The
Apology (beginning)
Plato
/ Translated by Benjamin Jowett
In
the troubled years after Athens's defeat at the hands of Sparta, Socrates was
called before a court to answer charges which strongly suggest that he was
partly responsible for the tribulations of Athenian society. After the
proceedings, Socrates was convicted by a vote of 281 to 220, and sentenced to
death. He chose to end his life by drinking poison Hemlock while in
prison. One his most devoted followers, Plato, later wrote an imaginative
account of the trial which was designed to defend Socrates's reputation and
also illustrate the essence of his teaching. The following excerpt is from the
beginning of the Apology. A later
portion can be found in the Perry Sourcebook.
I may justly claim, men of Athens, to make my defense first against the
first false accusations and the first accusers. For I have had many accusers
who have been telling you falsehoods about me for a long time--many years
now. . . .They said that there is a clever man, called Socrates,
who theorizes about the heavens and has researched into things beneath the
earth, and who makes the weaker argument prevail over the stronger. Men
of Athens, these men, the ones who spread this rumor abroad, are my formidable
accusers; for those who hear them suppose that men who search into such matters
also do not believe in the gods. These then are my accusers. . .
Well, then, I will make my defense,
and I will endeavor in the short time which is allowed to do away with this
evil opinion of me which you have held for such a long time; and I hope I may
succeed, if this be well for you and me, an d that my words may find favor with
you. But I know that to accomplish this is not easy -- I quite see the nature
of the task. Let the event be as God wills: in obedience to the law I make my
defence.
I will begin at the beginning,
and ask what the accusation is which has given rise to this slander of me, and
which has encouraged Meletus to proceed against me. What do the slanderers say?
They shall be my prosecutors, and I will sum up their words in an affidavit.
"Socrates is an evil-doer, and a curious person, who searches into things
under the earth and in heaven, and he makes the worse appear the better cause;
and he teaches the aforesaid doctrines to others." That is the nature of
the accusation, and that is what you have seen yourselves in the comedy of
Aristophanes; who has introduced a man whom he calls Socrates, going about and
saying that he can walk in the air, and talking a deal of nonsense concerning
matters of which I do not pretend to know either much or little -- not that I
mean to say anything disparaging of anyone who is a student of natural
philosophy. I should be very sorry if Meletus could lay that to my charge. But
the simple truth is, O Athenians, that I have nothing to do with these studies.
Very many of those here present are witnesses to the truth of this, and to them
I appeal. Speak then, you who have heard me, and tell your neighbors whether
any of you have ever known me hold forth in few words or in many upon matters
of this sort. ... You hear their answer. And from what they say of this you
will be able to judge of the truth of the rest. . .
One of you might perhaps
reply: "But Socrates, what is this profession of yours? What
is the reason for these slanders against you? For I do not suppose that
so great a quantity of rumor and gossip is the result of actions of yours that
were no stranger than other people's. You must have been doing something
different from the majority. Tell us what it is, so that we may not judge
you hastily and in ignorance." I think that the person who says that
is making a fair request, and I will try to show you what it is that has caused
my reputation and the slanders against me. Listen, then. . . Men of
Athens, the cause of this reputation of mine is nothing other than a kind of
wisdom. If you ask me what kind of wisdom, I reply, such wisdom as is
attainable by man, for to that extent I am inclined to believe that I am wise;
whereas the persons of whom I was speaking have a superhuman wisdom, which I
may fail to describe, because I have it not myself; and he who says that I
have, speaks falsely, and is taking away my character. And here, O men of
Athens, I must beg you not to interrupt me, even if I seem to say something
extravagant. For the word which I will speak is not mine. I will refer you to a
witness who is worthy of credit, and will tell you about my wisdom -- whether I
have any, and of what sort -- and that witness shall be the god of Delphi. You
must have known Chaerephon; he was early a friend of mine, and also a friend of
yours , for he shared in the exile of the people, and returned with you. Well,
Chaerephon, as you know, was very impetuous in all his doings, and he went to
Delphi and boldly asked the oracle to tell him whether -- as I was saying, I
must beg you not to interrupt -- he asked the oracle to tell him whether there
was anyone wiser than I was, and the Pythian prophetess answered that there was
no man wiser. Chaerephon is dead himself, but his brother, who is in court,
will confirm the truth of this story.
Why do I mention this? Because I
am going to explain to you why I have such an evil name. When I heard the
answer, I said to myself, What can the god mean? and what is the interpretation
of this riddle? for I know that I have no wisdom, small or great. What can he
mean when he says that I am the wisest of men? And yet he is a god and cannot
lie; that would be against his nature. After a long consideration, I at last
thought of a method of trying the question. I reflected that if I could only
find a man wiser than myself, then I might go to the god with a refutation in
my hand.