Philosophy of the Person I

PHIL107040
Professor Rojcewicz

Reading Guide: Plato’s Apology

Pages 24c-35e

24c: What are the newer charges brought against Socrates? These are the official charges as well.
The older charges are more of an overall assumption about Socrates as a person.

Meletus has charged Socrates with corrupting the youth.

Socrates is going to do something very unusual in the Athenian court – during his defense
speech, he is going to question Meletus directly. Pay attention to the way Socrates asks his
questions and how he directs the conversation.

Socrates almost cross examines Meletus, attempting to make him slip up and reveal that
he is not at all concerned with the education of the youth. For example, Socrates asks a series of
questions to illustrate who in fact directs the youth if he corrupts the youth. Through the
questioning, Socrates concludes that he is perceived as the only negative influence on the
Athenian youth.

25b: Why does Socrates being to talk about horses? What is the move here?

Socrates talks about horses to dismiss Meletus’ claim that Socrates alone corrupts the
youth. Rather than a single individual corrupting a horse, an individual owner works to tame the
horse and work in tandem with its power. Other people misuse the horse for labor, while the one
who rears the horse is the true caretaker. Humans are depicted as corrupting in this manner.
Additionally, many of the Athenians own horses so they are in fact corrupt according to Socrates
example.

25c-d: Socrates’ argument against the accusation that he corrupts the youth is going to rest on
this initial premise that no one would rather be harmed than benefitted. Pay attention to how the
argument plays out. Do you think the argument is valid and sound?

The argument does not seem valid enough. One cannot base an entire verdict on the fact
that Socrates would not want to run the risk of being harmed by his student. To say that Socrates
only wanted to benefit morally from his actions (the entire motive) is utterly ludicrous. The part
of the dialogue about unintentionally corrupting the youth seems like the utilization of a loophole
or scapegoat to prove that he is innocent one way or another.

26a: Do you agree that you cannot punish someone for something they did by accident or
unwillingly? Think about our legal system. Do we ever punish people who make a mistake?
Would it be just to do so?
 I think that you can punish something for something they did by accident. Take a car
collision for instance. If the driver is inebriated to the slightest degree and he or she takes a life,
he or she should be held accountable for his or her actions. In our justice system today we do this
and it must be just. There are instances were outside factors such as extortion, force, or blackmail
result in disaster but that is less of the perpetrators fault.

26c: What is the second official charge brought against Socrates?

The second official charge is that Socrates does not believe in any gods whatsoever.

27b-e How does Socrates refute this charge?

Meletus says that Socrates claims that the sun is stone and the moon earth. Socrates
claims that he is just theorizing. They are not necessarily Socrates’ theories, rather, he conveys
them to others. Socrates still believes in the gods. Socrates attempts to attack Meletus’ character.
Socrates says that if he teaches about spiritual things then he must believe in them. If he believes
in spirits then he therefore believes in gods.

28a: What does Socrates say will be his undoing, if indeed he is found guilty? Will it be the
official charges?

Socrates’ undoing will be his unpopular status with the people of Athens, not Meletus or
Anytus but the slanders and envy of many people.

28d-29a: This is a key passage. What does Socrates’ say his calling is? Remember the words of
the oracle at Delphi. Does the threat of death affect Socrates’ actions at all?

Socrates’ calling is to be a philosopher, to examine the lives of himself and others,

regardless of the danger and risk of death. He is like a soldier stationed at a military post, death is
more favorable then desertion. Fearing death is like thinking oneself wiser than they are, it is
pointless and quite honestly knowingly ignorant.

29b-c: Another key passage. Here Socrates defines “Socratic ignorance:” He knows that he does
not know anything. What does this mean?

He is aware of the limitations of his knowledge. He does not attempt to be something that
he is not.

29d: Why is it unacceptable to Socrates to stop going around questioning everyone and
practicing philosophy?

Practicing philosophy is Socrates’ vocation in a sense. It is his god-given calling to

question the ways of the natural world and the lives of himself and others.

30a-b: What is Socrates’ philosophical method? In what way does it have to do with ethics?
Where does Socrates say we should focus our attention concerning the way we live?
 Socrates wants others to obtain goodness in their lives. He may appear harsh or blunt, but
his attempts are in service of god. He is obligated to help improve the lives of others. A good life
brings all that the Athenians yearn for in their daily lives: riches, wisdom, and power.

30c: Socrates periodically has to ask the audience not to shout out or make a disturbance. Why
might Plato include these asides in the text? What clues can we as the reader gather about
Socrates’ defense speech and the audience’s reception of it?

I think that the asides given a general overview of the crowd’s emotional status. By
telling the people of Athens not to revolt, it signifies that his death could result in mass revolt or
public discontent. What’s law is law and Socrates abide sby the law that governs his actions.
Socrates wants to reassure the crowd that everything will be alright should his death occur.

30e: Do you think Socrates has lived in service of others or has he acted selfishly? Why does he
say he is bound to the city (Athens)?

Socrates says that he is bound to the city by the gods above. I think that Socrates has
acted somewhat selfish, perhaps because his constant questioning comes across as arrogant and
self-fulfilling. At moments it seems like Socrates wants to affirm that he is more intellectually
apt than his fellow Athenians.

31b: Socrates says he has neglected his own affairs and wellbeing. Socrates does have a wife and
children. Does this change our view of Socrates at all? Why does he still not accept a fee from
his followers?

Not necessarily, it appears that Socrates should have been more present to his wife and
children. The obligation to family is culturally significant at this time and devotion to a divine
power can be expressed on a much smaller scale.

31c-d: Socrates’ divine sign. Recall his argument earlier that he believes in spiritual things so he
must therefore believe in the gods. What is Socrates’ divine sign, or daimon?

Socrates divine sign is a voice and whenever it speaks it turns him away from something
he was about to do, but it never encourages him to do anything.

32a-e: Socrates makes a distinction between private life and public life. What is this distinction?
Why doesn’t Socrates lead a public life?

If Socrates was involved in public life he would rapidly be killed by someone of an

opposing political affiliation. Socrates says that a man who fights for justice must live a private
life to guarantee survival. The government (when it was an oligarchy) could not even threaten
Socrates into any wrongdoing.

34c: Has Socrates evoked pity in the jurors? In you? Has Socrates acted shamefully, in your
opinion?
 Socrates has evoked a fair amount of pity in the jurors, yet only a little bit in me. If he
weren’t so obtrusive and more suggestive then he could easily convey the message without being
prosecuted for his claims. I don’t think that Socrates has acted shamefully of his actions
whatsoever, he is proud to have been doing his job. Socrates does play into a pathos appeal
through the incorporation of his family, the grief that will result should he die. I only pity
Socrates because his punishment is extremely severe for such a small act.

35c: The law is the standard of measure. Socrates is very clear about this. What might that mean
if he is found guilty? Could he ever justify breaking the law?

If he is guilty, he will die. He accepts this dismal fact earlier in the Apology. Despite the
jurors mourning if found dead, he encourages them to move forward and be progressive in their
attempts to analyze the world.

35e: Where you surprised by the guilty verdict? Why or why not?

Not very surprised. Socrates included a large degree of circumstantial evidence despite
the large size of the jury. His claims were sometimes unfounded and didn’t make too much
sense. For example, the portion of the text about wanting to be helped instead of harm doesn’t
carry that much weight in the court of law.