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Socrates then proceeds to interrogate Meletus, the man primarily responsible for bringing Socrates before the jury. This is the only instance in The Apology of the elenchus, or cross-examination, which is so central to most Platonic dialogues.
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. And yet, hardly anything of what they said is true.”
LOOKING FOR THE SOCRATES OF THE APOLOGY. Plato's Apology depicts Socrates' defense speech when he is on trial for his life. Its Socrates recounts the life that led to the charge against him. So the Apology is a natural starting point for formulating my hypothesis that the Socrates of Plato's dialogues that depict other times in Socrates' life ...
- Sandra Peterson
- 2011
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.”
He refers here to Aristophanes' play, where Socrates is portrayed as floating about in the air and uttering all sorts of nonsense about divine matters. Socrates responds that he does not pretend to have any knowledge of these things, nor is he interested in them.
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.
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Socrates begins his defense by calling attention to the manner in which his accusers use language and rhetoric. “I do not know, men of Athens, how my accusers affected you: as for me, I was almost carried away in spite of myself, so persuasively did they speak,” he says.
