Socrates' Defence

by Plato

Genres: Classics, Philosophy, History

Paperback

Published February 26, 2015

About the author

Plato (Greek: Πλάτων), born Aristocles (c. 427 – 348 BC), was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the written dialogue and dialectic forms. He raised problems for what became all the major areas of both theoretical philosophy and practical philosophy, and was the founder of the Platonic Academy, a philosophical school in Athens where Plato taught the doctrines that would later become known as Platonism.
Plato's most famous contribution is the theory of forms (or ideas), which has been interpreted as advancing a solution to what is now known as the problem of universals. He was decisively influenced by the pre-Socratic thinkers Pythagoras, Heraclitus, and Parmenides, although much of what is known about them is derived from Plato himself.
Along with his teacher Socrates, and Aristotle, his student, Plato is a central figure in the history of philosophy. Plato's entire body of work is believed to have survived intact for over 2,400 years—unlike that of nearly all of his contemporaries. Although their popularity has fluctuated, they have consistently been read and studied through the ages. Through Neoplatonism, he also greatly influenced both Christian and Islamic philosophy. In modern times, Alfred North Whitehead famously said: "the safest general characterization of the European philosophical tradition is that it consists of a series of footnotes to Plato."

Reviews

[Madlen Zagorska · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Is there anyone who doesn't believe in horses, but does believe in horsey things?"
4.5 zashtoto go ubiha i toq bar ne vleze v sila

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm no expert, but this Socrates guy seems pretty smart. He should try dabbling in philosophy, honestly.

[Anna-Katharina · Rating 3 out of 5]

perfekt um eine Rede im Englischunterricht zu analysieren lol (lots of ethos, pathos & logos)

[gaby · Rating 5 out of 5]

the book encapsulates a multitude of perspectives that give rise to realizations, persuasion, and eye-opening ideals.

[Charlotte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Socrates > Meletus

[Maya Aerts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. My favourite part (p53-54). “There is no way that those of us who think dying is a bad thing can be right; and I’ve had a powerful indication of that [..]. Let us look at the things in the following way too, to see how great a hope there is that it’s a good thing. Death is one of the other of two things: earlier the dead are nothing, as it were, and have no perception of anything, or else, as some people say, death is really a kind of change, a relocation of the soul from its residence here to another place. Now if dead perceive nothing, but are as it were asleep, as when a sleeper sees nothing even in dreams, death would be a striking gain; for I imagine that if anyone had to pick out the night in which he’d slept so soundly as not even to see a dream and compare not just all other nights but the days of his life with nigh- if he had to say after thinking about it, how many days and nights in his life he’d lived through better and more pleasantly than this night, I imagine that not just any private individual [..] would find these days and nights easy to count by comparison with those other, dreamless ones; so if death is something like that, I myself count it a gain, since from that perspective there’ll be no difference between a single night and the whole of time. If on the other hand death is a kind of change of residence from here to another place, and what we’re told is true, that all who have died are there, what greater good could there be.”

[Myrthe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Socrates is one funny man, let me tell you that.

I read this over two days, which is long considering this book is not even 100 pages, I believe. but I started late at night, so give me a break will ya?

as to what my findings are of this defence of his; truly have never read such a well thought out defence, whilst also being so humorous (I am a law student, so I feel qualified to say that).
Aristotle is being accused of polluting the youth and not believing in the gods, to which he makes some very good arguments as to why he is not guilty of such charges. my favourite goes along the lines of: 'does a man not believe in horses, even of he does believe is horsey things?'. the 'horsey' really made me laugh out loud.
but he also makes a few good points about wisdom -even if at the expense of others, but as a benefit to himself-, for when is a man truly wise? Socrates claimed that he was the wisest of all, because the oracle of Deplhi said so (literally called him by name). so he went out in search of contradictory evidence, though he did not find any.

truly a must read, especially if you like reading about philosophy and Ancient Greece. it takes no time at all to read and you'll have a few laughs while reading as well.

I give it 5⭐️! a must read about a very important historical figure, especially if you are studying or working in the field of Law, Politics or any other field that has some basis in philosophy.
R.I.P. socrates

[Gonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s fascinating to see how unjust the justice system in Athens was during Socrates' time. The trial and eventual execution of Socrates highlight not just flaws in their democratic system, but also the dangers of a society unwilling to tolerate dissenting voices. Socrates’ relentless questioning likely made him many enemies among the 'men of Athens,' and I’ll admit that his unyielding arrogance and penchant for exposing others’ ignorance frustrated me as well. However, Plato’s perspective sheds new light on him.
Through Plato’s writing, it’s clear that Socrates was deeply admired, not just for his intellect but for his unwavering commitment to his principles, even in the face of death.
The book also invites reflection on broader themes of justice, democracy, and the role of dissent in society. Are we, in our modern world, any more willing to listen to uncomfortable truths?

[Ennio · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won’t lie that I’ve not sometimes felt annoyed by Socrates’ boasting, but in the end I could completely understand them as reactions to an (from what I’ve gathered with my minimal research) unjustly trial and eventual execution. The last few pages stayed with me for a while after finishing the book and I’m glad I pushed myself to finish it. 4/5

[Bennett W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Existential crisis activated.

[valzamir93 · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Written on the 25th of October 2021 on my Insta)
It was really interesting to read how a trial in ancient Greece went in a way, honestly I was surprised that after such a great defense Socrates was still given a death penalty. It was very much worth the read, nice, short and light. ^^