Relationship Between Individual and Society
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Plato presents an explicit statement of the relationship between the individual and society--even an unjust society--in the form of the "Apology," the statement of Socrates to the court that finally sentences him to death. The speech represents the conflict between the power of the state and the integrity of the individual. The title of the dialogue, of course, is "Apology," but in truth the title is ironic, as is much of what Socrates has to say to Meletus and the others in court. He has nothing to apologize for given that he has been performing in a more moral fashion than his accusers, and he is not apologizing for philosophy because philosophy is not only his life but the goal to which he believes all human beings should tend. He has dedicated his life to inquiry, and his apology is just another example of his method of inquiry. Rather than apologizing, Socrates offers a graphic example of his method, the method of teaching for which he is now on trial. The court gives Socrates an out if he recants his teachings, and he will not do it: If I say it is impossible for me to keep quiet because that means disobeying the god, you will not believe me and will think I am being ironical. On the other hand, if I say that it is the greatest good for a man to discuss virtue every day and those other things about which you hear me conversing and testing myself and others, for the unexamined life is not worth living, you will believe me even less (41).
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me. Another source of prejudice, he says, is the fact that over the years many of the young men of the wealthier class have come to him because they enjoy listening to the manner in which he exposes the ignorance of those around him. Those he exposes in this fashion have become angry and have called Socrates a destroyer of youth.
Socrates addresses the issue that he corrupts the young by noting his method and how all he does is expose the wrongheadedness of others, something the youth of the city like to see. He states that when the young people who follow him are queried as to what evil teachings Socrates has made, they are not able to give an answer because there are no evil teachings at all. Many do not want to appear not to know how to answer, though, and so they repeat the charges that they have heard of philosophers who teach about things in the clouds and things under the earth and who make the worse appear the better cause. It is because of the constant repetition of these claims that the charges have now been brought against Socrates. In order to show that he is not corrupting the youth, Socrates calls forth Meletus and asks him a series of questions, and Socrates leads Meletus from one logical point to the next.
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Socrates Meletus, Aristophanes Socrates, God Socrates, , Clazomenian Socrates, Living Socrates, socrates notes, socrates corrupting, Five Dialogues, unexamined life worth, life worth living, socrates corrupting youth, own socrates, socrates evil-doer, example method, manner living, meletus logical, socrates believes, corrupting youth, exile punishment,
Approximate Word count = 1782
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)
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