Plato's "The Apology" begins with Socrates standing accused of impiety and,
             possibly the worst of the charges, passing his impiety on to the young
             people he supposedly corrupts. The book concentrates on his defense.
             Basically, Socrates makes two major arguments for his innocence, the first
             of which may have come across with some cockiness, that he was simply doing
             as he believed the gods wanted him to do, as the wisest of all men.
             The oracle at Delphi had stated that no one was wiser than Socrates, and
             ever since this time, Socrates made it his mission to find someone wiser,
             as he did not believe he could possibly be the wisest. This mission led to
             the sharp criticism of Athenian leaders and eventually resulted in
             While his defense may seem cocky, Socrates was actually anything but. The
             wise philosopher would travel throughout the city, seeking out those that
             were perceived as wise in their trade, whether it was politics, poetry, or
             even woodworking. He would sit down, pick their brains, and usually leave
             them upset and angry, as he would have proved that although they perceived
             themselves as wise, they were in fact not.
             While this may seem cocky, Socrates humbly claimed to know nothing the
             entire time. He openly admitted that he was not wise, and it was most
             likely this humbleness that annoyed those he had humiliated the most. He
             was basically telling them that although he had just proved himself to be
             smarter and wiser than them, he actually knew nothing. Many people felt
             As Socrates spoke with more and more people, a group of followers wanted to
             hear him question the wise. However, he made more enemies than he did fans.
             This would hurt him later, as there was no lack of prejudiced jurors by the
             time of his trial. He would conclude that the meaning behind the oracle's
             statement was that because Socrates realized that as a man, he knew
             nothing, he was the wisest, in that, if you are...