Having observed the trial of Socrates, I was especially taken by the speech delivered by the defendant at the conclusion. It is a speech which addresses the central issue directly--is Socrates guilty of the charges leveled against him? The defendant makes a good case that he is not guilty of these charges and that his enemies are using his activities against him in a way that ignores the real nature of his teaching, his guidance of the youth, and his philosophy.
Socrates says that he is apologizing to the court, but much of what he has to say to Meletus and the others in court is not an apology at all but an ironic comment on the proceedings. He clearly believes he has nothing to apologize for, since he believes he has been performing in a more moral fashion than his accusers, and he is not apologizing for his philosophy because philosophy is not only his life but the goal to which he believes all human beings should tend. He says 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 has been on trial.
The court finally gave Socrates an out if he would recant his teachings, but 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).
There were two sets of charges against Socrates, and he addressed both in his speech. The first is called the older or more ancient accusation, while the second is referred to as the contemporary accusation. Socrates seemed to dread the older of the two the mo...