Socrates Impiety And Punishment

Arguably the most influential philosopher to emerge from Ancient Greece, Socrates was widely despised throughout his lifetime for his incessant search to find a man with more wisdom than he. Socrates was subjected to trial on the charges of impiety and corruption of the youth and was ultimately deemed guilty by the jury. Plato recounts Socrates’ lengthy speech of defense and his subsequent sentence to execution in his dialogue, The Apology. Regardless of his innocence or guilt, however, the verdict of Socrates’ execution is the most appropriate outcome of the trial. In his plea for acquittal, Socrates unwittingly proposes a more compelling argument in support of his own execution rather than against it. He allots a significant amount of time …show more content…
He continually refers to the wisdom that he possesses as “the god’s gift” (Grube 30d) and exhibits his trust in the power of the gods as he tells the jury, “...a good man cannot be harmed either in life or in death, and that his affairs are not neglected by the gods” (Grube 41c-d). It is hard to believe that the jury could find him guilty of atheism when he appears to have been blessed by the gods with this capacity for human wisdom. Socrates is nothing if not a virtuous man, as evidenced in his statement: “I would much rather die after this kind of defense than live after making the other kind” (Grube 38e). It is evident that it is against his morals to be dishonest, and he would rather tell the truth even if that entails dying, than deliver an elegant albeit dishonest speech that will ensure his acquittal. I have no doubts that Socrates had faith in the gods just as everyone else in Ancient Greece did, I merely speculate the degree to which his excellence extends. Surely, he could not have always been as virtuous of a man as he is now. There must be some point that divides a man who is virtuous from a man who is not, and I wonder how this limit is determined. Socrates is, of course, confident that he has been loyal enough to the gods that he will be rewarded for his excellence in the afterlife. Essentially, he has no reason to fear death. By this logic, the only people who fear death are those who are not confident in the powers of the gods, or those who lack religion in their lives. This argument is not realistic in today’s society, as even the most astute believers of any religion have fears and anxieties regarding what comes after death. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are plenty of atheists who embrace death despite the undeniable ambiguity of the