Socrates - The Apology
Plato’s Apology is the story of the trial of Socrates, the charges brought against him and his maintaining of his own innocence throughout the process. At the onset of the trial, Socrates appears to challenging the charges, which included corrupting the youth, challenging belief in the gods that were accepted and reveled by the State, and introducing a new religious focus, but also belittles his own significance and suggesting that he will not attempt to disprove that he participated in the actions maintained by the court. In essence, Socrates appears almost self-effacing, and his defense surprises even his accuser, Meletus. But by the end of the Apology, Socrates becomes almost a different person, demonstrating his own value while refusing to beg for forgiveness even to save his own life. This view of Socrates presented by Plato demonstrates the difference between a man accused and a man condemned, and in the end, Socrates has nothing to lose by providing instructio!n to the people through his remarks. At the onset of the trial, Socrates recognizes that the primary reason for the accusations are not that he himself did not have value or that he was instructing students in a way that had not happened in the past, bu
Socrates suggests that the breadth of the indictment against him could encompass the premises supported by many men, and that it is only through the prejudice against him, the belief in his wisdom purported by some, and the sense that Socrates has influenced men that has resulted in the charges, not through the true belief that Socrates has taken actions against the State. In the Apology, Socrates decision to stay true to his teachings means that he will die. Socrates argues that much of the world travels through life without ever examining the nature of their choices. The completion of this sort of “examination” on the part of the few or the many is not possible. someone must examine their life to determine if the decision they are about to make is worthwhile for them. Socrates is given the opportunity to propose an alternative sentence to the death penalty proposed by Meletus, and many men would have begged for mercy, asked for forgiveness, claimed to repent for their actions, and request leniency. Whenever a decision is made to marry or have a child, return to school or get a new job, etc. I think that it was right of Socrates to encourage the youth to think for themselves and explore their values and the values of society and the state. Though Socrates suggests that his value for the State was unending through out the process, the fact that his teachings asked the youth to explore their values, their systems of thought, and to question authority was a significant problem for a sometimes wavering State. Socrates suggests the indictment against him should read: “Socrates is guilty of engaging in inquiries into things beneath the earth and in the heaven, of making the weaker argument appear the stronger, and of teaching others the same things”. In order to learn and grow one must challenge the ideas of others and the ideas they hold of themselves. Socrates then takes the opportunity to provide his most powerful statements about his philosophy, his perspectives on life, and the impacts that his death will have on the State that has tried to control opposition. Early in the Apology, Socrates argues that the charges of Meletus are not only false, but have led to the rise of prejudice against him, and he demonstrates this through what he considers his own reflection on the charges against him. If a person or nation is to grow and move forward the process of self-examination will never be complete. ! Not many of us today face that kind of self-examination but each examination is, in itself, a learning experience and requires a value or moral judgement.
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