Socrate's Conviction
Socrates’ Conviction
Was Socrates guilty of the charges brought against him? Does his trial and execution represent the effective functioning of the Athenian democracy, or a failure of it?
Why, in a society relishing freedom and democracy, would a seventy-year-old philosopher be executed for what he was teaching? What could Socrates have done to prompt a jury of 500 Athenians send him to his death just a few years before he would have died naturally? He was charged with not believing in the gods worshipped by the city, introducing new divinities and for corrupting the youth. Socrates was a freethinker who went around Athens probing his fellow Athenians with questions and dialectal interrogations about religion and politics. He held contemporary views, that when he expressed them, provoked his listeners to anger. In 423 B.C., Socrates produced a play called Clouds, which at the time proved to be no threat to Athenian values and democracy. Characters in the play were taught how strengthen weak arguments by learning rhetorical skills and trickery and innovative divinities were introduced. However in 399 B.C., Socrates was charged with impiety. This was not the only charge brought against this philosopher; he was also accused for corrupting adolescences, Alcibiades and Critias. Should he have been condemned to death over such charges? Although religion and the state were central to ancient Athenian law, Socrates was executed unjustly.
Socrates’ reputation among his fellow citizens suffered greatly during two periods when Athenian democracy was temporarily overthrown; one four month period from 411-410 B.C. and a longer period from 404-403 B.C. The key forces in both of the anti-democratic movements were former pupils of Socrates, Alcibiades and Critias. Athenians considered the teachings of Socrates, especially his expression of contempt toward the established constitution, partly responsible for the resulting death and suffering. Alcibiades
Was Socrates guilty of the charges brought against him? Does his trial and execution represent the effective functioning of the Athenian democracy, or a failure of it?
Why, in a society relishing freedom and democracy, would a seventy-year-old philosopher be executed for what he was teaching? What could Socrates have done to prompt a jury of 500 Athenians send him to his death just a few years before he would have died naturally? He was charged with not believing in the gods worshipped by the city, introducing new divinities and for corrupting the youth. Socrates was a freethinker who went around Athens probing his fellow Athenians with questions and dialectal interrogations about religion and politics. He held contemporary views, that when he expressed them, provoked his listeners to anger. In 423 B.C., Socrates produced a play called Clouds, which at the time proved to be no threat to Athenian values and democracy. Characters in the play were taught how strengthen weak arguments by learning rhetorical skills and trickery and innovative divinities were introduced. However in 399 B.C., Socrates was charged with impiety. This was not the only charge brought against this philosopher; he was also accused for corrupting adolescences, Alcibiades and Critias. Should he have been condemned to death over such charges? Although religion and the state were central to ancient Athenian law, Socrates was executed unjustly.
Socrates’ reputation among his fellow citizens suffered greatly during two periods when Athenian democracy was temporarily overthrown; one four month period from 411-410 B.C. and a longer period from 404-403 B.C. The key forces in both of the anti-democratic movements were former pupils of Socrates, Alcibiades and Critias. Athenians considered the teachings of Socrates, especially his expression of contempt toward the established constitution, partly responsible for the resulting death and suffering. Alcibiades
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