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Essay / Analysis of Plato's Apology
Apology, written by Plato, describes what happened during Socrates' trial. Socrates was judged because he was accused of being an evildoer, a corrupter of youth and of not believing in the gods. His accusations were those often used against philosophers. Apology recounts the life of Socrates and the defense he presented to the jury. Instead of apologizing, Socrates simply presented his defense. It is believed that Socrates knew he was going to be convicted and sentenced to death; therefore, he used his "defense" as an opportunity to confront his accusers. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Socrates begins his defense by stating that he is telling the truth and that his accusers are not. He claims that his accusers have not spoken a word of truth and that he will only tell the truth. Early on, Socrates confronts his accusers by declaring that they are lying. Socrates is accused of collecting money to teach others, when in reality this was not the case. Socrates states that he has no such knowledge that would be worth passing on to others. Men of Athens, my reputation comes from a certain kind of wisdom that I possess. If you ask me what kind of wisdom, I answer: wisdom within the reach of man, for to that extent I am inclined to believe that I am wise (Apology 35). Knowledge is an important part of Socrates' defense. Knowledge is believed to play a role in originating the accusations against Socrates. When Socrates asked the Oracle of Delphi if there was anyone wiser than him, the oracle responded by saying that "there was no wiser man" (Apology 35). . Socrates wanted to prove the Oracle wrong, because he knew he had no wisdom, so he set out to find someone wiser than him. This is where the harm to his name began. First, Socrates spoke to a politician who had a reputation for wisdom. After talking with the politician, Socrates began to realize that he, the politician, was actually not wise. Socrates tried to explain to him that he was in fact not wise, which caused the politician to hate Socrates. Then, Socrates spoke to a philosopher higher than himself, only to make the same discovery. Man after man, Socrates discovered that the men we think are wise are not in reality so. All the men that Socrates spoke to and told them that they were not wise became angry with Socrates. The beginning of Socrates' defense explains how his accusers are the men he blamed for not being wise. After Socrates confronted these men, they became angry with him because he had just told them that they were in fact not wise. These men included Meletus, a poet, Anytus, a craftsman, and Lycon, an orator. These three were Socrates' main accusers. Socrates' accusers accused him of being "a doer of evil and a corrupter of youth, and he does not believe in the gods of the state" (Apology 38). The middle of Socrates' defense explains to the jury why these accusations are incorrect and confronts his accusers in an attempt to prove them wrong. Socrates is believed to be an evildoer and corrupting the youth due to his belief in non-traditional gods. Socrates has a conversation with Meletus about the improvement of youth. During this conversation, Socrates shows that Meletus is lying and actually has no offense against him. To begin, Meletus states that Socrates does not believe in traditional gods, but rather in his own gods. Later, Meletus states that Socrates does not believe in any god..