Socrates’ trial
Background and structure
The trial was a public indictment, brought by Meletus, Lycon, and Anytus
There were 500+ jurors
In these trials:
Both persecution and defense speak for themselves, and could have “fellow speakers”
Each side has one speech, for up to three hours
If the jury finds the defendant guilty, each side proposes a sentence
Jury decides which sentence to implement
New Charges against Socrates
“Socrates is guilty of corrupting the young and of not believing in the gods in whom the city believes, but in other spiritual things.”
Old Charges against Socrates
Socrates - student of all things in the sky and below the earth who makes the worse argument stronger
Socrates also teaches these things to others
“Studying things in the sky and below the earth” - a depiction of presocratic materialists - those engaging in early science(physikoi)
Physikoi
Rejecting appeals to the traditional Greek gods as explanations for physical events
“Materialist” explanations under-supported by experiment and observation - thought the world was made out of basic material
Does Socrates make the worse argument the stronger?
- Socrates never takes any money
- Socrates never claimed to be an expert
- Socrates is not an “accomplished speaker” (except insofar as he speaks the truth)
The oracle at Delphi
Asked if there was any man wiser than Socrates - the oracle responds no
Socrates quest: to refute the oracle - Socrates thought to himself that I am likely to be wiser to a small extent, that I do not think I know what I do not know
Socrates the gadfly
Socrates believed that the gods sent him to earth to rouse each person and persuade and reproach people, pointing out that people are ignorant.
Implicit criticism of Euthyphro is that he doesn’t know what he is doing, so he should behave more ethically and morally conservatively - Socrates doesn’t know what piety is either - he is not very morally conservative though
Charge 1
“He says that I am guilty of corrupting the young”
Socrates says that Meletus is guilty of dealing frivolously with serious matters
Clarifying the claim
Showing the claim is implausible
Showing the claim, even if true does not merit punishment
Socrates alone corrupts the Athenian youth, everyone else improves them
B. IN the case of horses, one or few improve, while most corrupt
So, too for other animals
The same goes for the youth of Athens: it is more likely that most people corrupt
So it is really implausible that Socrates alone corrupts the youth
C. Socrates doesn’t corrupt the youth deliberately - the only way he could harm the youth is if he were doing it unwillingly
Because he does so (if at all) unwillingly, he does it unwillingly
- Socrates associates are the youth of Athens
- Socrates knows that wicked people harm their associates, good people benefit their associates
- All prefer to be benefited than harmed
- Socrates prefers to be benefited by his associates
- Socrates will not deliberately make his associates wicked
- If Socrates does make his associates wicked, he does so unwillingly
- Further, one who wrongs unwillingly needs instruction, not punishment
- So, If Socrates corrupts unwillingly, he should be instructed, not punished
Charge 2:
Socrates believes in no gods
Elenchus
“Examine with me, gentleman, how he appears to contradict himself, and you, Meletus, answer us. Remember, gentleman, what I asked you when I began, not to create a disturbance if I proceed in my usual manner”
- If someone believes in spiritual manners, then they believe in spirits
- Socrates believes in spiritual manners
- So, he believes in spirits
- Spirits are either gods or children of gods
- If spirits are gods, then Socrates believes in gods
- If spirits are children of gods, then also Socrates believes in god
- So, Socrates believes in gods
We do not have any reason to fear death
To fear death is no other than to think oneself wise when what is not, to think one knows what one does not know
To fear death is to assume that death is going to be worse than life
The only thing we should care for is the best possible state of our soul, not money or offices, etc
It is impossible to harm a good person
- “A good man cannot be harmed wither in life or death”
- Be sure, that if you kill the sort of man I say I am, you will not harm me more than yourselves. Neither Meletus nor Anytus can harm me in any way; he could not harm me, for I do not think it is permitted that a better man be harmed by a worse
- The only way to truly harm someone is to make their soul worse, which can’t be done to a good man
- The only way to harm someone is to make them less virtuous
- The unexamined life is not worth living
- They asked Socrates if they let him go, would he stop bothering everybody, and Socrates thinks that the unexamined life is not worth living - the greatest good is to discuss virtue every day, and he said that it would be to disobey the gods to leave everyone alone, as he understands the oracle
