youth. This implies that everyone
else helps the youth. But just as there are a few horse trainers, so
there are few who are in a position to really ‘train” the youth. And,
contrary to what Meleteus assert, Socrates is one of these
“trainers”
2. Who would voluntarily corrupt the youth? If Socrates voluntarily
harmed the youth, then (since evil begets evil) they would harm
him. And no rational person voluntarily harms himself.
A. CORRUPTION OF THE YOUTH
• But if he harmed the youth involuntarily, then he should be instructed
(educated) not punished.
B. IMPIETY
• Socrates next takes up the charge of Impiety:
• Could a person believe in things like clothes and yet not in human
beings who wear them? So too with divine things: Since Socrates
believes in a Diamon (a divine thing), it follows that he believes in
divinities
 SOCRATES INTERPRETATION OF HIS ART
• Socrates, from being an impious corruptor of the youth, is actually a
blessing sent by the gods.
• To show this, Socrates likesn himself to a GADFLY (a horsefly). Just as
a gadfly constantly agitates a horse, preventing it from becoming
sluggish and going to sleep so too Socrates, by (moving through the
City) stirring up conversations in the marketplace, prevents the City
from becoming sluggish and careless and intolerant (thinking it knows
something when it doesn’t)
• Ultimately, Socrates’ whole life had been a service to the City as a
response of the saying of the gods. This is the deeper refutation of
the charges.
 Socrates’ Answers the Charges
Movement of the Defense of Socrates:
a. Who Socrates IS NOT: He is NOT a Physicalist; he is NOT a Sophist
b. Who Socrates IS: He is someone who is AWARE OF HIS IGNORANCE
c. Who Socrates IS NOT: He is NOT a corruptor of the Youth; he IS NOT
Impious
d. Who Socrates’ IS: He is like a GADFLY, helping the CITY out of a pious
response to the Delphic Oracle
 Socrates’ Answers the Charges
• Socrates’ finally asks if any present in the court felt that he had
corrupted them.
• Plato and others indicate that, to the contrary they have been helped
by Socrates. Hence “Those around him” also saya that Socrates does
not corrupt the youth
 Epilogue
• Socrates’ ells he “men of Athens” that he wants to be judged
according to his account of himself and not by any other standard –
such as appealing to his old age or the fact that he has children
• Thus Socrates wishes to be judged and not “forgiven” or let off for
any other reason than that it is JUST to do so.
• At his point, a vote is taken and Socrates is found guilty by a margin of
some 30 votes
 The Conviction and Alternate Penalties
• Socrates is found guilty by a margin of 30 votes
• The penalty proposed is death by hemlock
• At this point Socrates has the opportunity to propose an alternate
penalty
• Socrates argues that since the penalty should be something he
deserves, and since he has spent his life freely offering his service to
the City, he deserves FREE MEALS for the rest of his life.
 Final Speeches
• There are two sets of final speeches:
a.
• They accused him of being a physical philosopher, a sophist, and a
professional teacher.
• He claims that his childhood friend, Chaerophon, went to an oracle and
asked if there was anybody wiser than Socrates and the oracle said that
there wasn't. Socrates didn't believe this and went out to see the hidden
meaning in this, as the oracle could not be lying.
• To this end, he interviewed many people, politicians, poets and
craftsmen, who were known, and claimed, to be wise. In interviewing all
these people, he came to the conclusion that none were wise, and that the
greater the reputation they had for being wise, the less wise they were. He
believed this because there were many things that these people did not
know, yet thought they knew
• His examinations caused many people to dislike him and be hostile
towards him, because as he proved other people unwise, they
thought that he was saying that he was wise.
• For this reason, he believes it is his divine duty to teach all who think
that they are wise but are not, that they are not.
• Socrates attempts to prove his innocence that he is not corrupting the
young.
• Through a conversation with Meletus, he shows that Meletus has not
thought out the charge of Socrates corrupting the minds of the
young, as he states that everybody benefits the minds of the young,.
• As for the charge of not believing in gods, it does not make sense
because it contradicts the charge of teaching of supernatural beings,
of which he is accused. Thus, neither of these charges stand.
• However, it is the public's disfavor of him that he believes will bring
about his downfall.
• Yet he is not scared of death, because he thinks that nobody knows
enough about death to be scared of it, and that if it an endless
peaceful sleep then it is restful, and if his soul lives on to meet
everybody who is already dead, he will enjoy that. Therefore, either
way he is not afraid, and thinks it is better to die an honorable death
than to disobey God's orders and live.
• Socrates is not scared of death, because he thinks that nobody knows
enough about death to be scared of it, and that if it an endless
peaceful sleep then it is restful, and if his soul lives on to meet
everybody who is already dead, he will enjoy that.
• Therefore, either way he is not afraid, and thinks it is better to die an
honorable death than to disobey God's orders and live.
• However, when the verdict is guilty, he suggests a reward for himself
as an alternative to death, as he thinks of himself as a hero. He then
proposes a fine, which the jury refuses to grant to him.