Plato’sApology

“It is not difficult to avoid death,gentlemen; it is much more

difficult to avoid wickedness, for itruns father than death.”

Some Background Info

• Plato’s Apology is the second of the trilogy(between The Euthyphro and The Crito)

• It’s Socrates’ defense in court• One of the most famous and important texts

in the history of Western civilization• We know this to be pretty historically accurate

(it’s not just a play, this actually happened)

“Apologia”

• The title, “Apology,” is a transliterationof the Greek word, “Apologia,” not atranslation.

• “Apologia,” in the Greek, means“defense,” which is why you often seethis titled “Defense of Socrates”

• He’s clearly not apologizing for anything

Trial Set-Up

• The set-up of the Greek democratictrials are similar to our own but withsome key differences.

• Here’s how the trial unfolds:

Trial Set-Up

• First: the prosecution makes its case (wedon’t get to see this)

• Second: the defense (Socrates) makes hiscase (this is where the dialogue starts)

• Third: the jury decides if he’s guilty orinnocent

• Fourth: if guilty, both sides suggest a penalty• Fifth: the jury then decides which of the

suggested penalties to choose

Who could be on the jury?

• Anyone in Athens (who was a “citizen,”meaning, had some kind of land, money,position, or standing in society)

• Athens was a direct democracy, unlike ours,in which individual citizens had direct say onall public matters (no electoral college, noappointed representatives, etc., people votedand participated directly in all affairs)

• The jury also acts as judge (there was noseparate judge).

How many jurists were there?

• Socrates was (in)famous in Athens.Everyone who was anyone wanted tosee this go down. So…

• 501 people showed up to act asjury/judge for the trial!!!

Part 1: Socrates’ defense

• Socrates establishes that there are twodifferent sets of charges against him,both related:– Old charges– New charges

Old vs. New Charges

• Old Charges– I am a “student of all

things in the sky andbelow the earth”

– That I “make theworse argument intothe stronger” andteach this to others

• New Charges– Atheism (not

believing in the godsof Athens)

– Corrupting the youthof Athens

The Old Charges

• These are unofficial charges. They won’t leadto his death. But! Socrates “fears” these“much more” than the New Charges. Why?Because…

• “these earlier ones…got hold of most of youfrom childhood, persuaded you and accusedme quite falsely…they spoke to you at an agewhen you would most readily believethem…and they won their case by default, asthere was no defense.”

The Old Charges

• They are “most difficult to deal with: onecannot bring one of them into court orrefute him; one must simply fight withshadows, as it were, in making one’sdefense, and cross-examine when noone answers”

Wisdom

• Socrates says he is innocent of allwrongdoing and “what has caused myreputation is none other than a certainkind of wisdom.”

• We then get the famous story of theOracle at Delphi…

The Oracle• Temet nosce• “Know thyself”• The Oracle had a

tendency to tell you“what you neededto hear” in order foryou to “knowyourself” and live amore complete liferather than tell youthe “truth” about thefuture.

The Oracle

• The Oracle at Delphi was a place you wouldgo in order to get answers from the gods(specifically, Apollo, a god of wisdom,enlightenment, the sun, etc.)

• The Oracle was a woman. You’d ask yourquestion to the priests presiding at thetemple, Apollo would speak through thewoman, and the priests would interpret whatshe’d say

The Oracle

The Oracle

The Story• Socrates’ buddy, Chaerophon, went to see

the Oracle and in his Q&A with Apollo, heasked him if his friend, Socrates, was the“wisest man in all of Athens.”– The Oracle said “yes.”

• When Socrates heard this, he thought it cannot betrue…he did not think himself very knowledgable aboutmany things. But the gods do not lie…so what’s goingon???

Knowledge vs. Wisdom

• Knowledge isalways intentional,meaning, it’s alwaysknowledge ofsomething…– Knowledge of how to

play the guitar, howto throw a curve call,how to flamencodance, etc.

• Wisdom is harder todefine (thoughSocrates is about togive us the mostfamous definition ofall time)

The Quest

• Socrates, unsure how it’s possible hewas the wisest in all of Athens since hefelt he knew less than so many people,sought out famous politicians, poets,artists, carpenters: people who knewthings he did not know.

The Quest

• “My experience was something like this:I thought that he appeared wise tomany people and especially to himself,but he was not. I then tried to show himthat he thought himself wise, but that hewas not. As a result he came to dislikeme, and so did many of thebystanders.”

The Definition of “Wisdom”

• “So I withdrew and thought to myself: ‘Iam wiser than this man; it is likely thatneither of us knows anythingworthwhile, but he thinks he knowssomething when he does not, whereaswhen I do not know, neither do I think Iknow; so I am likely wiser than he tothis small extent: that I do not think Iknow what I do not know.”

The Definition of “Wisdom”

• In other words, “wisdom” is to neverclaim to know something you don’treally know. Why is that so important?– What happens when you claim to know

something completely and totally? Do youhave any desire to learn more about it?And what if you only think you knowsomething completely and totally? Nowcombined those two ideas…

The Heart of Philosophy

• Philosophy is the “love of wisdom”• Wisdom is “to never claim to know what you

don’t really know”• Combined: philosophy is the love and the

desire to always and forever seek moreknowledge, to never stop learning, to neverstop growing, to always have wonder in yourheart and desire for more knowledge in yoursoul

The Results of the Quest

• Everyone Socrates’ questioned got pissed off!They all think they’re so smart, Socratesshows up, shows them how not-wise theyreally are, and they take offense. This gavehim the bad reputation he spoke of earlierand he’s been doing this for decades.

• But! Each and every one came to realize theirown shortcomings and sought, then, tobecome as wise as they previously thoughtthey were. Socrates instilled in them a desireto learn, to grow smarter, wiser, than theywere before

The Benefits to Athens

• Athens was a democracy, run by thepeople.

• What is Socrates doing, person byperson? Making them wiser:

• A to B, B to C, A to C…what is Socratesdoing?

The Benefits to Athens

• Improving the democracy and the city ofAthens itself!

• Socrates realized this was what theOracle was trying to tell him! This washis mission from the gods!

• As he says…

As the god bade me…“Even now I continue this investigation asthe god bade me - and I go aroundseeking anyone, citizen or stranger,whom I think wise. Then if I do not thinkhe is, I come to the assistance of the godand show him that he is not wise.Because of this occupation, I do not havethe leisure to engage in publicaffairs…nor indeed to look after my own,but I live in great poverty because of myservice to the god.”

Socrates vs. Plato

• Socrates loveddemocracy becausehe believed peoplecould be made wiser

• If a democracy isonly as strong as thepeople, make thepeople strong!

• Plato had no faith indemocracy becausehe believed mostpeople were notwise and not suitedto rule

• He preferred anaristocracy as theideal form ofgovernment

Plato’s Ideal Republic

• Aristocracy is the “rule of the excellent”• Society should be divided into three

parts (castes):– Philosopher Kings/Queens (ruling class)– Soldiers (warrior class)– Farmers (peasant class)

Plato’s Ideal Republic

• The Philosophers governed with kindnessand wisdom; the soldiers defended thephilosophers and the farmers; the farmersprovided food and support for the soldiersand the philosophers. Harmony, peace,strength, and power are the results.

• Only once, as far as we know: a Greek colonyin Egypt circa 300 B.C.

Also…I guess…Superman?

• Zack Snyder’s recent film, Man of Steel,purposefully designed Superman’shome planet of Krypton after Plato’sideal Republic.

Complete with:

• A description of the Republic; a counselof philosopher kings…

Complete with…

• Even a young Clark Kent readingPlato’s Republic!

Recap of the Apology so far…

• Socrates begins his defense by defining twosets of charges: the old (unofficial) and thenew (official)

• The old charges are the scarier becausethey’ve given him a bad reputation that soursthe jury before the trial even begins

• He then relates the origins of this reputationvis-à-vis his story of the Oracle which thengives us his definition of wisdom and his life’smission in Athens

Two Arguments Against Meletus

• Argument 1: The Horse Analogy

• Argument 2: The Wicked PeopleAnalogy

Argument 1: Horse Analogy

• Dealing with the charge of corruptingthe youth of Athens

• Demonstrates that Meletus is a fool andis simply out to get Socrates out ofspite, for he’s clearly never thoughtseriously about what it means to “help”or “harm” the youth of Athens

Argument 1: Horse Analogy

• If you, Meletus,know who harms theyouth of Athens(me), you mustconversely knowwho helps improvethem.– I do.

• Who, then, improvesthe kids?– The laws.

• “That’s not what I’masking, but whatperson?”– These Jurymen

• “Some of them, or all ofthem?”– All of them.

Argument 1: Horse Analogy

• “What about theaudience?”– Them too.

• How about themembers of the cityCouncil?– Absolutely.

• “All the Athenians, itseems, make theyoung into fine,good men, exceptme, and I alonecorrupt them. Is thatwhat you mean?”– “That is most

definitely what Imean.”

Argument 1: Horse Analogy

• “All men improve them and oneindividual corrupts them?” But this,Socrates says, is absurd, and existsnowhere in the world. He takes just oneof limitless examples: a horse.

Argument 1: Horse Analogy• Who in here could successfully take

care of a friend’s horse if they droppedit off on your doorstep and took off for avacation?

Argument 1: Horse Analogy

• Who improves/caresfor the horse?– A vet– A horse-trainer– (i.e, someone who

knows a lot abouthorses)

• This is a vast minorityof people

• Whocorrupts/accidentallyharms the horse?– People who don’t

know a lot abouthorses

• This is the vastmajority of people

Conclusion

• Meletus believes the vast majority ofpeople help/improve the youth of thecity and only one person corrupts them

• Socrates demonstrates that only peoplewho know what they’re doinghelp/improve something, and thosepeople are small in number, not large innumber.

Argument 2: Wicked PeopleAnalogy

• “Tell us whether it isbetter for a man tolive among good orwicked men?”– Good.

• “Do the wicked harmor help those closestto them?”– Harm.

• “Does the man existwho would rather beharmed thanbenefitted?”– No.

What, then, followsfrom this?

Wicked People Analogy

• Meletus is accusing Socrates of corruptingthe youth of the city– In other words, he’s accusing Socrates of turning

these young, strong, able-bodied young menwicked (corrupting them)

• So, he’s accusing Socrates of transforming these young,strong, able-bodied young men into people who(because they are wicked and by definition therefore…)harm those closest to them

– And who’s closest to them???? Socrates!!!! Whichmeans….???

Wicked People Analogy

• Muhahahahaha! I will get a young, innocentboy and corrupt him!! He will then be mydisciple!!!

Wicked People Analogy

• Innocent -----------> • Corrupted (turnedwicked)

Wicked People Analogy

• …wiiiiiith…easily anticipated results…

Fear No Death!• After Socrates levels these arguments

against Meletus, he asks if he ought to feelashamed that he’s lead the kind of life thathas lead to a trial that could result in hisdeath. His response?

• “You are wrong if you think a man who is anygood at all should take into account the risk ofdeath, he should look only to his actions,whether what he does is right or wrong,whether he is acting like a good man or bad.”– This will become VERY important when we get to

the “gadfly” analogies and other historical“gadflies”

Achilles!!!• Socrates gives the example of the Greek hero

Achilles who was told by his mother, the quasi-goddess who could see into the future, that if heshould fight Hector, it would lead to Achilles’ death.

Achilles!• At the Battle of Troy, Hector kills Achilles’ best friend:

PatroclesHector Patrocles

Achilles!!!!• Without hesitating, without fearing death for one

moment, when Achilles hears of Patrocles’ death, heimmediately seeks out Hector…and kills him dead!

Fearing Death is unwise

• What was Socrates’ definition ofwisdom, again?

• What do any of know for certain aboutthe nature of the afterlife?

• When you say “I fear death,” what doesthat imply you know about death?

Death Could Only Be One ofTwo Things

• There’s a binary possibility:

• Either…

Death Could Only Be One ofTwo Things

• (1) Something happens (transmigrationof the soul, goes on to the afterlife,continues to philosophize for alleternity)– Fun! Sounds okay!

• (2) Nothing happens (endless,dreamless sleep)– Sounds okay, too, I could use the rest!

Why It’s a Mistake to Kill Me

• “I think there is no greater blessing for thiscity than my service…for I go around doingnothing but persuading young and old amongyou not to care for your body or your wealth inpreference to or as strongly as for the bestpossible state of your soul, as I say to you:wealth does not bring about excellence, butexcellence makes wealth and everything elsegood for men.”

Why It’s a Mistake to Kill Me

• “Be sure that if you kill the sort of man Iam, you will not harm me more thanyourselves…if you kill me, you will noteasily find another like me.”

• For what am I? A gadfly!

The Famous “Gadfly” Analogy

• “I was attached to this city…as upon agreat and noble horse which wassomewhat sluggish because of its sizeand needed to be stirred up by a kind ofgadfly….I never cease to rouse eachand every one of you, to persuade andreproach you all day long.”

“Gadfly”

• A gadfly stings asluggish, sleepyhorse and gets itmoving again

• Athens is the horse: thepeople that make up thedemocracy havebecome complacent intheir beliefs,succumbing passivelyto whatever theauthority demands ofthem, not thinking forthemselves

“Gadfly”

• The roll of the “gadfly” is the instigatorof radical, social change. A nonviolentmeans of getting people to think forthemselves and, in so doing, challengesthe authority of the authority (like in theEuthyphro, if something is right orwrong, it’s never only because theauthority says so).

“Gadfly”

• The gadfly has no fear of death, wishesonly to promote justice and freedom ofthought

• But like anyone being suddenly rousedfrom slumber but a sting, how does itmake us feel initially?

“Gadfly”

• Therefore, gadflies in society have atendency to be killed, historically.

• Can you think of any other gadflies fromhistory, people that have challenged thecultural milieu, challenged the laws,challenged the beliefs of the authority to getpeople to think for themselves and to promotefreedom and justice?

Some Gadflies from History

How About Gadflies in Music?

• Can you think of anyone in music or thearts that have used their art to performthe roll of the gadfly?

Some Potential Gadflies of Music?

• Bob Dylan: The Times are a’changin’• Songs of protest against the Vietnam War…• Songs of protest against the criminalization of black Americans

(i.e., Rubin “Hurricane” Carter)

Some Potential Gadflies of Music?

• Bob Marley: Get up, stand up, don’tgive up your rights, don’t give up thefight!

Some Potential Gadflies of Music?

• Tupac Shakur: “It's time to fight back", that'swhat Huey said. Two shots in the dark nowHuey's dead. There’s gotta be some changes.

The Verdict?

• Guilty! Though it’s not unanimous anda lot closer than Socrates’ believed itwould be.

• Next: penalty assessment…

Suggested penalties?

• Meletus: put Socrates to death!

• Socrates: for getting you think foryourselves, for making you smarterpeople, for making this a strongerdemocracy, what do I deserve? “Freemeals at the Prytaneum!”

Why not suggest exile?

• “The greatest good for a man is to discussvirtue every day and those other things aboutwhich you hear me conversing and testingmyself and others, for the unexamined life isnot worth living for men…”

• Socrates would rather die than be forced intoexile if it meant he’d have to stop living theexamined life and getting others to join him inthe examined life, too.

Socrates is sentenced to death• In 30 days time, he’ll be forced to drink Hemlock, a

powerful poison…