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A Comprehensive Analysis of Plato’s Apology

Introduction

The court charged Socrates with immorality and corruption in “The Apology of Plato,” but Plato denied these allegations. In the ten years that followed Socrates’ trial in 399 BC, the majority of apologia were composed. A brilliant logical defense of Socrates can be found in Plato’s Apology of Socrates. Every Apology provides a wealth of details (Plato, 4.1). Socrates is usually accused of upsetting the city’s established gods, bringing in new deities, and corrupting the youth. It is well known that Meletus, Socrates’s instructor, used an omen, or supernatural voice, to bolster his arguments. Throughout their chat, Socrates regularly checked in with Meletus to see if he had taken the enchanted suggestion to heart. Furthermore, Socrates related a story about how his friend Chaerephon posed an inquiry to the Delphic oracle, and the oracle responded in a way that validated his reputation.

According to the document, Plato contends that Socrates largely refutes the accusations and mounts a strong defense of why he was never the target of such petty allegations in the first place. He thinks part of the explanation is the public’s long-standing misperception of him. He claims that the public’s suspicion of particular categories of people makes him a target (Plato, 5.2). Since individuals are constantly looking to get better, it’s safe to conclude that many of Socrates’ contemporaries found his ideas uncomfortable. When they first met Socrates, they started to question his confidence because it seemed like he was resistant to change. Some scholars claim that Plato adopted a stance that differed from the consensus (Plato, 4.1). Some critics contend that Plato wrote the Apology more as a means of ridiculing or outdoing speakers of lesser stature than as an authentic account of what actually occurred. Similar to Plato’s assertion that he has saved the most significant of Socrates’ dialogues, this strategy is entirely speculative.

The document records that Socrates made it clear that his acts were motivated by his belief that he was the wisest man alive, based on the oracle at Delphi. Socrates concluded that his awareness of his ignorance of most earthly issues was the one thing that set him apart from other men in terms of intelligence (Plato, 4.1). Socrates goes on to claim that in order to spread this unusual wisdom, he believed it was his duty to face people who were thought to be “wise” and expose their ignorance (Plato, 3.1). Even though the people he embarrassed were furious, the young people of Athens genuinely admired him for these deeds. He says they are putting him on trial because they despise him. Subsequently, Socrates questions Meletus, the man who initially presented him before the jury. This is the only case of cross-examination, or The Apology of the Elenchus, that is found in most Platonic conversations.

Meanwhile, his conversation with Meletus is a poor example of this strategy because it seems more concerned with shaming Meletus than learning the truth. In a well-known quote, Socrates compares the situation in Athens to a gadfly stinging a lazy horse (Plato, 4.1). The state would most certainly go into a deep sleep without him, but because of his influence—however bothersome it may be to some—it can be aroused to act efficiently and morally.Socrates doesn’t think much of intelligence. Instead of highlighting his ignorance, his queries highlight that of the other person.

This document presents that following a tight decision that found Socrates guilty, he is asked to recommend a penalty. Jokingly, Socrates claims that if he received his just desserts, a lavish feast honoring his exceptional public service would be held (Plato, 8.1). More importantly, he pays a charge instead of being imprisoned or banished. Socrates, who believes that only the gods can fully know what happens after death, stoically accepts the jury’s decision not to follow his advice that he be executed. He also warns the jury members who were unhappy with his decision that by ignoring and not listening to him, they had done far more damage to themselves than he had. In Plato’s The Apology, Meletus and the Athenian legal system are criticized harshly and in a way that belies Socrates’s prediction about who the new critics will be. According to Plato, Socrates is unique and special; in the two and a half millennia that have passed, no one else has arisen quite like him. It is also true, though, that a whole new generation of critics was born out of his influence. In actuality, Socrates deserves most of the credit for founding the rational philosophical tradition in the West. His criticism would become much more widespread if other philosophers followed in his footsteps.

Plato inserts that Socrates responds to the assertion that he considers both natural and artificial events when attempting to explain physical phenomena that are ascribed to divine intervention. The analyst cites an Aristophanes joke in which Socrates thinks the stars are silly while traveling through the heavens (Plato, 4.1). Socrates replies that he will neither discuss the issue nor assert his knowledge of it. He doesn’t act patronizingly, but he also doesn’t criticize other people. He queries the jurors as to whether they recall him discussing these topics. ‘Is this not the grossest example of ignorance and the delusion of knowledge that exists? I am aware that injustice and disobedience to a higher power—whether it be God or man—come with wrongness and guilt, notwithstanding my limited understanding of the world below.

Furthermore, I will never overlook a recognized drawback in favor of a possible benefit. In this situation, I am superior to most men; in fact, I think I may be smarter than them. He cannot face his opponents’ strongly held beliefs; therefore, he must confront them. ‘He discussed the accusations that had been brought against them in great detail.

In the Apology, Socrates claims that amid the gathered multitude, Plato is merely one of many persons he knows. Since he went through the trial firsthand, Plato claims to be the best novelist of this kind (Plato, 6.1). Xenophon asserts that he is recounting a portion of a speech made by Socrates and that he learned about the trial from Socrates’ companion, Hermogenes. Socrates differs from the Presocratics and Sophists in that his philosophy is based on his straightforward admission of ignorance in all domains (Plato, 4.1). ‘That’s the reason Lycon, Anytus, and Meletus—my three accusers—are pursuing me. Meletus on behalf of the poets, Anytus on behalf of the artisans, and Lycon on behalf of the rhetoricians are accusing me. The revered order of sophists is hated for teaching pupils to refute false claims. Socrates ends his relationship with them. Socrates says he has never been paid for a lecture, although it’s plausible that some individuals do.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we are drawn to Plato’s Apology because it portrays the individual as a loyal member of the community. Plato’s The Apology describes the trial speech given by Socrates, who is accused of inventing new gods, corrupting the young of Athens, and refusing to acknowledge the gods acknowledged by the state. Therefore, Socrates’ remark is by no means an “apology” in the modern sense. The name of the conversation comes from the Greek word apologia, which means “defense” or “a speech made in defense.” Rather than expressing regret for his deeds in The Apology, Socrates makes an effort to justify them. He has abandoned his family and home, is weak politically, and needs more means and connections to support his rivals. The Athenians were probably worried by Socrates’ theories since they demanded deeper thought, which was a more challenging task than simply following orders.

References

Primary Source: PLATO’S APOLOGY (PDF) Document

 

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