SocratesInnocent Or Guilty Essay Research Paper Living

Socrates:Innocent Or Guilty Essay, Research Paper

Living in a democracy, everyone is exposed through television and other various forms of media everyday to numerous trials by jury. Usually they are rarely given a second thought, but every once in a while along comes a specific trial which captures the attention of the entire country. This goes the same for trials throughout centuries in our past. Although they did not have the same forms of media as in this, modern era, there were still specific trials in which everyone knew about. One trial that stands out is the one against the great philosopher Socrates. Accused of corrupting the youth, being an atheist, and believing in other gods, Socrates faced trial by jury. The early forms of democracy were not as sophisticated and complex as they are now. The outcome of the trial was that Socrates was found guilty and sentenced to be put to death by hemlock poisoning. The question is whether Socrates was truly guilty or just another person fallen to the early form of democracy of a people who were possibly jealous and afraid of Socrates. However, by understanding Socrates intentions, it is clear that he was in fact innocent of the above charges, and was wrongly accused and executed.

Socrates was executed after a trial in which he was accused of corrupting the youths of Athens, and committing acts of impiety. These accusations were brought to the court by a small group of men. Meletus was the speaker representing the group of accusers, while Socrates defended himself. The jury of 501 Athenians voted to execute Socrates on these accusations, but this extreme outcome was not planned out (Stone 78). The initial object of the trial was to get Socrates out of Athens, and he would just move along to another city and practice his teachings there. Being as stubborn as he is, Socrates refused to leave the city of Athens, no matter what the penalty. No one had previously imagined that Socrates would be put to death.

Socrates was a man who spent most of his time talking to people. He would ask them hypothetical questions, and make them think for themselves about the true answer they believed in, by serving as a guide for the conversation. Many people, including the accusers, believed that while Socrates did this, he was serving as a Sophist. A Sophist is a person who talks to people, and teaches them how to argue a point, whether the point is right or wrong. A Sophist would collect money for this lesson, and go on with their teachings (Xenophon 42). This accusation is inaccurate because Socrates did not collect any money for his conversations with people. Instead, Socrates was a very poor man, who happened to have rich friends. Talking to these people was a way for Socrates to try to spread his way of life to the Athenian’s. He enjoyed conversing with people about ethical issues, and moral beliefs. In his argument, Socrates refutes Meletus’ charge that he corrupts the young. One crucial point deals with the idea of Socrates as a paid teacher. This would imply that Socrates was actively seeking students and teaching “corrupting” ideas. This plays a part in the argument, by Meletus, that Socrates has deliberately corrupted the youth. Socrates says that, “the young men who follow me around of their own free will, those who have most leisure, the sons of the very rich, take pleasure in hearing people questioned; they themselves often imitate me and try to question others.” (Plato 23:c) The operative part being “of their own free will.” This effectively shows that, unlike some other philosophers of that time, Socrates was not formally imposing his views on others. This partially proves that Socrates is not deliberately corrupting the youth.

While Socrates was practicing his lessons in downtown Athens, and conversing with all the Athenians, he was doing no harm to the people. If the people did not want to talk to him, they did not have to. Socrates did not force people to talk to him, and he did not harm those who did choose to talk to him. A Sophist would come to your services, and ask you what you wanted to argue for. Whether the subject is right or wrong, a Sophist would teach you how to argue for or against a certain point (Xenophon 45). Socrates would do no such thing. He would just hold a conversation with people, not arguing points, or teaching literal lessons, but he would just have certain discussions about certain issues. These discussions may even benefit a person, because what he is doing in his conversation, is making a person think for themselves about certain issues, and by doing this, that person may see something they have never noticed before. He almost makes people more open minded in their thoughts and actions. After hearing Socrates speak, a person should be able to decide for themselves if they want to take what he said seriously, or just forget everything he told them. If a certain person does not like what is being preached, they do not have to follow that person’s preaching.

Socrates was accused and found guilty of corrupting the youth of Athens. His activities were such that he was considered to have corrupted the children by talking to them, and passing down his knowledge. Not only is Socrates an extremely wise man, but he is also a good man. Socrates’ activities were to teach the children of Athens various lessons that would improve the children, and

the future of the city. Teaching