Greek Philosophy 2 — Plato's Apology

Week 2 · Week 2: Greek Philosophy 2 — Plato's Apology · Ch. 3: Ancient Philosophy · Download .docx

Objectives

Explain the meaning of apologia and the context of Socrates' trial in 399 BCE
Identify the three formal charges against Socrates and his responses to each
Define the Socratic method (elenchus) and demonstrate it with a definition
Explain Socratic wisdom: knowing what you do not know

Key terms

Apologia: A formal defense speech — not an expression of regret.
Elenchus: The Socratic method: question, answer, counter-example, revise — until the weak definition falls apart.
Socratic wisdom: Knowing what you do not know — the only kind of wisdom Socrates claims.
Gadfly: A biting fly; Socrates' image of his own role — stinging Athens awake.
The Oracle at Delphi: The shrine whose priestess said no one was wiser than Socrates, starting his philosophical mission.
Meletus: The young accuser Socrates cross-examines during the trial.
Impiety: Disrespect toward the gods — one of the three formal charges against Socrates.
Corrupting the youth: The charge that Socrates taught young Athenians to question authority.
Sophist: A paid teacher of persuasion; Socrates insists he is not one — he takes no fee and seeks truth, not victory.
The unexamined life: Socrates' claim that a life without self-questioning is not worth living.
Civil courage: Holding a position under threat; Socrates chooses death over silence.
Daimonion: Socrates' inner divine sign that warned him away from wrong actions.

The concept

The Trial of Socrates: Apology and the Examined Life

In 399 BCE, Socrates stood trial before approximately 500 Athenian citizens on three formal charges: corrupting the young, failing to believe in the gods of the city, and introducing new divinities. The work Plato wrote about this trial is called the Apology — from the Greek apologia, meaning a formal defense speech. Socrates never says he is sorry. The entire speech is a defense of his philosophical mission.

The Origin of the Mission

Socrates' friend Chaerephon asked the Oracle at Delphi whether anyone was wiser than Socrates. The Oracle said no one was. Socrates was baffled — he believed he knew nothing. To test the Oracle, he questioned Athenian politicians, poets, and craftsmen. Each group thought they had wisdom in matters beyond their own work. Socrates found they did not. His conclusion: he was slightly wiser because he alone knew that he did not know. This is Socratic wisdom. It is not modesty — it is a precise epistemological claim.

The Gadfly and the Charges

Socrates compares himself to a gadfly sent by god to sting a sluggish horse — Athens — into examining its life. He sees himself as a public benefactor, not a criminal. He cross-examines Meletus, the young accuser, and shows that Meletus' charge of corrupting the young is confused and contradictory. On the charge of impiety, Socrates points to his daimonion — an inner divine sign — as evidence of his religious seriousness, not his impiety.

The Verdict and What Follows

Socrates is convicted by a narrow majority. Given the chance to propose his own penalty, he jokes that he deserves free meals at public expense as a benefactor of Athens. Only under pressure from friends does he mention a small fine. He refuses to propose exile or silence. His reasoning: death, if it is a dreamless sleep, may be a good thing; if it is a meeting with great thinkers, it is even better. Either way, to fear it is to pretend to knowledge one does not have. The unexamined life, he says, is not worth living — and no deal will purchase his silence.

Worked examples

Example 1: Example 1 — Running an elenchus: Start with the definition 'Courage is not feeling fear.' Counter-example: a firefighter who feels fear but enters the burning building anyway seems more courageous than someone who charges in without thinking. Revised definition: 'Courage is acting rightly despite feeling fear.' Counter-example: a person who is afraid of a harmless spider and forces herself to touch it — is that courage? Revised again: 'Courage is the reasoned judgment to act despite fear when the stakes justify it.' Three versions, each more precise because of the counter-example. This is the elenchus.

Example 2: Example 2 — Identifying Socratic wisdom: A student is asked what justice is. She says, 'Justice means treating everyone equally.' Socrates would ask: are equal prison sentences for a first-time offender and a repeat offender just? If not, then justice is not simply equality. The student has hit a counter-example and must revise. A Socratic response: 'I thought I knew what justice was, but I was wrong — I now see the definition is harder than I thought.' That moment of recognizing one's ignorance is Socratic wisdom. The student who is confident she knew and now sees she did not is wiser than before.

Common mistakes

Thinking 'apology' in the title means Socrates regrets what he did — in Greek, apologia means a formal defense speech, and Socrates never expresses regret.
Confusing Socrates' three charges — the formal charges were corrupting the youth, impiety, and introducing new divinities; theft was never a charge.
Thinking Socratic wisdom means Socrates knew nothing at all — he claims only that he does not pretend to wisdom he lacks; the point is epistemic precision, not total ignorance.
Assuming the daimonion is a demon in the negative sense — Socrates presents it as a benevolent divine sign that restrains him from wrong actions, not a possessing evil spirit.
Thinking Socrates feared death — he explicitly argues that fearing death is pretending to knowledge one does not have; he treats death as potentially good.

Self-check

Try each one before you look. A miss here costs nothing and tells you exactly what to reread.

1. What does the Greek word apologia mean, and how is it different from the modern English word apology?

2. What were the three formal charges against Socrates at his trial?

3. Explain what Socratic wisdom means and why Socrates claimed to have it.

4. What is the elenchus and how does it work?

5. What does Socrates mean by 'the unexamined life is not worth living'?

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