The trial against Socrates took place in Athens in 400/399 B.C. It was customary to have 501 jurors (and no judge in the modern sense). It was the accused's responsibility to defend himself against the accusation. He was also allowed to cross examine the accusers. The decision of sentencing the accused was made by the majority votes of those 501 jurors.

Socrates started his defense with the declaration that he would speak the truth. Truth itself and nothing else will make his defense. It is quite ironical that while the trial was attempted by the political motivation, Socrates tried to defend himself by having the truth speak itself.

First Socrates tried to divide the accusers into two groups, the new accusers and the old ones. The latter was, according Socrates, the prejudices about Socrates implanted in the minds of the jurors by many when the jurors were quite young. Believing that it would be more difficult to remove such prejudices, Socrates first attempted to refute the old preconceived ideas about Socrates.

According to Socrates, the old accusations (prejudices) about him were that Socrates was thought of being a criminal, indulging in the investigation of things on the Earth and in the Heaven and a clever speaker, making a weaker argument stronger and teaching the same to others (p. 425). In short, Socrates was considered as one of the sophists. Plato's consistent efforts throughout the Dialogue were directed to repudiate this misconceptions of Socrates' being a sophist. On the outset, Socrates declared that he was not interested in eloquence, i.e., winning an argument by making his argument appear stronger, but was always and solely interested in truth and the whole truth = knowledge. Socrates never claimed to possess "wisdom" to give away or impart to others, nor to be a teacher of such "wisdom." Socrates said

It was a grand thing for anyone to be able to educate people as Gorgias of Leontini, and Prodicus of Ceos, and Hippias of Elis do." (p. 425/6)

As we have seen in the previous Section, Gorgias, Prodicus and Hippias are well known sophists who claimed that they were teachers of "wisdom."
For his philosophical inquiry, never had Socrates charged money to those young people who were observing and listening his pursuit.
Socrates tried to show how and why he got such a bad name. He said:

A sort of wisdom has got me this name, gentlemen, and nothing else. Wisdom! What wisdom? Perhaps the only wisdom that man can have. (p. 426)

Chaerephon, an old friend of his, went to the Shrine of Delphi and asked the oracle if anyone was wiser than Socrates was. The answer was that no one was wiser. Socrates had faith in the oracle, but he was not convinced so that he went around and cross examined many people who both himself and others thought that he was wise. The sophists, the politicians, the poets and the craftsmen who thought of being wise were shown that they were not wise.
Socrates was wiser than others in

...the fact is that neither of us knows anything beautiful and good, but he thinks he does know when he doesn't, and I don't know and don't think I do: so I am wiser than he is by only this trifle, that what I do not know I don't think I do. (p. 427)

This awareness of one's own ignorance was generalized as the interpretation of the oracle as follows.

...The truth really is, gentlemen, that the god in fact is wise, and in this oracle he means hat human wisdom is worth little or nothing, and it appears that he does not say his of Socrates, but simply adds may name to take me as an example, as if he were to say that his one of yo human beings is wisest, who like Socrates knows that he is in truth worth nothing as regards wisdom.

This is what I still, even now, go about searching and investigating in the god's way, if even I think one of our people, or a foreigner, is wise. (p. 429)

Socrates contended that this activities were so busy that he could not even hold a public office or private business worth mentioning. Those cross examined were angry at Socrates and did not understand what he did or taught, so they said that Socrates is a blackguard and corrupts the young; and repeated the stock charges against all philosophers, "underground lore and up in the air lore, atheists, making the weaker argument the stronger." (P. 429)

The new accusers were Anytos, Meletus and Lycon. Anytos on behalf of the politician, Meletus on behalf of the poets, and Lycon on behalf of the sophists presented the official accusation:

Socrates is a criminal, who corrupts the young and does not believe in the gods whom the state believes in, but other new spiritual things instead. (p. 430)

Meletus being an eccentric poet, was chosen as the main accuser and Socrates cross examined him next.
Socrates asked Meletus if it be important that the younger generation should be as good as possible. And if so, we make them better?
Meletus answered first: "The Laws."
Socrates asked again who do know the laws.
Meletus answered: "The Jury." "The Councilors." and finally "All the citizens of Athens, while Socrates alone corrupts them!"
I . Here Socrates starts attacking Meletus'a assumption by generalizing Meletus's answer of "educating the youth (by the majority) to the art (hé techné) in general:
1) Educating the youth is an art just like the horse training which is an art.

2) The art in general can only be mastered and exercised by a few specialists in it, not the majority.

I am not asking everybody (=the majority) to train a horse, but only a few specialists in that art called "horse-training." (For example, when you got really sick in stomach, you are not asking everybody for an advice for cure, but a specialist called a physician.)

3) Therefore, Not everybody in Athens are good and concerned educators of the youth, but a few specialists, i.e., Socrates in this context.

II. Socrates demonstrates secondly that no one knowingly wants to be harmed.

1) People get harmed by associating themselves with the bad people, while they get good with the good people.

2) No wants knowingly to get harmed.

3) By saying that I, Socrates, corrupts the youth, you contend that I, Socrates, did harm to those associates, which implies that I am knowingly making a risk of getting some evil from them.

4) (3) contradicts (2).
5) Since (2) is true, (3) is necessarily false.

6) Therefore, either I, Socrates did not corrupt the youth, or if I, Socrates, did corrupt the youth, then I did so unintentionally.

7) In the latter case (in the Greek law), Socrates is free of charge.
8) Therefore, Meletus was false in either case.
III. According to the indictment, Socrates corrupted the youth by teaching them not believing in the gods that Athens believed in. Namely, his impiety.

1) Socrates made Meletus commits a more universal statement that Socrates does not believe in any god at all and teach it to the youth. = Socrates is an atheist.

2) Meletus even states that Socrates believes that the sun is a stone and the moon is an earth, which was held by Anaxagoras, the highly admired philosopher, (and probably by the very young Socrates).

3) I, Socrates, believes in the voice of Demon (Spirit).

4) Therefore, I, Socrates, believes in Demon.

5) This Demon whose voice Socrates listens, believes and follows is a god himself or the son of a god.

6) Therefore, I, Socrates, believes in the god, therefore, I am not an unbeliever, i.e., an atheist.

IV. Socrates now contends that whether or not he would be ashamed of his running a risk of his death is irrelevant to his concern. What concerns him is whether or not he does right, i.e., whether it is what a good man does or what a bad man does.

1) Just as Socrates stayed at the post in Poteidaia and Amphipolis and Delion (the battleground of the Peloponnessos War) by the captains regardless of the threat of death, Socrates believes that God posted him with the duty to be a philosopher (lover of wisdom) to test himself and others (to be a questioner and critic), so Socrates should not and does not fear death at all to stay with this Divine duty.

2) As the indictment said, should I, Socrates, did not believe in God, because Socrates disbelieved the oracle, feared death and thought that he be wise while he was not wise at all.

3) For to fear death is only to think you are wise when you are not, i.e., it is to think you know what you don't know. For no one knows what death is at all, but many fear death.

4) Even if all of the jury decided to let Socrates free only on the condition that he will no longer spend time in this search or in philosophy, Socrates would not accept this offer.

5) For Socrates fears the god rather than you, the jury.

6) As long as he breathes and remains able to do it, Socrates will never cease to be a philosopher, exhorting you, and showing what is in him to any one of you, the jury, he may meet, by speaking to him in my usual way.

And then Socrates appeals to the Athenians:

You are an Athenian, a citizen of this great polis (city state), so famous for wisdom and strength, and you take every care to be as well off as possible in money, reputation and place‹then are you not ashamed not to take every care and thought for understanding, for truth, and for the soul, so that it may be perfect? (p. 43529E)

...if I think some does not possess virtue but only says so, I will show that he sets very little value on things most precious, and sets more value on meaner things, and I will put him to shame. This I will do for every I meet, young or old, native or foreigner.... For this is what god commands me, make no mistake, and I think there is no greater good for you in the city in any way than my service to God. (p.436)

All I do is to go about and try to persuade you, both young and old, not to care for your bodies or your monies first, and to care more exceedingly for the soul, to make it as good as possible;

and I tell you that virtue comes not form money, but form virtue comes both money and all other good things for humankind, both in private and in public. (p.436)

Socrates further appeals to the Athenians that Socrates' loss from Athens will be greater, for he was sent to Athens by God to fulfill the above duties. The evidence for this is the fact that Socrates has neglected all his own interests, that he has been content with the neglect of his domestic affairs all those years, while Socrates was attending the interests of the Athenians. (p. 437)
The reason why Socrates remains as a private person is because, if he had not been so, he would have been killed long time ago, as he solely considered the justice and law rather than fear of prison and death (example of Salamis). (p.437-38)
Socrates has been always on the side of right, either has he claim to be able to teach and has taught at all, nor received fees for conversing with others.
People enjoyed spending their time with Socrates, because he has been pursuing the socalled Socratic mission by the command of god. (p.439) Indeed if he should have corrupted the youth, their relatives and friends would come now and would accuse Socrates. (In this context, Plato names himself as an attendant of this trial.)
Socrates would not commit a fallacy of argumentum ad misericordiam by bringing his children (one a young man, the other still children) with his age and with his fame. Besides, making a judgment is not to do a favor, but decide what is justice. (p. 441)

The court votes and finds him guilty: 281 found him guilty, while 221 found innocent. ( 35-A?)

The accuses is now to propose his alternative penalty to death penalty by the indictment.
Socrates says that as he has done so much for the state and for the others, he may deserve some rewards and asks:

Then what is suitable for a poor benefactor, who craves to have leisure for your encouragement? ...Nothing is suitable than boarding such a man free in the town hall (far more than the winner of Olympic Games).

Socrates has to be 1) in prison until he pays the fine, or 2) to be fined, but he has no money to pay. 3) An exile is not his choice, because Socrates, being unable to disobey God, would continue his Divine mission and soon or later, he would be tried again.
4) Finally he proposes one mina of sliver.

The court condemns Socrates to death. (37C)

Socrates must prefer to die after such a defence than to live by the other sort, For

The difficult thing is not to escape death, but to escape wickedness...

By putting Socrates to death, the Athenians are making a big mistake, for no one will reproach them, when their life was wrong.
Socrates talks about the voice of Demon checking him from doing even to a trivial thing and Socrates did not hear the voice this morning when he left his home to come to the court. So death is not an evil thing.
According to Socrates, death may be one of the following two alternatives:

a) a migration of the soul from here to another world, where death is like a sleep in eternity. Death must be a wonderful thing.

b) a migration of the soul from here to another world, and if what people say is true, you will meet all the dead of the past such as Orpheus, Musaios, Hesiod and Homer to discuss virtues and cross examine them. That will be happier.
However, Socrates contends:

No evil can happen to a good man either living or dead... (41D)

As the last words, Socrates appeals the Athenians:

Punish my sons, gentlemen, when they grow up; give them this same pain I have you, if you think they care for money or anything else before virtue; and if they have the reputation of being something when they are nothing, reproach them, as I reproach you, that they do no take care for what they should, and think they are something when they are worth nothing. And if you do this, we shall have been justly dealt wit by you, both I and my sons. (End of Apology)

___________________________________
APOLOGY OF SOCRATES

The trial against Socrates took place in Athens in 400/399 B.C. It was customary to have 501 jurors (and no judge in the modern sense). It was the accused's responsibility to defend himself against the accusation. He was also allowed to cross examine the accusers. The decision of sentencing the accused was made by the majority votes of those 501 jurors.

Socrates started his defense with the declaration that he would speak the truth. Truth itself and nothing else will make his defense. It is quite ironical that while the trial was attempted by the political motivation, Socrates tried to defend himself by having the truth speak itself.

First Socrates tried to divide the accusers into two groups, the new accusers and the old ones. The latter was, according Socrates, the prejudices about Socrates implanted in the minds of the jurors by many when the jurors were quite young. Believing that it would be more difficult to remove such prejudices, Socrates first attempted to refute the old preconceived ideas about Socrates.

According to Socrates, the old accusations (prejudices) about him were that Socrates was thought of being a criminal, indulging in the investigation of things on the Earth and in the Heaven and a clever speaker, making a weaker argument stronger and teaching the same to others (p. 425). In short, Socrates was considered as one of the sophists. Plato's consistent efforts throughout the Dialogue were directed to repudiate this misconceptions of Socrates' being a sophist. On the outset, Socrates declared that he was not interested in eloquence, i.e., winning an argument by making his argument appear stronger, but was always and solely interested in truth and the whole truth = knowledge. Socrates never claimed to possess "wisdom" to give away or impart to others, nor to be a teacher of such "wisdom." Socrates said

It was a grand thing for anyone to be able to educate people as Gorgias of Leontini, and Prodicus of Ceos, and Hippias of Elis do." (p. 425/6)

As we have seen in the previous Section, Gorgias, Prodicus and Hippias are well known sophists who claimed that they were teachers of "wisdom."

For his philosophical inquiry, never had Socrates charged money to those young people who were observing and listening his pursuit.

Socrates tried to show how and why he got such a bad name. He said:

A sort of wisdom has got me this name, gentlemen, and nothing else. Wisdom! What wisdom? Perhaps the only wisdom that man can have. (p. 426)

Chaerephon, an old friend of his, went to the Shrine of Delphi and asked the oracle if anyone was wiser than Socrates was. The answer was that no one was wiser. Socrates had faith in the oracle, but he was not convinced so that he went around and cross examined many people who both himself and others thought that he was wise. The sophists, the politicians, the poets and the craftsmen who thought of being wise were shown that they were not wise.
Socrates was wiser than others in

...the fact is that neither of us knows anything beautiful and good, but he thinks he does know when he doesn't, and I don't know and don't think I do: so I am wiser than he is by only this trifle, that what I do not know I don't think I do. (p. 427)

This awareness of one's own ignorance was generalized as the interpretation of the oracle as follows.

...The truth really is, gentlemen, that the god in fact is wise, and in this oracle he means hat human wisdom is worth little or nothing, and it appears that he does not say his of Socrates, but simply adds may name to take me as an example, as if he were to say that his one of yo human beings is wisest, who like Socrates knows that he is in truth worth nothing as regards wisdom.

This is what I still, even now, go about searching and investigating in the god's way, if even I think one of our people, or a foreigner, is wise. (p. 429)

Socrates contended that this activities were so busy that he could not even hold a public office or private business worth mentioning. Those cross examined were angry at Socrates and did not understand what he did or taught, so they said that Socrates is a blackguard and corrupts the young; and repeated the stock charges against all philosophers, "underground lore and up in the air lore, atheists, making the weaker argument the stronger." (P. 429)

The new accusers were Anytos, Meletus and Lycon. Anytos on behalf of the politician, Meletus on behalf of the poets, and Lycon on behalf of the sophists presented the official accusation:

Socrates is a criminal, who corrupts the young and does not believe in the gods whom the state believes in, but other new spiritual things instead. (p. 430)

Meletus being an eccentric poet, was chosen as the main accuser and Socrates cross examined him next.

Socrates asked Meletus if it be important that the younger generation should be as good as possible. And if so, who do make them better?
Meletus answered first: "The Laws."
Socrates asked again who do know the laws.
Meletus answered: "The Jury." "The Councilors." and

finally "All the citizens of Athens, while Socrates alone corrupts them!"

I . Here Socrates starts attacking Meletus'a assumption by generalizing Meletus's answer of "educating the youth (by the majority) to the art (hé techné) in general:

1) Educating the youth is an art just like the horse training which is an art.

2) The art in general can only be mastered and exercised by a few specialists in it, not the majority.

I am not asking everybody (=the majority) to train a horse, but only a few specialists in that art called "horse-training." (For example, when you got really sick in stomach, you are not asking everybody for an advice for cure, but a specialist called a physician.)

3) Therefore, Not everybody in Athens are good and concerned educators of the youth, but a few specialists, i.e., Socrates in this context.

II. Socrates demonstrates secondly that no one knowingly wants to be harmed.

1) People get harmed by associating themselves with the bad people, while they get good with the good people.

2) No wants knowingly to get harmed.

3) By saying that I, Socrates, corrupts the youth, you contend that I, Socrates, did harm to those associates, which implies that I am knowingly making a risk of getting some evil from them.

4) (3) contradicts (2).
5) Since (2) is true, (3) is necessarily false.

6) Therefore, either I, Socrates did not corrupt the youth, or if I, Socrates, did corrupt the youth, then I did so unintentionally.

7) In the latter case (in the Greek law), Socrates is free of charge.
8) Therefore, Meletus was false in either case.

III. According to the indictment, Socrates corrupted the youth by teaching them not believing in the gods that Athens believed in. Namely, his impiety.

1) Socrates made Meletus commits a more universal statement that Socrates does not believe in any god at all and teach it to the youth. = Socrates is an atheist.

2) Meletus even states that Socrates believes that the sun is a stone and the moon is an earth, which was held by Anaxagoras, the highly admired philosopher, (and probably by the very young Socrates).

3) I, Socrates, believes in the voice of Demon (Spirit).

4) Therefore, I, Socrates, believes in Demon.

5) This Demon whose voice Socrates listens, believes and follows is a god himself or the son of a god.

6) Therefore, I, Socrates, believes in the god, therefore, I am not an unbeliever, i.e., an atheist.

IV. Socrates now contends that whether or not he would be ashamed of his running a risk of his death is irrelevant to his concern. What concerns him is whether or not he does right, i.e., whether it is what a good man does or what a bad man does.

1) Just as Socrates stayed at the post in Poteidaia and Amphipolis and Delion (the battleground of the Peloponnessos War) by the captains regardless of the threat of death, Socrates believes that God posted him with the duty to be a philosopher (lover of wisdom) to test himself and others (to be a questioner and critic), so Socrates should not and does not fear death at all to stay with this Divine duty.

2) As the indictment said, should I, Socrates, did not believe in God, because Socrates disbelieved the oracle, feared death and thought that he be wise while he was not wise at all.

3) For to fear death is only to think you are wise when you are not, i.e., it is to think you know what you don't know. For no one knows what death is at all, but many fear death.

4) Even if all of the jury decided to let Socrates free only on the condition that he will no longer spend time in this search or in philosophy, Socrates would not accept this offer.

5) For Socrates fears the god rather than you, the jury.

6) As long as he breathes and remains able to do it, Socrates will never cease to be a philosopher, exhorting you, and showing what is in him to any one of you, the jury, he may meet, by speaking to him in my usual way.

And then Socrates appeals to the Athenians:

You are an Athenian, a citizen of this great polis (city state), so famous for wisdom and strength, and you take every care to be as well off as possible in money, reputation and place‹then are you not ashamed not to take every care and thought for understanding, for truth, and for the soul, so that it may be perfect? (p. 43529E)

...if I think some does not possess virtue but only says so, I will show that he sets very little value on things most precious, and sets more value on meaner things, and I will put him to shame. This I will do for every I meet, young or old, native or foreigner.... For this is what god commands me, make no mistake, and I think there is no greater good for you in the city in any way than my service to God. (p.436)

All I do is to go about and try to persuade you, both young and old, not to care for your bodies or your monies first, and to care more exceedingly for the soul, to make it as good as possible;

and I tell you that virtue comes not form money, but form virtue comes both money and all other good things for humankind, both in private and in public. (p.436)

Socrates further appeals to the Athenians that Socrates' loss from Athens will be greater, for he was sent to Athens by God to fulfill the above duties. The evidence for this is the fact that Socrates has neglected all his own interests, that he has been content with the neglect of his domestic affairs all those years, while Socrates was attending the interests of the Athenians. (p. 437)

The reason why Socrates remains as a private person is because, if he had not been so, he would have been killed long time ago, as he solely considered the justice and law rather than fear of prison and death (example of Salamis). (p.437-38)

Socrates has been always on the side of right, either has he claim to be able to teach and has taught at all, nor received fees for conversing with others.

People enjoyed spending their time with Socrates, because he has been pursuing the so-called Socratic mission by the command of god. (p.439) Indeed if he should have corrupted the youth, their relatives and friends would come now and would accuse Socrates. (In this context, Plato names himself as an attendant of this trial.)

Socrates would not commit a fallacy of argumentum ad misericordiam by bringing his children (one a young man, the other still children) with his age and with his fame. Besides, making a judgment is not to do a favor, but decide what is justice. (p. 441)

The court votes and finds him guilty: 281 found him guilty, while 221 found innocent. ( 35-A?)

The accuses is now to propose his alternative penalty to death penalty by the indictment.
Socrates says that as he has done so much for the state and for the others, he may deserve some rewards and asks:

Then what is suitable for a poor benefactor, who craves to have leisure for your encouragement? ...Nothing is suitable than boarding such a man free in the town hall (far more than the winner of Olympic Games).

Socrates has to be

1) in prison until he pays the fine, or

2) to be fined, but he has no money to pay.

3) An exile is not his choice, because Socrates, being unable to disobey God, would continue his Divine mission and soon or later, he would be tried again.

4) Finally he proposes one mina of sliver.

The court condemns Socrates to death. (37C)

Socrates must prefer to die after such a defence than to live by the other sort, For

The difficult thing is not to escape death, but to escape wickedness...

By putting Socrates to death, the Athenians are making a big mistake, for no one will reproach them, when their life was wrong.

Socrates talks about the voice of Demon checking him from doing even to a trivial thing and Socrates did not hear the voice this morning when he left his home to come to the court. So death is not an evil thing.

According to Socrates, death may be one of the following two alternatives:

a) a migration of the soul from here to another world, where death is like a sleep in eternity. Death must be a wonderful thing.

b) a migration of the soul from here to another world, and if what people say is true, you will meet all the dead of the past such as Orpheus, Musaios, Hesiod and Homer to discuss virtues and cross examine them. That will be happier.

However, Socrates contends:

No evil can happen to a good man either living or dead... (41D)

As the last words, Socrates appeals the Athenians:

Punish my sons, gentlemen, when they grow up; give them this same pain I have you, if you think they care for money or anything else before virtue; and if they have the reputation of being something when they are nothing, reproach them, as I reproach you, that they do no take care for what they should, and think they are something when they are worth nothing. And if you do this, we shall have been justly dealt wit by you, both I and my sons. (End of Apology)

Socrates did not write even a single work. And yet, many, many people, like we ourselves who read, for example, Socrates' Apology, are moved and inspired by this image of Socrates, his devotion to philosophy and his firm belief in the power of philosophy.

Why is this so?
We may answer this question perhaps in two ways:
The one is the fact that Plato experienced Socrates' death described in his Apology at his age of 19. He was so deeply moved by Socrates that he decided to become a philosopher rather than a politician which he thought that it would be a natural calling for him. Thus, Plato even reproduced Socrates' defense to show others how he was drawn to continue the mission of this master. Plato's entire life was determined by the inspiration by Socrates.

The other is the greatness of Socrates himself as a man and his total devotion to philosophy as well as his endeavor in midwifery of wisdom for others. His strong inspiration and love for wisdom and moral uprightness, his selfless dedication to the cause of how to improve ourselves, how we can be better human beings, his skillfulness of searching and insight into truth, and his great compassion to be a Gadfly of the state definitely impress us.

Although the sophists were the one who impressed the general populace with the power of knowledge, Socrates articulated the right knowledge from the wrong ones and disclosed that the human beings themselves, their virtues and their right conducts are the crucial in leading a better life, leading a happy life. Socrates was the one, too, who advocated that the morally good life the cause of happiness. Moralists of the so-called Small Socratic Schools followed closely what Socrates tried to accomplish. And yet, at the same time, they were responding to the need of the individual who searches for the principle by which they are able to lead a good life. In stead of asking what is the good which makes us happy, they asked what happiness (e.g., sensuous pleasure and avoidance of pain, or the serenity of our soul) brings about our good life. This is the beginning of the moral philosophy for the individual.

The dialogue is the famous prison scene in which Socrates drank he hemlock.
This is the dialogue between Socrates and Crito. This is a summary of the dialogue:

Socrates was supposed to drink the hemlock the day after when the ship would come back from Delos. (No prosecution was made during the absence of the sacred ship.)\

Socrates,disagree with Crito, by saying, "...good luck come wiTh her (the ship from Delos): If that is God's will, so be it.

However, I do not think she will come on this day now beginning, but tomorrow. I infer this from a dream I had this very night just past, a little whILe aGo.

(In the dream), I (Socrates) thought a woman came to me, handsome and well grown, and dressed in white; she called to me and said, "Socrates,"

on THE third day you'll reach fertile Phthia~!"

Crito laments that he will lose the most precious friend, if Socrates died.
If I could say his life and did not save it, Crito said,

"What can be a worse reputation than to be thought to care more for money than friends?"

Then, Socrates asks Crito,.

"Bless you, what matters it to us what the many think?"

To this, Crito said, "....we are bound also to care what the many think; even as what is happening now shows clearly that the many can work mischief‹not trifles, but almost the greatest mischief possible, if one gets a bad name among them.

43 c Socrates,"...I only wish the many could do the greatest mischief, so that they could also do the greatest good! That would be well indeed. As it is, they can do neither; for they cannot make a man either wise or foolish; they do things quite at random.

Crito says, "it is all right to risk his and freinds' life and even money.

And ask Socrates to dispute with Crito whether or not Socrates should escape following the arrangment of Crito and his friends."

Socrates says, " Yes, I am anxious about that, and many other things, too.

Crito, "Do not be afraid about that, after all, it is not great sum they want in order to save your life and get you out of this.

Those informers are very cheap. There are also foreigners who would like to rescue you, including Simmias the Theban; Cebes and others.

Then again, Socrates, I do not think you are undertaking a right thing by throwing yourself away when you can be free.

What is the good of taking pains to do for yourself exactly what your eniemies would like to do..."

Crito also said that Socrates would be choosing an easier way by drinking the hemlock.

Socrates contends:

"My dearest Crtion, your anxiety would be precious if there were any right in it; otherwise, the geret it is, so much the harder to bear. Then we must examine wheether we ought tod it or not; for my way is and always has been to obey no one and onting, except the reasoning which seems to be best when I draw my conclusions...."

"Let us first take up what you said about opinions, and ask wheth it was always right or not‹that we must attend to some opinions, but not to all? Or was it right befroe I was condemned to death, but now it becomes clear taht we talked for the sake of talking, and it was realy a game of nonsense?\waht I deisre is, Criton, to examine along wit you whether it will prove to be different nwo that I am iin thsi case, or the same; and then we will say good-bye to it, or else obey it.

This is very much waht used to be said, I think, by those who believed they had something serious to say,,,,

Socrates, Don't we believe it was right enought osay that we must not rrespect all the opinions of men, but only some?

To respect the good opinons, and ot the bad?

The good ones are those of the wise, the bad ones those of the foolish?

Here Socrates makes an empirical genearlization by using the examples of working athletic listening to all others or only to the trainer or the physician=one?

The working athele must fear the blame and welcome the priase of the one, and not of the many others.

Socrates thus tried to show:

it is not the opinions of the majority, which

we are concerned with, but a few or even one who possesses the knowledge (technee in this sense, =art) and can tell us which is right or wrong.

This may also construed more generally as follows, according to Socrates,

what makes our life worth living is not the opnion of the many, but the search for truth and truth itself.

Thus, what is true belongs to the beautiful, just, and virturous.

1) we pursue the true, the just, the beautiful and the virtuous to make our life worth living.
2) it is right to keep a promise or commitment. To break it is wrong.
3) Socrates made a contract and kept the promise to be a good citizen, and he cannot break the promise, which is morally wrong.
4) since the state and the Laws have been given him the birth, educated him and nurished him. It is wrong that, because, (some people feel that) Socrates was not correctly or rightly treated by the state,

He maintained that when the human-being knows what is right and what is wrong, he could not help but do the right thing.
To do the wrong to the good man cannot harm that man either. Only the ignorant can do evils.

The trial against Socrates took place in Athens in 400/399 B.C. It was customary to have 501 jurors (and no judge in the modern sense). It was the accused's responsibility to defend himself against the accusation. He was also allowed to cross examine the accusers. The decision of sentencing the accused was made by the majority votes of those 501 jurors.

Socrates started his defense with the declaration that he would speak the truth. Truth itself and nothing else will make his defense. It is quite ironical that while the trial was attempted by the political motivation, Socrates tried to defend himself by having the truth speak itself.

First Socrates tried to divide the accusers into two groups, the new accusers and the old ones. The latter was, according Socrates, the prejudices about Socrates implanted in the minds of the jurors by many when the jurors were quite young. Believing that it would be more difficult to remove such prejudices, Socrates first attempted to refute the old preconceived ideas about Socrates.

According to Socrates, the old accusations (prejudices) about him were that Socrates was thought of being a criminal, indulging in the investigation of things on the Earth and in the Heaven and a clever speaker, making a weaker argument stronger and teaching the same to others (p. 425). In short, Socrates was considered as one of the sophists. Plato's consistent efforts throughout the Dialogue were directed to repudiate this misconceptions of Socrates' being a sophist. On the outset, Socrates declared that he was not interested in eloquence, i.e., winning an argument by making his argument appear stronger, but was always and solely interested in truth and the whole truth = knowledge. Socrates never claimed to possess "wisdom" to give away or impart to others, nor to be a teacher of such "wisdom." Socrates said

It was a grand thing for anyone to be able to educate people as Gorgias of Leontini, and Prodicus of Ceos, and Hippias of Elis do." (p. 425/6)

As we have seen in the previous Section, Gorgias, Prodicus and Hippias are well known sophists who claimed that they were teachers of "wisdom."

For his philosophical inquiry, never had Socrates charged money to those young people who were observing and listening his pursuit.

Socrates tried to show how and why he got such a bad name. He said:

A sort of wisdom has got me this name, gentlemen, and nothing else. Wisdom! What wisdom? Perhaps the only wisdom that man can have. (p. 426)

Chaerephon, an old friend of his, went to the Shrine of Delphi and asked the oracle if anyone was wiser than Socrates was. The answer was that no one was wiser. Socrates had faith in the oracle, but he was not convinced so that he went around and cross examined many people who both himself and others thought that he was wise. The sophists, the politicians, the poets and the craftsmen who thought of being wise were shown that they were not wise.
Socrates was wiser than others in

...the fact is that neither of us knows anything beautiful and good, but he thinks he does know when he doesn't, and I don't know and don't think I do: so I am wiser than he is by only this trifle, that what I do not know I don't think I do. (p. 427)

This awareness of one's own ignorance was generalized as the interpretation of the oracle as follows.

...The truth really is, gentlemen, that the god in fact is wise, and in this oracle he means hat human wisdom is worth little or nothing, and it appears that he does not say his of Socrates, but simply adds may name to take me as an example, as if he were to say that his one of yo human beings is wisest, who like Socrates knows that he is in truth worth nothing as regards wisdom.

This is what I still, even now, go about searching and investigating in the god's way, if even I think one of our people, or a foreigner, is wise. (p. 429)

Socrates contended that this activities were so busy that he could not even hold a public office or private business worth mentioning. Those cross examined were angry at Socrates and did not understand what he did or taught, so they said that Socrates is a blackguard and corrupts the young; and repeated the stock charges against all philosophers, "underground lore and up in the air lore, atheists, making the weaker argument the stronger." (P. 429)

The new accusers were Anytos, Meletus and Lycon. Anytos on behalf of the politician, Meletus on behalf of the poets, and Lycon on behalf of the sophists presented the official accusation:

Socrates is a criminal, who corrupts the young and does not believe in the gods whom the state believes in, but other new spiritual things instead. (p. 430)

Meletus being an eccentric poet, was chosen as the main accuser and Socrates cross examined him next.

Socrates asked Meletus if it be important that the younger generation should be as good as possible. And if so, who do make them better?
Meletus answered first: "The Laws."
Socrates asked again who do know the laws.
Meletus answered: "The Jury." "The Councilors." and

finally "All the citizens of Athens, while Socrates alone corrupts them!"

I . Here Socrates starts attacking Meletus'a assumption by generalizing Meletus's answer of "educating the youth (by the majority) to the art (hé techné) in general:

1) Educating the youth is an art just like the horse training which is an art.

2) The art in general can only be mastered and exercised by a few specialists in it, not the majority.

I am not asking everybody (=the majority) to train a horse, but only a few specialists in that art called "horse-training." (For example, when you got really sick in stomach, you are not asking everybody for an advice for cure, but a specialist called a physician.)

3) Therefore, Not everybody in Athens are good and concerned educators of the youth, but a few specialists, i.e., Socrates in this context.

II. Socrates demonstrates secondly that no one knowingly wants to be harmed.

1) People get harmed by associating themselves with the bad people, while they get good with the good people.

2) No wants knowingly to get harmed.

3) By saying that I, Socrates, corrupts the youth, you contend that I, Socrates, did harm to those associates, which implies that I am knowingly making a risk of getting some evil from them.

4) (3) contradicts (2).
5) Since (2) is true, (3) is necessarily false.

6) Therefore, either I, Socrates did not corrupt the youth, or if I, Socrates, did corrupt the youth, then I did so unintentionally.

7) In the latter case (in the Greek law), Socrates is free of charge.
8) Therefore, Meletus was false in either case.

III. According to the indictment, Socrates corrupted the youth by teaching them not believing in the gods that Athens believed in. Namely, his impiety.

1) Socrates made Meletus commits a more universal statement that Socrates does not believe in any god at all and teach it to the youth. = Socrates is an atheist.

2) Meletus even states that Socrates believes that the sun is a stone and the moon is an earth, which was held by Anaxagoras, the highly admired philosopher, (and probably by the very young Socrates).

3) I, Socrates, believes in the voice of Demon (Spirit).

4) Therefore, I, Socrates, believes in Demon.

5) This Demon whose voice Socrates listens, believes and follows is a god himself or the son of a god.

6) Therefore, I, Socrates, believes in the god, therefore, I am not an unbeliever, i.e., an atheist.

IV. Socrates now contends that whether or not he would be ashamed of his running a risk of his death is irrelevant to his concern. What concerns him is whether or not he does right, i.e., whether it is what a good man does or what a bad man does.

1) Just as Socrates stayed at the post in Poteidaia and Amphipolis and Delion (the battleground of the Peloponnessos War) by the captains regardless of the threat of death, Socrates believes that God posted him with the duty to be a philosopher (lover of wisdom) to test himself and others (to be a questioner and critic), so Socrates should not and does not fear death at all to stay with this Divine duty.

2) As the indictment said, should I, Socrates, did not believe in God, because Socrates disbelieved the oracle, feared death and thought that he be wise while he was not wise at all.

3) For to fear death is only to think you are wise when you are not, i.e., it is to think you know what you don't know. For no one knows what death is at all, but many fear death.

4) Even if all of the jury decided to let Socrates free only on the condition that he will no longer spend time in this search or in philosophy, Socrates would not accept this offer.

5) For Socrates fears the god rather than you, the jury.

6) As long as he breathes and remains able to do it, Socrates will never cease to be a philosopher, exhorting you, and showing what is in him to any one of you, the jury, he may meet, by speaking to him in my usual way.

And then Socrates appeals to the Athenians:

You are an Athenian, a citizen of this great polis (city state), so famous for wisdom and strength, and you take every care to be as well off as possible in money, reputation and place‹then are you not ashamed not to take every care and thought for understanding, for truth, and for the soul, so that it may be perfect? (p. 43529E)

...if I think some does not possess virtue but only says so, I will show that he sets very little value on things most precious, and sets more value on meaner things, and I will put him to shame. This I will do for every I meet, young or old, native or foreigner.... For this is what god commands me, make no mistake, and I think there is no greater good for you in the city in any way than my service to God. (p.436)

All I do is to go about and try to persuade you, both young and old, not to care for your bodies or your monies first, and to care more exceedingly for the soul, to make it as good as possible;

and I tell you that virtue comes not form money, but form virtue comes both money and all other good things for humankind, both in private and in public. (p.436)

Socrates further appeals to the Athenians that Socrates' loss from Athens will be greater, for he was sent to Athens by God to fulfill the above duties. The evidence for this is the fact that Socrates has neglected all his own interests, that he has been content with the neglect of his domestic affairs all those years, while Socrates was attending the interests of the Athenians. (p. 437)

The reason why Socrates remains as a private person is because, if he had not been so, he would have been killed long time ago, as he solely considered the justice and law rather than fear of prison and death (example of Salamis). (p.437-38)

Socrates has been always on the side of right, either has he claim to be able to teach and has taught at all, nor received fees for conversing with others.

People enjoyed spending their time with Socrates, because he has been pursuing the so-called Socratic mission by the command of god. (p.439) Indeed if he should have corrupted the youth, their relatives and friends would come now and would accuse Socrates. (In this context, Plato names himself as an attendant of this trial.)

Socrates would not commit a fallacy of argumentum ad misericordiam by bringing his children (one a young man, the other still children) with his age and with his fame. Besides, making a judgment is not to do a favor, but decide what is justice. (p. 441)

The court votes and finds him guilty: 281 found him guilty, while 221 found innocent. ( 35-A?)

The accuses is now to propose his alternative penalty to death penalty by the indictment.
Socrates says that as he has done so much for the state and for the others, he may deserve some rewards and asks:

Then what is suitable for a poor benefactor, who craves to have leisure for your encouragement? ...Nothing is suitable than boarding such a man free in the town hall (far more than the winner of Olympic Games).

Socrates has to be

1) in prison until he pays the fine, or

2) to be fined, but he has no money to pay.

3) An exile is not his choice, because Socrates, being unable to disobey God, would continue his Divine mission and soon or later, he would be tried again.

4) Finally he proposes one mina of sliver.

The court condemns Socrates to death. (37C)

Socrates must prefer to die after such a defence than to live by the other sort, For

The difficult thing is not to escape death, but to escape wickedness...

By putting Socrates to death, the Athenians are making a big mistake, for no one will reproach them, when their life was wrong.

Socrates talks about the voice of Demon checking him from doing even to a trivial thing and Socrates did not hear the voice this morning when he left his home to come to the court. So death is not an evil thing.

According to Socrates, death may be one of the following two alternatives:

a) a migration of the soul from here to another world, where death is like a sleep in eternity. Death must be a wonderful thing.

b) a migration of the soul from here to another world, and if what people say is true, you will meet all the dead of the past such as Orpheus, Musaios, Hesiod and Homer to discuss virtues and cross examine them. That will be happier.

However, Socrates contends:

No evil can happen to a good man either living or dead... (41D)

As the last words, Socrates appeals the Athenians:

Punish my sons, gentlemen, when they grow up; give them this same pain I have you, if you think they care for money or anything else before virtue; and if they have the reputation of being something when they are nothing, reproach them, as I reproach you, that they do no take care for what they should, and think they are something when they are worth nothing. And if you do this, we shall have been justly dealt wit by you, both I and my sons. (End of Apology)

Socrates did not write even a single work. And yet, many, many people, like we ourselves who read, for example, Socrates' Apology, are moved and inspired by this image of Socrates, his devotion to philosophy and his firm belief in the power of philosophy.

Why is this so?
We may answer this question perhaps in two ways:
The one is the fact that Plato experienced Socrates' death described in his Apology at his age of 19. He was so deeply moved by Socrates that he decided to become a philosopher rather than a politician which he thought that it would be a natural calling for him. Thus, Plato even reproduced Socrates' defense to show others how he was drawn to continue the mission of this master. Plato's entire life was determined by the inspiration by Socrates.

The other is the greatness of Socrates himself as a man and his total devotion to philosophy as well as his endeavor in midwifery of wisdom for others. His strong inspiration and love for wisdom and moral uprightness, his selfless dedication to the cause of how to improve ourselves, how we can be better human beings, his skillfulness of searching and insight into truth, and his great compassion to be a Gadfly of the state definitely impress us.

Although the sophists were the one who impressed the general populace with the power of "knowledge," Socrates articulated the right knowledge from the wrong ones (the mere skill of persuasion) and disclosed that the human beings themselves, their virtues and their right conducts are the crucial in leading a better life, leading a happy life. Socrates was the one, too, who advocated that the morally good life the cause of happiness. Moralists of the so-called Small Socratic Schools followed closely what Socrates tried to accomplish. And yet, at the same time, they were responding to the need of the individual who searches for the principle by which they are able to lead a good life. In stead of asking what is the good which makes us happy, they asked what happiness (e.g., sensuous pleasure and avoidance of pain, or the serenity of our soul) brings about our good life. This is the beginning of the moral philosophy for the individual.