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[0:19]Athens, 399 BC. The philosopher Socrates has been condemned, and his execution has just taken place. Friends of Socrates discuss his death. We were all there. The guard who was sympathetic released him from his chains. I have never seen him calmer. He tried to prove the nature of death and immortality with us. But I felt that even he with all the power of his mind could not illuminate that darkness. And then Crito abruptly asked, what way shall we bury you? And he answered, in any way you like, but hold me and make sure I don't run away. I cannot make Crito believe I'm the same Socrates who's been conversing with you. He thinks I'm already the other Socrates, you'll soon see a dead body. And he asks, how shall we bury you? I see my words with which I've been comforting you and myself have had no effect on Crito. Be of good cheer, friend Crito, and say you're burying my body only. Do with that whatever is usual and as you think best. He then requested the poison be prepared and brought. The guard told him to drink deeply. Walk until his legs grew heavy. And then to lie down and the poison would act.
[2:27]Such was the end of our friend. Above all men I have known, he was the wisest, the most just, and the best. Why was a man like Socrates put to death? At his trial, these were the charges that were brought against him. Militus, son of Militus, of the deem of Pythia, accuses Socrates, son of Sophroniscus of the deem of Alopeke, of the following. Socrates is guilty of crimes in refusing to recognize the gods of the state and in introducing strange new divinities of his own. He is further guilty of corrupting the youth. The penalty requested is death. Amedas and those who joined with him in making this accusation ready to argue their case. We are. Take the oath then. I, Meletus. I, Anytus. I, Lykon. Swear that my previous deposition. Listen to the accusations that will be made against Socrates. Decide if corrupting the youth and not recognizing the gods of the state are the real reasons Socrates is being tried.
[3:53]Look closely at the parallels between this situation and the political and social confrontations that are occurring today. I wish to sketch for you a picture of the sorry times that we have been through. You 501 citizen jurors of Athens, who will decide the fate of this man, Socrates. Is there one of you who does not remember Athens when Athens had wealth, power, empire? Our navy dominated the Aegean. The trade of nations was stored in our warehouses. Great walls surrounded our city and its ports. Magnificent temples were built, genius flourished in every art. The whole world looked to us for leadership. But what has befallen us? Our long walls destroyed, our olive trees burned, our trade ended, our treasury emptied, our navy lost, our empire gone, tens of thousands of our citizens dead. And who, more than any other man was responsible for these disasters? Who was it? Alcibiades. Alcibiades. Alcibiades, with his mad schemes, his discretion, his arrogance. And who was the teacher of this traitor Alcibiades, by whom was he guided? Socrates! Socrates! Yes, Socrates.
[5:22]After we were overcome by the Spartans, their leader Lysander, may the gods curse the very syllables of his name. Set up a government here. Surely most of you have reason to remember this government. It was called the Council of 30, was it not? I see the memory is vivid.
[5:48]You are Paeonius, are you not? You are Paeonius, answer! Yes, Paeonius. I've been told by a very credible source that you spoke out in the marketplace. Was it not the marketplace? Yes, the marketplace. Against us, praised the late discredited and corrupt democracy, and spoke out against us, your lawful government. My family. They will get a pension. Your warehouses will be taken over by the state. We are very busy, other cases must be heard today. Critias, Charmides. A pair we all have cause to remember well. 1,500 put to death. 5,000 exiled. And whose disciples were they, by their own admission? Socrates! Socrates! Socrates! Yes, Socrates, behind disasters, traitors, tyrants, Socrates. And this man who sits alongside me on this platform, this man of courage and probity, Anytus. Overthrew the Council of 30, restored democracy, and declared an amnesty to bridge the differences that separated Athenians. Because of this peace declared by Anytus, those like Socrates go unpunished for their political crimes. I accuse him of no political offenses. I only wish to remind you of what has happened. And of what might happen again.
[7:42]Who is to speak next for the accusers? Lykon.
[7:49]Greek laws have always been closely associated with religion. To submit to the law is to obey the gods. Yet despite the fact that piety has held the state together, we have seen a steady growth in disrespect of the gods. But not long ago, that great writer of tragedies, Aeschylus could declare, It is Zeus alone who shows the way to perfect knowledge. Through minds everywhere I pass, but all are vain, save that which names this Zeus, the highest one. And in a few short years, we have progressed to this. The gods are like fleeting dreams. Faith in oracles is foolish. The writer of these impious words is here today. Euripides, disciple of Socrates! Socrates! Indeed, Socrates. And among those prosecuted for blasphemy, there was the philosopher Anaxagoras. Who contended that the sun was a red-hot stone and the moon was made of earth. Whereas we all know they are really traditional Athenian deities. And who was it who, who studied with Anaxagoras? Socrates! Socrates! Socrates again. Oh, and there was Protagoras, who condemned that that man, not the gods is the measure of all things. And who professed admiration for Protagoras? Socrates! Socrates! You might recall that Protagoras was a sophist, one of that accursed crew of so-called philosophers, usually foreigners. Who could speak learnedly on a subject whether they knew anything or not. Who for money could teach you to make the worst side of an argument appear the better, so you could get ahead? Always arguing and, and questioning these sophists destroyed men's faith in the old truths, and made our young people clever. But not wise. And who was the greatest questioner and arguer of them all? Socrates! Socrates! Yes, Socrates, the supersophist. You recall what our comic poet Aristophanes had to say about Sophistical Socrates? Do you remember Aristophanes' play The Clouds? Oh, Socrates! What do you want, mortal? What are you doing up there? I walk upon the air and elevate my mind. Only up here, dangling my vast intellect in the heavens, can I scientifically perceive the secrets of the universe. By Zeus, what marvelous words! Zeus? Did I hear you say Zeus? Are you mad, sir? There is no Zeus! No Zeus? Then who makes it rain? Have you ever seen it rain out of an empty sky? No. But when there are clouds, it rains? Yes. Therefore, sir, it is the clouds that cause rain, not Zeus. Powerfully argued. But what about thunder? Surely the gods cause thunder. Reflect, sir. When you gorge yourself on your wife's stew, does not your belly rumble? True. Think of the rumble your tiny stomach makes. Then think of the sound the boundless clouds can produce when they have indigestion. Oh, secret and wondrous thoughts, teach me to reason like you, oh Socrates, and success will be mine. A satire to be sure, but scarcely more ridiculous than the man himself. With his bare feet, his, his dirty clothes, his poverty, and his endless questioning, and his anti-democratic tendencies.
[11:53]Is there anyone here who knows me as anything but an honest man? A blunt speaker? If there is, I would hear his voice now. Coward! Speak up if you think I'm a coward. A cruel or vindictive man? Then listen to me carefully. If Socrates regains his liberty, your sons will be ruined by his words. They'll rebel against your authority and the sacred traditions of the state. I say this because this is exactly what happened to my own son. Where are you going, boy? Where am I going? To buy fish. Where are you going to buy fish? To the fish market. By the Great King. If you're going to buy vegetables, where would you go? To Clientine's, in the market near the agora. And meat? To the same marketplace. And where would you go to find wise and noble men?
[12:57]Follow me and be taught.
[13:06]At that moment my son was no longer mine, but his. Socrates, however, is not interested in leading the youth to wisdom, but in demonstrating that no one, except himself is wise. My son now criticizes everyone, even our great men of earlier times. And what is galling to me is that Socrates teaches this disrespect, yet he himself refuses to take part in public affairs. He does nothing but confuse and disrupt. No Spartan spy has been as dangerous as Socrates. He's destroyed the morality of our forefathers. Athens has been torn by war and tyranny. Our democracy is just been restored. Our city has the right, it has the duty to destroy such as he. Don't be misled by his glib words, his philosopher's eloquence. He will try to make. Just one more word.
[14:06]If you frustrate the state and the vengeance that is do it for the transgressions of this evil old man, the crime will fall on your own heads. The vengeance of the gods will be on you. The accused will speak now. Men of Athens, how you have been affected by my accusers I cannot tell. I know they almost made me forget who I am. Of the many falsehoods told by them, one amazed me, saying that you should be on guard against my eloquence. If by eloquence they mean truth, then I'm eloquent. But I am an old man appearing in a court of law for the first time. So please, think only of the truth of my words, not their awkwardness.
[15:08]Anytus and his associates are dangerous to me. But far more dangerous to me are the others, the ones who began accusing me when you were children. And long ago took possession of your minds with their lies. They claim I'm a student of natural science, and refer to a comedy by Aristophanes. In which a man called Socrates talks nonsense. Or they like me to those who teach for money and instruct on how to make the worst cause appear the better. If you have ever heard me hold forth on these matters, I ask you to speak out now. A friend of mine, who most of you knew, Carephon, once went to the Oracle at Delphi. Pythian prophetess, who speaks with the tongue of Apollo. Is any man wiser than Socrates?
[16:23]No man is wiser than Socrates.
[16:32]No man is wiser than Socrates.
[16:43]When I heard that, I asked myself, what can the God mean? For I know I have no wisdom. Yet can gods lie? I thought, if I can find a man wiser than myself, surely no great task, then the Oracle is mistaken. So I went to a politician with a reputation for wisdom. But when I spoke with him, I could not help thinking that he wasn't really wise at all, no matter what people said. I tried to explain that to him, but he became irritated with me. I thought, well, neither of us knows anything really beautiful or profound, but at least I am better off than this fellow. Because he knows nothing and thinks he knows everything, while I know I know nothing. So I went from one person to another in search of a wise man. This inquiry, men of Athens, has made me many enemies, but it has led me to believe that only the gods are wise. And the Oracle used my name by way of illustration. What he meant is he is wisest who like Socrates knows that his wisdom is worth nothing. And what my enemies will never admit is that they're really angry because their pretense of knowledge has been shown up. Meletus, you good man, and true lover of your country.
[18:36]Tell the jurors then, who are the improvers of youth? You must know since you've taken the pains to discover their corruptor. The laws improve youth. But who knows the laws? The jurors. They're able to instruct and improve youth. They are. All of them. All of them. By Hera, that's good news! There are plenty of improvers. How about the people watching the trial today? They are also improvers. And the members of the Athenian assembly, do they improve or corrupt? Improve. Evidently, every Athenian improves and elevates youth, while I alone corrupt them. Is that what you affirm? I strongly affirm that you are their corruptor. What about horses, Meletus? It takes an expert trainer to bring out the best in a horse. Yet you claim an entire city can train our youth, while only I corrupt them. This is the word playing of a sophist. As to the other part of your indictment. You say that I refuse to recognize the gods of the state. Does this mean that I do not believe in gods at all, that I'm an atheist? I assure you jurors, he believes in no gods whatsoever. Yet your charge also claims that I'm guilty of introducing new divinities of my own. You claim that I'm guilty both of believing in gods and not believing in gods. Can a man believe in human affairs and not humans or horsemanship and not horses or flute playing and not flute players?
[20:31]I'm not accustomed to the thought that I deserve punishment. However, I will propose a fine in proportion to my lack of money. I can afford one mina. That is what I'll propose.
[22:23]The vote is now to be taken on the penalty. The accusers ask for death. The convicted, if I interpret him correctly, requests a fine of 30 minae, for which his friends will stand surety. You will now vote on the penalty.
[23:09]The accusers asked for death. The convicted, if I interpret him correctly, requests a fine of 30 mina, for which his friends will stand surely. You will now vote on the penalty.
[23:25]Socrates has been convicted. The penalty has been decided.
[27:12]And the hour of departure is come, and we go our separate ways. I to die, and you to live. Which is better? Not alone knows.
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