An Apology From Socrates :: Philosophy

The Apology is Socrates defense at his trial. As the dialogue begins, Socrates nones that his accusers have cautioned the instrument panel against Socrates eloquence, according to Socrates, the difference between him and his accusers is that Socrates speaks the truth. Socrates distinguished two groups of accusers the earlier and the later(prenominal) accusers. The earlier group is the hardest to defend against, since they do not appear in court. He is all so accused of macrocosm a sophist that he is a teacher and takes money for his teaching. He attempts to explain wherefore he has attracted such a reputation. The oracle was asked if anyone was wiser than Socrates was. The answer was no, there was no man wiser. Socrates cannot believe this oracle, so he sets out to disprove it by finding someone who is wiser. He goes to a politician, who is thought wise by him self and separates. Socrates does not think this man to be wise and tells him so. As a consequence, the politician hat ed Socrates, as did others who heard the questioning. I am better off, because while he knows nothing but thinks that he knows, I neither know nor think that I know (Socrates). He questioned politicians, poets, and artisans. He finds that the poets do not write from wisdom, but by genius and inspiration. Meletus charges Socrates with be a doer of evil, and bollixer of the youth, and he does not believe in the gods of the State, and has other new divinities of his own. In his examination of Meletus, Socrates makes three main points 1) Meletus has accused Socrates of being the only corrupter, while everyone else improves the youth. Socrates then uses an analogy a horse flight simulator is to horses as an improver is to the youth. The point is that there is only one improver, not many. 2) If Socrates corrupts the youth, either it is intentional or unintentional. No one would corrupt his dwell intentionally, because he would harm himself in the process. If the corruption was unintent ional, then the court is not the place to resolve the problem. The other possibility is that he does not corrupt them at all. 3) In frustration, Meletus accuses Socrates of being a complete atheist, at the alike time he claims Socrates teaches new gods. Thus, Meletus contradicts himself. Socrates argues that fear of death is foolish, because it is not know if death is a good or an evil, thus there is no reason to fear death.