Socrates: Guilty or Innocent of Charges?

Socrates: Was He Guilty or Innocent of the Crimes
He Was Charged With?

Most of the information that we learn about Socrates comes from the work and writings of one of his students, Plato. It has been alleged that the great Philosopher wrote nothing down for others to read, and as such, the knowledge and the teachings from Socrates that is relied upon to convey his philosophy and the epic story of his life comes not from himself, but his students who attempt to provide and accurate picture of the methods and philosophical beliefs held by their mentor and teacher. The Apology is one of the many written dialogues written by Plato that discuss how Socrates was arrested and charged with corrupting the youth of Athens; teaching them and talking tot hem about his beliefs (including and probably most damaging that he did not belief in God, per se, and considered himself an Atheist). As one of the greatest philosophers to shape the study of Philosophy today, Socrates questioned everything and believed nothing until he could prove that there was no other logical answer. Personally, I do not believe that it is possible for one man to corrupt the youth of an entire population, however, this is what he was charged with, and ultimately convicted of in an Athenian court of law. Clearly, it is not heard to imagine that Socrates' Atheist views were considered a crime at this time, as religion was highly regarded as a common law that we might thing of today. Although there was a court of law, as we read about in many of the Philosophy and History teachings, for someone to overtly stated that there was no God, was a punishable offense. Socrates, a traveling teacher as he liked to call himself, questioned and challenged everyone he met and everything he heard. Also, a Sophist, he did not believe that nature or reason could be depended on to tell people why the world was the way it was. Sophists contend that people stay in their own worlds and each have their