Why Did Socrates Choose To Die Analysis

Socrates was an incredibly talented Greek philosopher from the city-state of Athens. He was regarded as the wisest man in all of Greece for his time. It is even said that he was told at a very young age by a great oracle that he would be the wisest man. However, his profound and unorthodox teachings wound up landing him in trouble with the Athenian government. Socrates was tried for corrupting the minds of the youth. It was true that Socrates would teach his philosophies mostly to young men, but eventually the government had had enough, tried him, found him guilty, and sentenced him to death. Socrates tried to defend himself in court but to no avail. His friends even wanted to help him escape prison and run away, but Socrates refused to leave. He had accepted his sentence and was executed. Why did Socrates choose to die. Perhaps it was because he knew he was not truly as wise as everyone believed him to be, or because if he was found innocent and set free he would continue his teachings and just wind up in trouble again, or maybe it was because he did not wish to betray …show more content…
Socrates himself, however, did not believe that to be true. Socrates spent his whole life searching for a man wiser than he was. The only thing he ended discovering was that others who considered themselves wise, really were not. Socrates did not think of himself as wise and knew he was not. Socrates accepted the death penalty for corrupting the minds of the youth with his philosophies. Perhaps Socrates realized the courts were right in his sentence because he was not truly wise and had in fact corrupted the minds of the youth. Or, maybe he knew that if he was to be acquitted of the charges he would continue his teachings and probably end up back in jail, and would rather not waste the time and effort. Or, maybe Socrates’ love of Athens and the respect he had for the government and the courts decision stopped him from fleeing his death