Apology - Socrates’ Trial
Introduction
The very conversations that made Socrates famous also led Athens to condemn him to death. Plato's Apology and Crito preserve those final conversations, allowing us to see not only what Socrates believed, but how he examined an argument before deciding it was true.
In the Apology, Plato records Socrates' defense after he is accused of corrupting the youth and introducing new gods into the city. The trial ends with Socrates found guilty and sentenced to death. While awaiting execution, one of Socrates' closest friends, Crito, arrives with an escape plan. The guards have been bribed, safe passage has been arranged, and by morning Socrates could be free.
Yet Socrates refuses. To escape, he argues, would be to answer one injustice with another. Escaping would save his life, but only by abandoning the very principles he had spent a lifetime defending.
These dialogues are often remembered for the questions they raise about justice and courage. They also provide one of the clearest demonstrations of how careful thinkers examine an argument before deciding whether it deserves belief. Next week, we'll return to the thought-provoking conversation in Plato's Crito.
For now, in the Apology, Plato offers something as valuable as philosophical conclusions. He offers a method for testing whether those conclusions deserve belief.
Test Before Trust
Through reading the Apology, students can learn to argue well by paying close attention to how Socrates arrives at his conclusions.
Throughout both dialogues, Socrates treats every argument as something that should be tested before it is trusted. He examines the assumptions beneath a claim, follows its reasoning to its conclusion, and refuses to let emotion substitute for evidence.
As your child reads, encourage them to return to three questions:
1. Test the Foundation
“What is this argument assuming?”
When someone is accused, their natural “gut" instinct is usually to defend against the accusation.
"No, I didn't."
However, Socrates uses a different approach.
Meletus claims that Socrates corrupts the youth of Athens. Rather than denying the charge, Socrates responds by questioning:
Who improves them?
Step by step, Meletus is led to claim that everyone in Athens improves young people except for Socrates. The accusation begins to collapse because the assumption beneath it can no longer support the conclusion built upon it.
A useful question to return to whenever you encounter a strong claim is:
What must be true before this claim even makes sense?
Strong thinkers learn to examine the foundation of an argument before accepting its conclusion.
2. Test the Logic
“If this is true, what else must also be true?”
Socrates has a habit of following an argument farther than the person making it. In doing so, he often uncovers a contradiction.
If Socrates intentionally corrupts the people around him, those same people would become worse neighbors and fellow citizens. Who, Socrates asks, would deliberately make the people around him worse, knowing he must live among them?
Socrates does not introduce a new argument to counter Meletus's claim. Instead, he simply follows Meletus's reasoning until it can no longer support itself.
Keep this question in your toolbox whenever you encounter an argument:
If I accept this claim, what else am I forced to accept?
Arguments often appear convincing until we follow their consequences.
3. Test Your Judgment
“Am I persuaded by evidence or by emotion?”
Despite the pressure to do so, Socrates refuses to bring his family before the jury to appeal for sympathy rather than his argument. He knew such a display might influence the verdict, yet he insists that the case should be decided according to justice, not pity.
Whether Socrates' decision was morally correct or not is a question up to the reader, but the precedent he draws is much more important: emotion may influence our judgment, but it cannot determine whether an argument is true.
To us, emotional creatures, this remains a difficult habit to develop. Powerful stories, compelling personalities, and emotional language often persuade us before we have carefully examined the evidence itself.
Finally, ask:
Would this argument still convince you if the emotion were removed?
Final Question
Which arguments deserves your trust and how do you know?
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Thank you for reading!
