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Socrates begins his apologia by calling the jury “men of Athens,” wondering aloud how his accusers have “affected” them. “As for me,” he says, “I was almost carried away in spite of myself, so persuasively did they speak.
In Plato’s Apology, the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates finds himself on trial for charges of impiety and corrupting the youth of Athens. The narrative, set in 399 BCE, narrates Socrates’ defense speech delivered in front of a jury of Athenian citizens.
In a famous passage, Socrates likens himself to a gadfly stinging the lazy horse which is the Athenian state. Without him, Socrates claims, the state is liable to drift into a deep sleep, but through his influence—irritating as it may be to some—it can be wakened into productive and virtuous action.
Early in his apologia (or defense), Socrates mentions a play called The Clouds by Aristophanes. Produced in 423 BC, this was a satirical play that parodied Sophists and intellectuals in Athens, specifically singling out Socrates as a greedy and fraudulent teacher who manipulated rich people.
In his apologia, Socrates suggests that the truth—along with the Athenian judicial system—ought not to be denigrated by deceit and frivolity. However, he also suggests that “a man who really fights for justice must lead a private, not a public life.”
Jun 26, 2012 · Despite its atypical form, the Apology is clearly important for understanding the significance of Socrates for Plato, and it has been remarked frequently that through him the work functions virtually as a foundation myth for the Western philosophical tradition.
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Why did Socrates apologise to society?
Plato seems to have had a strong negative reaction to Aristophanes’ portrayal of Socrates. As a student of Socrates, Plato wanted to defend his former teacher not only against the charge of being a fool, but even more so against the charge of being a bad influence on the people of Athens.
