Lecture 02 | Socrates: The Last Argument

background

In 399 BC, the seventy-year-old Socrates received three accusations: 1. Not believing in the gods enshrined by the city-state, but new gods; 2. Corrupting youth; 3. Turn weaker argument stronger, neither is the law the prescribed "crimes". The Athenians seized Socrates' student Critia as the head of the puppet regime, brought him to court and sentenced him to death by poisoning. According to the records of the Phaedo, Socrates was very calm in the face of death. The subject becomes what death is and what happens after death. Socrates thought of the immortality of the soul, and saw death as another realm, a place different from the earth, rather than the end of existence.

According to the Apology, Socrates has four identities: citizen, educator, philosopher and theologian. Socrates, a citizen, was not noticed, he was a free man in the city-state of Athens, where he debated and lectured freely. Socrates, an educator, was criticized for poisoning youth. Socrates, the philosopher, was even more hated, and he was convicted of defeating stronger arguments with weaker arguments. Socrates, the theologian, was the most secretive, condemned to disrespect the gods of the city-state and to introduce new gods. Of these four identities, none of Socrates was accepted by the Athenian city-state. In addition to these four identities, Socrates is most proud of being a warrior.

After Socrates was convicted, his students had opened up all the joints for him, allowing him to escape from prison. And persuaded him that it was unjust to convict him. However, Socrates chose to go to the execution ground generously, seeing death as home. His reason: I was convicted by the state, and if I escape and the law is not obeyed, it will lose its due force and authority. When the law loses its authority, justice ceases to exist.

trial process

Socrates was tried by a 500-member parliament, composed of 501 Athenian citizens, an executive and procedural committee of the Athenian Citizens Assembly, whose members were elected. The responsibility of the 500-member assembly is to prepare proposals for the Citizens Assembly and implement the resolutions of the Citizens Assembly, and it is also responsible for the trial of major cases.

Trial proceedings proceed in the following manner: the litigants shall bring their case in person, then the court shall first vote on the question of guilt, and, if found guilty, shall decide after the parties have proposed a punishment that they each think is just. vote on the issue of punishment. If one of the plaintiffs does not get one-fifth of the votes of the 500-member parliament after filing the complaint, it will be punished by a certain amount of fines.

There was no appeal mechanism in Athens at the time, and the verdict made by the 500-member parliament was the final verdict. The 500-member parliament is not just a judicial body, it is also a legislative body, it conducts trials in the name of all citizens, and the decision of the 500-member parliament is the embodiment of the general will of Athens. Such an institution itself has supreme authority, and it no longer needs an appeal mechanism at all.

During the trial, Socrates argued that he had been philosophical all his life, pursuing knowledge, virtue, and the perfection of the soul. Socrates said his defense was not to avoid punishing himself, but to avoid the mistakes of the Assembly of 500 The sentence put an innocent man to death, thereby causing harm to the judge who sentenced him to death, and to the city-state of Athens and the law of the city-state itself. Socrates said: "Judges do not sit there and distribute justice as a favor, but decide where justice is, and they swear not to decide according to personal likes and dislikes, but to give just judgments according to the law."

After Socrates' initial plea, the 500-member assembly voted to convict Socrates by a vote of 281 to 220 . Next, Socrates spoke again, and Socrates could ask to pay a fine instead of the death penalty. Socrates said: " I have never lived the quiet life of the common man. I did not care about the things that most people care about, earning money, having a comfortable home, serving as a high-ranking civil and military officer, and participating in various other activities.  … A poor man Be a benefactor to the public, spend your time on moral admonitions to you, and what is the proper way to treat him? He can only be supported by the state at the expense of the state, and there is no better way... "

After Socrates spoke, the 500-member parliament voted again on the issue of sentencing, and the result of the vote was that Socrates was sentenced to death.

Evaluation

Despite the high literary quality of the defense, there is still considerable controversy in contemporary academic research on whether the defense is trustworthy and whether it can provide useful historical information. Also open is the extent to which the Apology reflects the motives and beliefs of Socrates throughout history. These debates are part of a discussion about what kind of historical documents can restore the life and philosophy of Socrates in history.

Despite the doubts about its authenticity, the Apology is still regarded as the most important work of the early period of classical Greek philosophy. It describes and shows how a law-abiding citizen should behave in words and actions. Plato's Socrates was imprisoned without fault, but he remained steadfast in his principles, and that's why he He left a deep impression on future generations with his firmness and fearlessness. Socrates' demeanor in court became a model for practicing philosophical ideas in times of crisis. The defense has also become a literary masterpiece and a part of world literature.

The original text of the defense

Honourable jurors, the most appropriate procedure for me is to appeal to the accusers, one after the other, on the counts charged against me, one after the other. The reason I'm trying to prioritize is because, as you know, there have been a lot of people who have accused me over the years, even though none of what they said is true. I am more afraid of those who have accused me before than Anitus and his accomplices. While Anitus and the others were enough to dread me, the other accusers were even more daunting. I am referring to the people who swayed you when most of you were children and filled your minds with untrue accusations against Me. They said, "There was a wise man named Socrates, who looked up astronomy and geography below; he shook his lips, and turned right and wrong." Dear jurors, it is these people, the purveyors of these rumors, who are dangerous The plaintiff, because those who listen to these rumors will think that whoever wants to study astronomy and geography must be a person who does not believe in God.

Dear jurors, now I'm going to start my defense. In the short time for my defense, I must do my best to clear the false impressions that have formed in your minds over the years. Honourable jurors, may the plea come out in your favor and for myself; I hope I prevail; but I know it will be difficult, and I know enough about the enormity of the job. Let it be done according to God's will, and now I must obey the law to plead.

At this point, some of you may interrupt me and ask, "So what have you done, Socrates? Why are you being falsely accused like this? If you've always followed the rules, all these gossips that slander you will be for sure. It's not going to happen; it's because of your deviance that these gossips happen. If you don't want us to speculate, please explain it to us yourself." It seems to me that this is a reasonable request, and I am I want to explain to you why I have been wronged. So please be sure to listen to me. Some of you may think that I am not serious, but I assure you that I am telling you the truth.

...

Honourable jurors, I follow the oracle, and the consequences of the investigation of the people have caused a great deal of hostility against me, a hostility that is both strong and enduring, which has led to a lot of malicious slander, including the Described as someone who shows off his intelligence everywhere. Since I had successfully stumped a self-proclaimed smart person on a particular issue, bystanders concluded that I knew everything about it. But dear jurors, that's not the case at all, true wisdom belongs only to God. With the help of the aforementioned oracles, he enlightens us that human wisdom has little or no value at all. It seems to me that God doesn't think Socrates the wisest, but just admonishes us by taking my name as an example, "The wisest among you, like Socrates, also realizes that his own wisdom is insignificant" .

So I still follow the will of God to this day, to search and find among the Gentiles and Gentiles if there are still people I think are wise. When I think a man is not wise, I try to prove the oracle by proving his ignorance. This heavy responsibility leaves me no time to take care of more state and family matters. In fact, my service to God made me destitute.

Another reason for my unpopularity is that many children from wealthy families who have spare time volunteered to follow me because they were happy to hear me criticize others. They often use me as an example to criticize others. I think they have thus discovered that many people who think they are knowledgeable actually know little or nothing at all. The people whom they censured therefore turned against me, complaining that there was a nasty meddler named Socrates, who instilled harmful thoughts in the youth.

Distinguished jurors, now that you know the truth, I have presented the facts to you without prejudice or reservation. I can be sure that my telling the truth is the reason for my unpopularity, which in turn proves that what I say is the truth, and that I reveal exactly what and why the slander against me is. Whether you investigate these issues now or in the future, you will see the facts as I have just stated.

This is my defense against the accusations of the first part of the plaintiff. Now I am ready to refute Meletus' accusation, which he claims is motivated by high principled and patriotic fervor against me. Then, I refuted the accusations of others one by one.

First, let's recall their testimony again as a new indictment. Their testimony was this: "Socrates was guilty of corrupting the minds of the youth, and guilty of blasphemy believing in a god he invented instead of a god affirmed by the state." That was their charge. Let us examine their views one by one.

The plaintiff charged me with corruption of youth. But I think, honorable jurors, that Meletus is guilty of sloppy handling of major issues by calling people to court without reason and pretending that he is extremely concerned about something that actually has no interest in him and worry. I will confirm this to your satisfaction.

Meletus, now I ask you, do you think it is the most important thing to influence our youth as well as possible, isn't it?

"Yes."

Tell these honorable jurors, then, who has given the youth a better influence. Since you care so much about it, you should obviously know. As you said, you found out that I had an evil influence on the youth, you denounced me in front of the jurors, and now tell them who had a good influence on the youth. You see, Meletus, you are speechless and unable to answer this question. Don't you feel ashamed? Don't I say enough to justify your indifference to youth issues? Say, my friend, who made the youth good?

"It's the law."

That's not what I meant, dear sir, I want you to name this man whose knowledge of the law is his first duty.

"It's these honorable jurors, Socrates."

Meletus, do you mean that they all have the ability to educate young people and make young people better?

"certainly."

Does this answer apply to all members of the jury, or only to some?

"Applies to all jury members."

great! What a generous answer. So are these bystanders in court now having a good influence on the youth as well?

"Yes, they also have a good influence on young people."

What about the members of the Council of Five Hundred? Do they also have a good influence on the youth?

"Yes, the members of the 500-member meeting also have a good influence on the youth."

Meletus, surely the members of the Citizens' Assembly will not corrupt the youth? They also exert a good influence on young people, right?

"It certainly has a good impact on youth as well."

It seems, then, that all Athenians, except me, are making the youth better, and I alone are making them morally bad. Do you mean that?

"very true."

This is clearly the worst quality you'll find in me. OK, let me ask you one more question. Take horses as an example, do you believe that all human beings are good for horses and only one is bad for horses? Or is it the other way around that it is only one or a few people who are good for the horse, they are the horse trainers, and the majority are only bad for the horse if they have to use it? Isn't that so, Meletus? Isn't that the case with horses and all other animals? Of course it is, whether you and Anitus admit it or not. Lucky for our youth if there is only one who lures them to their downfall, and all the rest are good for them. I need not say more, Meletus, for it is sufficient to show that you have never cared about the problems of the youth, that you have never cared a bit about your accusation against me.

...

Honourable jurors, in fact, I do not feel the need to defend myself against Meletus' charge, the above defence is sufficient. You are well aware of the fact, which I have stated in my previous defense, that I have incurred a great deal of hostility. If there is anything that can destroy me, it is neither Meletus nor Anitus, but the slander and envy of all, and it is this hostility that leads to my destruction. Slander and jealousy have brought misfortune to many innocent people, and I think this will continue and I will not be the last victim.

I am sure there is no greater benefit for the people of this city than for me to do the will of God. All my time has been spent trying to convince you, young and old, to be concerned first and foremost with the greatest happiness of your souls, and not with bodily pleasures and possessions. I am going to declare everywhere, "Wealth does not bring goodness, but goodness brings wealth and all other happiness. This is true both for individuals and for nations." This is my creed. If I corrupt the youth with this creed, it appears to be harmful; but if anyone says that this creed is not what I live by, he must be talking nonsense. So, dear jurors, whether or not you are willing to listen to Anitus, whether you are ready to release me, know that I will not change my behavior, no matter how many times I die for it.

If you doubt whether I am really a gift from God to this city-state, you can think about it this way: Over the years, I have put my personal affairs behind me, abandoned family pleasures, and worked all day for your interests, silently like my father and brother. Taking care of each of you and urging you to focus on good is not enough proof that I am sent by God? If I had any enjoyment out of it, and if I had been rewarded for my good-faith persuasion, there may be other explanations for my actions, but as you can see, my accusers, who shamelessly accuse me of all kinds of crimes, they Not yet mean enough to falsify evidence to prove that I did get paid or extorted. I think I can still provide strong evidence of the veracity of my statement - I am destitute.

Dear jurors, I don't think it's right for a man to beg a jury or beg for mercy to get himself a pardon. He should present the facts to the jury to convince them with reasoning. The jury cannot bend the law for personal gain, but must make a verdict on the basis of justice. Dear jurors, your oath does not allow you to arbitrarily sentence, but requires you to enforce the law fairly. Therefore, we must not condone your behavior of breaking your oath, and you should not condone your own behavior, otherwise, both of us will be punished. So, dear jurors, don't expect me to treat you in a way that I think is neither noble nor immoral nor consistent with my sacred duty, especially when Meletus accuses me of being impious When I come to court, don't expect me to do such a dishonorable thing. Clearly, if I try to persuade and induce you to break your solemn oath by begging, I am instigating you to blaspheme, and I will blame myself for being ungodly in my defense. But that's not the case, honorable jurors, I believe more in God than all of my accusers, and I hand over my verdict to you and God, in fact, it's best for me and for you.

(Socrates was found "guilty" and Meletus proposed the death penalty)

Dear jurors, I am not saddened by your final verdict against me, and while there are many reasons for this, the main reason is that this result was not what I expected. What amazes me is how the two sides vote. I didn't expect and couldn't believe the votes were so close, and it seemed that if there were thirty votes instead, I would be acquitted. Even I feel that for Meletus, I have been acquitted, and not only that, but anyone understands that if Anitus and Lycon do not come to accuse me, Meletus will He was fined a thousand drachmas for less than one-fifth of the votes.

But anyway, I have to face the fact that he proposes to sentence me to death. Well, what other punishment can I suggest to you, dear jurors? Obviously this is the most appropriate. Given what I've done, what else can I be punished for?

If I had the money, I would suggest that I be fined so much that I could not afford to pay it, so that it would not do me any harm. But I can't make this suggestion because I have nothing. Unless, of course, you limit the fine to what I can pay. I think I can pay about a hundred drachmas, and I suggest fine me a hundred drachmas.

Dear jurors, please wait a moment. Plato, Crito, Critopulos, and Apollodorus wanted me to propose a fine of three thousand drachmas, and they would bail them out. Well, I agree with the punishment. You can trust their ability to pay.

(Jury decides to sentence Socrates to death)

Dear jurors, for your immediate interests, you have finally decided to take on the reputation of killing the "wise" Socrates, so that those who want to slander our city-state will blame you for it. It is precisely because these people want to catch your fault that they call me a "wise man", but in fact I am not wise. In fact, if you wait patiently for a while, you will achieve your purpose through a natural process. As you can see, the journey of my life is coming to an end. I am not speaking to all of you here, but to those who voted for my execution. I have something to say to them.

Dear jurors, you will no doubt think that I was sentenced because of my inadequate defense, and that if I tried to impress the jury with words and deeds to get pardon, I might not have been sentenced to death. But this idea is absurd. I was not convicted for not doing my best to defend myself, but for not acting brazenly and flattering you in a way that pleases you. You would like to hear me cry and wail, to say and do things that I think are worthless and that you are used to hearing and seeing from others. But I don't think that because I'm in danger, I have to be a slave. I still do not regret the way I just defended. I would rather die in this unfavorable defense than have other defenses to save my life. The courtroom is a battlefield, and neither I nor anyone else should go to great lengths to escape death. In combat, it's obviously often the case that you can avoid death by simply laying down your weapon and begging for mercy to the enemy who's after you. In the face of various dangers, there are many ways to escape death. As long as you are so shameless that you don't care about anything, you can escape from death. But I think, dear jurors, the real difficulty is not to avoid death, but to avoid doing injustice; injustice is harder to escape than death. In today's trial, my dull old man cannot escape death and danger, but the wise and quick accuser cannot escape injustice, which is more destructive than death. As I leave the courtroom, I will be sentenced to death for your judgment, but they are sentenced to death by the truth for their wickedness and moral depravity. They accepted the verdict as much as I, no doubt about it, and I think this outcome is fairly just.

I have said so much, but I still feel the urge to prophesy to those who agree to condemn me. Because the time of death is the time when prophecy can be best made. I tell you, executioners, that when I die, a punishment more painful than you kill me will befall you. You are confident that by putting me to death, you will escape my condemnation of your actions, but in my opinion, the result is quite the opposite. There will be many more people who will condemn you, and these people are now suppressed by me, and you do not know this yet. As a younger generation, they will be tougher on you and will add more troubles to you. You would be irrational if you expected to kill people to stop people from publicly condemning the wrongs of your life. It is neither possible nor honorable to escape condemnation of oneself in this way. The best and easiest way to do this is not to gag other people's mouths, but to be as kind as possible. This is my final warning to those who voted to convict me.

Dear jurors - and only you are truly deserving of such a title - I have had an unusual experience. A prophetic voice was always with me, and it would stop me if I was going to do something I shouldn't be doing, even if it was trivial. Now I'm in this situation, as you can see, I'm going to die, and people usually think that death is a great disaster. Yet when I left home in the morning, when I came to court, or while I was speaking, there was no sign from God to stop me. In previous discussions, God's voice often interrupted me abruptly when I was half-sentenced. But God never stopped me from anything I said and did on this koan. How can this be explained? This, I think, shows that the coming of death is a blessing to me, and we are very wrong to conceive of death as the greatest misfortune. I have good reason to think so, because if what I'm doing is definitely not going to lead to good results, the voices I'm familiar with will stop me.

In other ways, death is also justifiably seen as a good outcome. Death is one of two states, either the soul and the body are annihilated, and the deceased is unaware of anything; or, as the world says, death is the migration of the soul from one place to another. If there is no consciousness after death, like sleep without dreams, death must be a wonderful state. I think if anyone were to compare his sleepless nights with the other days and nights of his life, and after much thought, point out how many days and nights of his life were more sleepless than his sleepless nights The nights are better and happier, and I think even a Persian king would find such days to be numbered, let alone ordinary people. If death is like this, I call it a blessing.

Now it's time for me to go, I'm going to die; you go on living. No one knows which of us is happier, only God knows.

The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. - Socrates