Some of the best sources of information about Socrates' philosophical views are the early dialogues of his student Plato, who tried to provide a faithful picture of the methods and teachings of the great master. The Apology is one of the many-recorded dialogues about Socrates. It is about how Socrates was arrested and charged with corrupting the youth, believing in no god and for being a Sophist. He attended his trial and put up a good argument. I believe that Socrates was wrongfully accused and should not have been sentenced to death. Within the duration of this document, I will be discussing the charges laid against Socrates and how he attempted to refute the charges and the reasons for which Socrates accepted his death penalty.
             One of the reasons why Socrates was arrested was because he was being accused of corrupting the minds of the students he taught. I personally feel that it is almost impossible for one person to corrupt the thoughts and feelings of a whole group of people. Improvement comes form a minority and corruption comes from the majority. Socrates is one man and represents the minority; therefore it is less likely the youth have been corrupted by Socrates than by some larger group of people such as the educators, council members, or jurymen. After the prosecution finished presenting its side, the defense had a chance to respond to the charges. The Apology begins with the defense speech by Socrates. He began by noting that he was unfamiliar with the law court since he spent most of the time in the agora. He observed that he really had two sets of accusers (old and new) and that he feared the old accusers more so he would deal with them first. He responded to the charges of the old accusers by telling a story about the oracle of Delphi. He then turned to Meletus' charge of corrupting the youth and impiety. Socrates described his important mission to Athens and compared himself to a gadfly. He conc...