According to the reading, The Socratic Quest, Socrates was
brought to trial under two charges. The charges were the following: “…one that he
did not believe in the gods recognized by the State, the other that he had
corrupted the Athenian youth by his teachings” (pg. 2). One can read in The
Apology of Socrates how Socrates tries to defend himself and present his
arguments about the accusations for which he was brought to trial for. Even
though he tries to convince the jury that he has done nothing wrong, he is
found guilty and sentenced to death. Now, the real reason behind his sentence
to death goes beyond the accusations presented at the moment of trial.
Throughout his apology, or defense, Socrates said the following: “…that in
which they said that you ought to be on your guard lest you should be deceived
by me, as being eloquent in speech…I am not by any means eloquent, this seemed
to me the most shameless thing in them [the accusations], unless indeed they
call him eloquent who speaks the truth” (pg. 29). In here and throughout ‘The
Apologia’, Socrates’ defense during trial, he repeats many times that he is not
doing anything wrong, and that he is simply speaking the truth. I believe that
the main reason why he was sentenced to death was because the people of Athena
did not want to hear the truth about things. They found Socrates’ teachings uncomfortable
because they represented a change in the way of thinking and doing things.
Socrates was different; his teaching style was also different. Perhaps, if
Socrates would of comply with the accusers and stop his teachings instead of
saying that he was doing nothing wrong and that he was only speaking the truth,
then maybe, and only maybe then, he might of have a chance to change his
destiny and not being sentenced to death. However, Socrates decided to keep explaining
to the jury how he is just trying to expose and teach the truth to the people
of Athena. So, according to the jury, “Socrates…acts un-justly in corrupting
the youth, and in not believing in those gods in whom the city believes, but in
other strange divinities” (pg. 36). Therefore, he was found guilty and
sentenced to death.
About the Author
Hi, my name is Maria. I am a student of a philosophy class in college. This is my first time taking a philosophy class, and I am very excited about what this class has to offer. I will be posting topics and writing assignments related to my class in here, so feel free to comment my posts and offer feedback about my blog's content.
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