Plato’s Apology

Plato was present at the trial (34a, 38b)

3 parts:

  1. Main speech (17a-35d)

  2. Counter-assessment (35e-38b)

  3. Last words to jury (38c-42a)

“Men of Athens” (democracy – “affected by accusers”) essentially says the accusers are liars and proves them to be

Vs.

“Gentlemen of the jury” (rational men) – see p22-fn “only those who voted to acquit him deserve that honor” (40a)

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Socrates (elenchus)

Orator who believes in truth, spoken at random, in dialect and manner in which brought up

Vs

Sophists (eristic)

Accomplished speaker… embroidered and stylized phrases… toy with words (17c)… makes the worst argument the stronger; do not believe in the gods (18b-c); makes the worst argument the stronger (19b); charge a fee (19e-20c); expert in this kind of excellence (arête), the human and social kind (20b)

“Pay no attention to my manner of speech, but to what I say for the excellence (arête) of a judge lies in this, as the arête of a speaker lies in telling the truth” (18a).

Many accusers and slanderers:

  1. Old (in the shadows): Aristophanes (playwright), those who against Socrates politically (he is teacher of Critias, one of the ‘Thirty Tyrants’ and Alcibiades)

  2. more recent: Anytus, Meletus, Lycon

Socrates = “wisest man” via god (“the Pythian”) at Delphi (21a) (NOT = “human wisdom”(23a)); “what is his riddle? I am not wise at all” (21b) – tested wisdom on “the wise ones of Athens” – concludes “I am likely to be wiser to the extent that I do not think I know what I do not know” (21d)

Gained unpopularity with men of Athens by his systematic questioning (elenchus) on politicians, poets and craftsmen… (21e-23) – wise in their crafts (techne) but lack Sophia – true knowledge – of “who they are.”

Fear of death

“You are wrong if you think that a man who is any good at all should take into account the risk of life or death; he should look to this only in his actions, whether what he does is right or wrong” (28b-c).

“Wherever a man has taken a position he believes to be best, or has been placed by his commander, there he must remain and face danger, without a thought for death or anything else, rather than disgrace” (28 d-e). Socrates was courageous and valiant in defending Athens.

“To fear death is no other than to think oneself wise, to think one knows what one does not” (29a). “It is perhaps on this point that I differ from the majority of men…” (29b-d).

“I will obey the god rather than you…” (29d).