Socratic Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Socratic Philosophy - Essay Example The original speech given by Socrates was written by Xenophon, but Plato's version is still considered to be the most reliable source of gaining information about the history of the Socrates. There is no assurance considering how close are Plato's words to the words employed by Socrates in the actual speech at the time of his trial but it is believed that they are as closest as they can be. The speech given by Socrates was an attempt to defend himself from the accusations that were presented in the court against him. These charges included his corruptive activities in order to deliberately corrupt young minds along with his belief in atheism and creation of new deities. Plato was the only one who was able to revive the existence of Socrates in that court and his true state of mind. 'The apology' begins with the confusion that Socrates explained during the trial which said that he does not know if people of Athens, which were presented in the courts as the jury have been convinced by his accusers to join the jury. According to Plato's version of Socrates, he believed in the instant usage of words that came right from his mind rather than the usage of metaphors and perhaps words that over elaborate. The speech clearly presents Socrates notion of philosophy, which was an integral part of his undeveloped wisdom and his belief that philosophy can never be there unless one a dmits the intensity of Ignorance. The Trial: There three men who accused Socrates were Anytus, son of Anthemion who according to Socrates became a part of the indictment to represent the anger of the politicians and craftsmen. Socrates explained the eminence of virtue and that it cannot be taught while providing evidences to prove that many Athenians have sons who are in many ways mediocre as compared to the greatness that they had to offer. He precedes with real life examples of Pericles and Thucydides to strongly support the notion. Anytus was aggravated by Socrates' offensive remarks and impolite behavior that persuaded Anytus to convict him for various charges. The second man to represent the accusations was Meletus, the only speaker during Socrates' defense speech. Socrates mentions that Meletus joined the indictment to represent the poets; he also describes Meletus's appearance as a young hook-nosed man who is not known to many. During their discussion Meletus permits Socrates to bombard him with baffling queries that entrapped him in Socrates little conspiracy. Meletus accused Socrates of atheism and his belief in demi-gods. The third and the final accuser was Lycon, a remarkable rhetorician who as per Socrates joined the indictment on behalf of the rhetoricians. Along with Lycon, Nails is also believed to be an accuser who strongly represented the indictment and the charges pressed against Socrates. Nails became a democratic politician right after the downfall of the four hundred; he accused Socrates for his active part as one of the thirty tyrants who were solely responsible for the execution of his son, Autolycus. Socrates was faced by a set of two accusations which he had to defend himself from. The first set of accusations comprises of his conviction in various sorts of crimes and his big mouth that has only offensive words to convey. This set of accusations