Ancient Studies History Unit 5 TRIAL OF SOCRATES

Transcription

1 Student Name: Unit 5 TRIAL OF SOCRATES Due Date Reading Topic S 11/12 A&S Biography of Socrates Video - In Class: PBS III- Empire of the Mind Search for a Scapegoat & Trial of Socrates (39:50-55:00) (transcript available at A&S 68-70) M 11/14 Plato The Apology of Socrates - I T 11/15 Plato The Apology of Socrates - II W * 11/16 Plato The Apology of Socrates - III Th * 11/17 F 11/18 Plato The Apology of Socrates IV Thanksgiving Break T 11/29 In Class Passages from Aristophanes The Clouds & Plato s Crito W * 11/30 -- PAPER DUE Th * 12/1 Essay Options (Anticipated) 1) How does the Socrates in Plato s Apology of Socrates differ from the Socrates in Aristophanes The Clouds? Compare and contrast these two versions of Socrates in their character and personality, their approach to teaching and wisdom, and their ideas about justice and self-interest. 2) How would you judge the case of Socrates in 399 BC? Would you vote to condemn or to acquit him? What penalty or reward does he deserve? Which arguments of his do you find most compelling or most appealing? And which arguments do you find least compelling or most offensive? Write a SPEECH to your fellow Athenian citizens in which you strive to persuade them to vote to convict or to acquit. Videos for Unit PBS Empires Episode III Empire of the Mind: The Search for a Scapegoat and the Trial of Socrates (39:50-55:00) The Trial of Socrates Encyclopedia Britannica Educational Corporation (29:00) Plato: Apology of Socrates reenacted by Douglas Blackburn (16:00)

2 READING GUIDE: Harrison - Biography of Socrates (A&S 59-62) Due: Saturday, 11/12 Socrates pursuit of truth Oracle at Delphi Socrates as the wisest man in Athens Admission of one s ignorance Refusal to answer yes or no Sophists Aristophanes The Clouds Plato The Symposium Socrates as President of the Assembly Socrates s denunciation of the trial of the generals in 406 Spartan victory in 404 The Thirty Tyrants The majority is always wrong Socrates as an enemy of democracy Charges against Socrates Vote against Socrates Socrates death wish Socrates request for highest honors Socrates refusal to be rescued Hemlock Unexamined life is not worth living New way to live, new way to die

3 VIEWING GUIDE: Harrison Empire of the Mind (A&S 68-70) In Class: Saturday, 11/12 PBS III: 39:50-55:00 The Search for a Scapegoat and the Trial of Socrates, 399 BC Socrates as a scapegoat Charges against Socrates Athenian legal system Socrates as a stinging fly Verdict against Socrates Socrates reaction Hemlock Socrates as a new hero Lesson of Socrates life Plato Aristotle

4 Plato The Apology of Socrates I (Plato 19-25) Due: Monday 11/14 Socrates defends himself in court against charges of impiety and corruption of the youth of Athens. Socrates denies that he is a good speaker and says he will just speak the plain truth. He says his most dangerous accusers are those who for years have claimed he does not believe in the gods, and that he makes the weaker argument appear to be the stronger. He directly denies Aristophanes comic portrayal of him. He denies that he ever charges a fee. Socrates explains that the Oracle at Delphi has called him the wisest man because he knows the limits of his own wisdom. Socrates has exposed the lack of wisdom in those who call themselves wise. His investigations have made him unpopular, but he has attracted followers among the young in the process. Part I Questions (19-25) Why does Socrates deny that he is a good speaker? How does he respond to Aristophanes portrayal of him? How does he differ from professional philosophers? What exactly did the Oracle tell him, and what did he do as a result? What types of people did Socrates question? And how did they respond? Do you find Socrates explanation persuasive? Part I - Passages (19-25) Put into your own words 8 words or less 19) I have not the slightest skill as a speaker unless, of course, by a skillful speaker they mean one who speaks the truth. 21A) Very well; what did my critics say in attacking my character? I must read out their charge, so to speak, as though they were my legal accusers. Socrates is committing an injustice, in that he inquires into things below the earth and in the sky, and makes the weaker argument appear the stronger, and teaches others to follow his example. It runs something like that. You have seen it for yourselves in the play by Aristophanes, where Socrates is lifted around, proclaiming that he is walking on air, and uttering a great deal of other nonsense about things of which I know nothing whatsoever.

5 21B) The fact is that there is nothing in any of these charges; and if you have heard anyone say that I try to educate people and charge a fee, there is no truth in that either. 22A) I have gained this reputation, gentlemen, from nothing more or less than a kind of wisdom. What kind of wisdom do I mean? Human wisdom, I suppose. It seems that I really am wise in this limited sense. 22B) Well, one day [Chaerephon] actually went to Delphi and asked this question of the god as I said before, gentlemen, please do not interrupt what he asked was whether there was anyone wiser than myself. The priestess replied that there was no one. 23A) Well, I am certainly wiser than this man. It is only too likely that neither of us has any knowledge to boast of; but he thinks that he knows something which does not know, whereas I am quite conscious of my ignorance. At any rate it seems that I am wiser than he is to this small extent, that I do not think that I know what I do not know. 23B) From that time on I interviewed one person after another. I realized with distress and alarm that I was making myself unpopular, but I felt compelled to put the god s business first. 23C) It seemed to me, as I pursued my investigation at the god s command, that the people with the greatest reputations were almost entirely lacking, while others who were supposed to be their inferiors were much more noteworthy for their general good sense. 24A) But the truth of the matter, gentlemen, is likely to be this: that real wisdom is the property of the god, and the oracle is his way of telling us that human wisdom has little or no value The wisest of you men is he who has realized, like Socrates, that in respect of wisdom, he is really worthless. 24B) As a result, their victims have become annoyed, not with themselves but with me; and they complain that there is a obnoxious busybody called Socrates who fills young people s heads with wrong ideas. [T]hey fall back on the stock charges against any seeker after wisdom. 25A) They would be very reluctant, I think, to admit the truth: which is that they are being proven to be pretending to have knowledge, when in fact they are entirely ignorant.

6 Plato The Apology of Socrates - II (Plato 25-31) Due: Tuesday 11/15 Socrates defends himself against the charges of Meletus, who accuses him of corrupting the young. He questions Meletus, who claims that the whole citizenry of Athens must educate the young. Socrates maintains that only a few can best educate the young. He denies that he would intentionally do harm. Socrates shows that he believes in the divine and in the gods. He denies that he has any fear of death. He recalls his service in battle. Part II Questions (25-31) On what grounds does Socrates argue that only a few can best educate the young? How does he compare himself to a horse trainer? How does Socrates defend himself against the charge of atheism? What contradiction does Socrates point out in Meletus argument? According to Socrates, how much do people really know about death? Why does he argue that it is wrong to fear death? Part II - Passages (25-31) Put into your own words 8 words or less 25B) Let us first consider their charge again, as if it represented a fresh prosecution. It runs something like this: Socrates is guilty of corrupting the minds of the young, and of believing in supernatural things of his own invention instead of the gods recognized by the State. 26A) Then it would seem that the whole population of Athens has a beneficial effect upon the young, except for me; and I alone corrupt them. Is that your meaning? 26B) Or is the truth just the opposite, that the ability to improve them belongs to one person or to very few persons, who are horse trainers, whereas most people, if they have to do with horses and make use of them, do them harm? 29A) You are mistaken, my friend, if you think that a man who is worth anything ought to spend his time worrying about the prospects of life and death. He has only one thing to consider when performing any action: that is, whether he is acting justly or unjustly, like a good man or a bad one.

7 29B) Do you suppose that [Achilles] gave a thought to death and danger? [That is, after Thetis warned him he would die if he returned to battle in order to fight Hector] 30A) The truth of the matter is this, gentlemen. Where a man has once take up his stand, either because it seems best to him or in obedience to his orders, there I believe he is bound to remain and face the danger, taking no account of death or anything else before dishonor. 30B) [T]o be afraid of death is only another form of thinking that one is wise when one is not; it is to think that one knows what one does not know. No one knows with regard to death whether it is not really the greatest blessing that can happen to a man; but people dread it as though they were certain it was the greatest evil. 30C) This, I suppose, gentlemen, is the extent, and this the nature of my superiority over the rest of mankind; and if I were to claim to be wiser than my neighbor in any respect, it would be in this: that not possessing any real knowledge of what awaits us in Hades, I am also conscious that I do not possess it.

8 Plato The Apology of Socrates III (Plato 31-36) Due: Wednesday 11/16 (E) Due: Thursday 11/17 (F & B) Socrates refuses to give up his instruction of the young. He asserts that the God has sent him to Athens as a sort of stinging fly, a gift from God for the improvement of the people. Socrates explains his refusal to participate in politics, except for the one time when he stood up in defense of the generals who failed to save the drowning men after a victorious battle. He denies that any honest man can last long in politics. Socrates points to his many supporters as evidence that neither his pupils nor their families feel corrupted. Socrates refuses to beg for mercy. Part III - Questions (31-36) Why does Socrates insist that he will continue questioning his fellow Athenians, even if acquitted of the charges? Who has instructed him to do so? According to Socrates, what is the relationship between wealth and goodness? What is the special mission that God has given Socrates? What happened the one time when Socrates served on the Executive Council [the Prytanes]? What unpopular action did he take? And what did Socrates do when the Thirty Commissioners ordered him to fetch Leon of Salamis for execution? Why can honest men not last long in politics? Why do his pupils still support him? & Why does he refuse to appeal for mercy?

9 Part III - Passages (31-36) Put into your own words 8 words or less 30D) Gentlemen, I am your very grateful and devoted servant, but I owe a greater obedience to God than to you; and so long as I am of sound mind and body, I shall never stop practicing philosophy and encouraging you and pointing out the truth for everyone that I meet. 30E) Are you not ashamed that you give your attention to acquiring as much money as possible, or as much reputation and honor, and give no attention or thought to truth and understanding and the perfection of your soul? 31A) [I]t is my belief that no greater good has come to you in this city than my service to my god; for I spend all my time going about trying to persuade you, young and old, to make your first and chief concern not for your bodies and possessions, but for the highest welfare of your souls, proclaiming as I go, Wealth does not bring goodness, but goodness brings wealth and every other blessing, both to the individual and to the State. 31B) God has assigned me to this city, as if to a large thoroughbred horse which because of its great size is inclined to be lazy and needs the stimulation of some stinging fly. It seems that God has assigned me to this city to perform the duties of such a fly; and all day long, I never cease to settle here, there, and everywhere, prodding, persuading, provoking every one of you. 32A) The true champion of justice, if he intends to survive even a short time, must necessarily confine himself to private life and leave politics alone. 33A) On this occasion, I was the only member of the Prytanes [Executive Council] who opposed your acting in any way unconstitutionally, and voted against the proposal [to condemn all the genrals] I thought it was my duty to stand on the side of law and justice rather than support you, through fear of prison or death, in your wrong decision. 33B) I have never approved any action that was incompatible with justice on the part of any person, including those whom some people maliciously call my pupils. 33C-34A) But how is that some people enjoy spending a great deal of time in my company? It is because they enjoy hearing me examine those who think that they are wise when they are not; an experience which has its amusing side. 35A) I do not think that it is honorable for me to use any of these methods [of seeking pity] at my age and with my reputation. 35B) I do not think that it is just for a man to appeal to the jury or to get himself acquitted by doing so; he ought to inform them of the facts and convince them by argument. The jury does not sit to dispense justice as a favor, but to decide where justice lies. 36A) I leave it to you and to God to judge me in whatever way shall be best for me and for ourselves.

10 Plato The Apology of Socrates IV (Plato 36-41) Due: Friday 11/18 The jury convicts Socrates, but he is not distressed by the result. He is pleased that the vote was close. Instead of the death penalty, Socrates proposes that he receive a reward for his good service to the State. Socrates declines to go off into exile in another city. He refuses to quietly mind his own business. He warns the Athenians that their reputation will suffer if they put him to death. Socrates receives the death penalty. Socrates says that death is either annihilation, and therefore not to be feared; or it is the migration of the soul from one place to another. He looks forward to meeting the great Greeks of the past. He argues that nothing can harm a good man in life or after death. Part IV Questions (36-41) Why is Socrates not distressed about his conviction? Why does he believe he deserves a reward? What impact would this claim have on the jury? And why does he refuse to go into exile or to stop questioning his fellow citizens? Do you agree that the reputation of Athens has suffered because of the conviction and execution of Socrates? Why can nothing harm a good man in life or in death? Do you agree? Part IV - Passages (36-41) Put into your own words 8 words or less 36B) There are a great many reasons, gentlemen, why I am not distressed by this result I mean your condemnation of me but the chief reason is that result was not unexpected. 36C) I have tried to persuade each one of you not to think about your possessions or self-interest, but about how you will become best and wisest. 36D) What do I deserve for behaving in this way? Some reward, gentlemen, if I must tell you what I really deserve.

11 37A) Perhaps someone may say, But surely, Socrates, after you have left us you can spend the rest of your life in quietly minding your own business. This is the hardest thing of all to make some of you understand. If I say that this would be disobedience to God, and that is why I cannot mind my own business, you will not believe me. 37B-38A) Let no day pass without discussing goodness and all the other subjects about which you hear me talking and examining myself and others. The unexamined life is not worth living. 38B) I would much rather die as a result of this defense than live as the result of the other sort. 38C) But I suggest, gentlemen, that the difficulty is not so much to escape death; the real difficulty is to escape from wickedness. 39A) When I leave this court I shall go away condemned by you to death, but they will go away convicted by Truth herself of wickedness and injustice. 39B) If you expect to stop criticism of your wrong way of life by putting people to death, there is something wrong with your reasoning. This way of escaping criticism is neither possible nor honorable; the best and easiest way is not to silence the words of others, but to make yourselves as well behaved as possible. 39C) I suspect that this thing that has happened to me is a blessing, and we are quite mistaken in supposing death to be an evil. 40A-41A) You too, gentlemen of the jury, must look forward to death with confidence, and fix your minds on this one belief, which is certain: that nothing can harm a good man either in life or after death. 41B) Well, now it is time to be off, I to die and you to live; but which of us has the happier prospect is unknown to anyone but God.

12 Passages for Consideration over Break & Discussion in Class Due: Tuesday 11/29 Aristophanes The Clouds Strepsiades (page 9 lines 98-99) What s more, for a small fee, these gentlemen they will teach you how to successfully argue any case, right or wrong. Strepsiades (page 10 lines Some men say that the Inferior Argument can debate an unjust case and win. Strepsiades (page 24 lines ) I m raring to split hairs, quibble over windy intricacies, set notion against notion, and strike down arguments within counter-arguments. Socrates (page 28 line 367) Zeus? Don t be absurd! Zeus doesn t exist. Socrates (page 32 lines ) And do you repudiate all other gods, except those we venerate, the holy trinity of Chaos, Clouds, and a confident tongue? Strepsiades (page 32 line 434) I want to twist Justice around and escape the clutches of my creditors. Strepsiades (page 33 lines ) A chiseler, a shyster, a bullshitter and cheat, A miscreant, a twister, and a master of deceit. Socrates & Strepsiades (page 44 lines ) Socrates: Well, what DO you want to learn? Strepsiades: The other thing, you know (whispering): The Wrong Argument. Strepsiades (page 61 lines ) I want you to teach him those two Arguments, the Superior, whatever that is, and the Inferior, you know, the one that can argue a wrongful case and defeat the Superior Argument. If you can t manage both, then at least make him learn the wrong one.

13 Inferior Argument (page 62 lines ) Then let me start by defeating it by a counterargument, because it is quite clear that Justice doesn t exist. Superior (page 64 lines ) It s your fault that the youth of today refuses to attend school. You ll get your comeuppance, you ll see, the Athenians will realize what fools they ve been to learn their lessons from the likes of you! Superior (page 67 lines ) It was my system of student tutoring that raised the men who fought so bravely at Marathon. Inferior (page 70 lines ) Why else do you think the philosophers named me the Inferior Argument? Because it was I who created the concept of disputing entrenched ideals and ethics. My dear boy, don t you see? To be able to take up the Inferior Argument and win Is worth far, far more than any number of silver coins you could dare to count. Strepsiades (page 83 line 1242) Those of us in the know realize that Zeus is just a joke. Strepsiades & Pheidippides (page 83 lines ) Strepsiades: You would dare to raise a hand against your own father? Pheidippides: Of course I would by Zeus, and moreover I was perfectly justified in giving you a beating, as well. Strepsiades: You little bugger! How can striking your father ever be right? Strepsiades (page ) It s unbelievable, and to think it was I who had you educated to argue successfully against Justice. But there s absolutely no way that you re going to be able To convince me that it is right for a son to beat his own father. Pheidippides (page 93 lines Then surely it is justified for me to beat you for your own good, if by your definition, having someone else s best interests at heart means to beat them? How is it justified that your body should be protected against beatings but mine not?

14 Pheidippides (page 96 lines ) But I can use the inferior argument to defeat you on this very subject. I can prove that it is right to beat one s mother. Chorus (page 96 lines ) You brought this trouble upon yourself when you took the twisting path of wickedness and deceit. Strepsiades (page 98 lines ) Oh, I must have been completely out of my mind, to think I rejected the gods because Socrates told me to. Plato The Speech of the Laws [from Crito] Socrates explains to his friends why he has chosen to face execution by the city rather than flee. Socrates introduces the voice of the Laws of Athens, who persuade him that justice requires him to stay and face death. They claim that escaping would be unjust because (i) it would constitute a step towards their own destruction, and (ii) there is an agreement between him and the Laws, requiring obedience on his part in return for the upbringing they have given him. He must obey, even if doing so is inconvenient or dangerous. Passages A) The Laws: Both in war and in the law courts and everywhere else you must do whatever your city and your country commands, or else persuade it that justice is on your side; but violence against mother or father is an unholy act, and it is a far greater sin against your country. B) The Laws: No, Socrates, be advised by us who raised you do not think more of your children or your life or of anything else than you think of what is just.