The two main charges against Socrates are corrupting the young and also not having the proper religious beliefs. Socrates is being charged by a man name Meletus, who is one of three accusers. Socrates had been accused of making the weaker argument stronger and also about things in the sky and under the earth. While being examined by the poets, craftsmen, and orators, Socrates claims that they really do not know what they think they know and is trying to prove that it’s all false. After analyzing many different texts, it seems as if Socrates could be innocent and guilty at the same time.
Anytus shows his ignorance and unwillingness to accept Socrates’s teachings when Anytus tells Socrates that he has never even spoken to a Sophist or ever meeting one. Anytus states “Easily, for I know who they are, whether I have experience of them or not.” (Meno, 92C) This stubbornness is the same that helped convict Socrates and sentence him to death. Anytus shows his lack of wisdom by denying himself the ability to grow by admitting his wrongs. Meletus is just as stubborn as Anytus. The
He also shows that the people cannot know what is good for them in the long run and will only chose politicians and laws that seem a good idea at the time, without considering the consequences. Plato also illustrates this flaw in politicians and the people in simile of the powerful beast. He describes the
But the Athenians rejected their offer by saying that they would not be much affected by their hostility but on the other hand their friendship would prove a sign of their weakness and they would be considered coward to allow such a small and insignificant island to not be ruled by them. The Melians questioned the justice of the Athenians by asking that how fair it is to treat a neutral nation equally with its colonies or rebels. But the Athenians refused to look at things from their point and argued that by conquering the Melians they would not only increase their size but also security. The second argument presented by the Melians was that in case of a war, the Spartans would come to their rescue as a return of favor done
One of the charges in the affidavit written by Meletus against Socrates is that he is an evil doer "corrupting the youth" (Grube). Another charge brought against Socrates is that he is making up new Gods and disregarding the old Gods the Athenians believe in (Grube). Socrates starts his defense by addressing the jury and telling them that his accusers had a prepared speech, while Socrates' speech will be completely improvised (Perel). Socrates continued to further disassociate himself from the opponents by telling the jury to forgive him for his conversational tone in his speech, for that is how he best speaks (Perel). Socrates asked the jury to focus on the substance of his defense, not how his defense is delivered.
Because of his occupation he’s not able to engage in public affairs (23b-c) iii. the young rich following him because they like to listen to his questioning (thus the accusation that he corrupts them) i. Socrates current accusers don’t know what he discusses so they’ve used the charges suggested by the earlier accusers i. Meletus defends the poets ii. Anytus: the craftsmen and politicians iii. Lycon: the orators C. The Later
The Apology Socrates was a powerful philosopher whose message was shocking to most Athenians, and threatening to the Athenian government. He took credibility from Athenian elitists by doubting the validity of their knowledge, which is in large part why he was eventually put to death. In his apology to the citizens of Athens, Socrates defends his calling from God by stressing the importance of knowledge and the means to attaining wisdom. Socrates’ description of knowledge and its relationship to wisdom can be understood through a metaphor in which light represents knowledge and wisdom signifies the increasing power the light bears as knowledge continues to grow. The concept of knowledge is effectively represented as a light that is inherent in each human.
Socrates was genuinely worried about why the young men were so disappointing. Socrates' young students had been a particular disappointment to him. If Socrates could figure out exactly how the fathers had failed to properly educate their sons, he could save the city and restore Athens to its former glory. Socrates’ interesting idea was that human excellence was really a kind of knowledge. Sophists were skilled in elaborate argumentation; were they would try and make the argument they were focusing on the stronger side, even if it was wrong or weaker.
However, Socrates is unable to find the meaning because the definition of piety changes. Piety is impossible to define for at least three reasons: the definition of piety can have more than one meaning, the structure of the conversation between Euthyphro and Socrates is dynamic, and their knowledge of piety also keeps changing. The definition of the word piety can mean more than one thing. During the conversation, Euthyphro keeps changing the definition of piety. First, he states, “In that case it’s what’s lovable to the gods that’s pious, and what’s not lovable to them that’s impious” (13).
Just about everyone has their own interpretation as to what they believe it means to live a good life. To Socrates, the key to living a good life was to question everything and the world around oneself. Although Socrates is considered to be one of the greatest philosophers in all of history, I disagree with him on this view. I think it’s quite harsh to say that someone’s life is not worth living simply because they don’t do something. What about disabled people that are incapable of examining life as Socrates did?