Socrates’ Innocence
Socrates was born at a time when philosophy in Greece was highly valued. However, controversies often came out when philosophy differed from the norms of the leaders. Generally, philosophers were wise and would not be easily be fooled by the leaders into accepting oppressing policies. Socrates was an example of the philosophers who often got into conflicts with the then leadership for bringing out the failures of the leaders. The most significant conflict that Socrates found himself in as to resist believing in the gods of Athens and instead of believing in supernatural beings that he did not specify. Generally, Socrates argued that he was not an atheist, as most people thought since he believed that life was controlled by superior beings other than the Athens gods. The position of Socrates led to the accusation placed on him that he was corrupting the youth of Athens and causing them to rebel against the authorities. Socrates did not corrupt the youth of Athens but instead empowered them towards taking a firm stand on what was right. Also, Socrates wanted to save the youth from being influenced by the leadership into accepting oppressive policies.
The trial of Socrates brought out several ideas that would affect the perception held towards Socrates. The accusations appeared to emanate from the fact that Socrates had refused to accept that Athens gods were ideal and that they should be worshipped. Socrates’ beliefs led to his association with other accusations. The issue of corrupting the youths of Athens came up because Socrates did not support the attempts of the leadership to influence the reasoning of the youths (Plato, and Burnet, 14). However, the intentions of Socrates were not in any way close to corrupting the minds of the youths. Instead, Socrates aimed at empowering the youths towards growing up as individuals who would not be influenced by the government to accept oppressive policies. Besides, the fact that Socrates created discomfort among the leaders did not mean that the youth were being corrupted; instead of that, the government needed some reforms. Generally, Socrates did not engage in any active pieces of training to corrupt the minds of the youths. Moreover, Socrates was accused of teaching the youth of Athens rebellious ways and corrupting their way of reasoning.
Corrupting an individual involves a deliberate attempt to change the way an individual behaves for personal gains. The gains involved in corruption are mostly in terms of money and other valuables. Socrates, however, did not receive any gains after talking to the youths. Besides, Socrates only talked to willing youths who were determined to bring a change in Athens, and they agreed to his doctrines. The leadership was happy with the following that Socrates was receiving from the youth and did everything at their reach to stop Socrates. The intentions of Socrates are revealed through his apology, and his argument does not have political intentions attached. Socrates was against the fact that most Athenians were not honest to themselves and lived in a life of deception. Socrates mainly focused on the youths because they were willing to be enlightened, and besides, they were the potential long-tern solution that Athens needed. Therefore, the accusations were ill-intended, and Socrates did not at any time attempt to corrupt the youth. Moreover, Socrates intended to change the mentality of his audience to save them from the slavery of lacking options on what to believe.
Socrates’ audience always consisted of young and impressionable individuals who were ready to listen and get encouraged. Athens was built in strict beliefs that dictated the beliefs that individuals had to have to be acceptable in society (Steinberger, 14). Socrates, however, believed that everyone had the freedom to choose what to believe in, and no one should be forced into believing in a particular aspect. For example, Socrates decided not to believe in the gods of Athens and instead believed in other supernatural spirits that were only known to him. Therefore. Socrates wanted his freedom recognized and also wanted to open the eyes of the youth into perceiving life differently from the way the society had made them believe. Besides, the youth were encouraged by the teachings of Socrates and did not complain about being corrupted. Moreover, the accusations presented against Socrates were flawed, and the juries had predetermined the outcome of the trial.
The accusations made against Socrates were flawed, and his innocence could be seen from the way evidence was presented sparingly. Socrates was accused of corrupting the Athens youth. However, no youth was present during the trial period to testify against Socrates (Ober, 138). The juries appeared to have had a predetermined outcome of the trial. The sentence would have made sense if the victims, the youth were allowed to testify against Socrates. Also, the decision to sentence Socrates to death might be interpreted to mean that the juries wanted to avoid the possibility that the truth would later come out, and Socrates would be found innocent. Also, Socrates did not force the youth to listen to him, and instead, he chose only the willing youth and who promised to listen to him. Moreover, the claim that Socrates was a sophist was misplaced, and Socrates did not change money for his addresses.
Socrates was accused of being a sophist and forcing the youth of Athens into believing in his doctrines. However, the accusations fail to show any evidence backing and instead bring out the concern that the accusations were ill-intended. Sophists are known for using force and asking for money for their services, a character that could not be traced to Socrates. Socrates was a critic of sophists and would not engage himself in activities that he criticized. Besides, Socrates always made the disclaimer that his thoughts were not forced on anyone and that he was not to be held responsible if anyone believed in his teachings. Also, Socrates distanced himself from the brainwashing actions of sophists. Therefore, Socrates did not engage in corrupting the youth but instead empowered them to have a diversified view concerning life.
In sum, Socrates did not corrupt the youth of Athens but instead empowered them towards taking a firm stand on what they saw right and attempted to save them from being influenced by the leadership into accepting oppressive policies. Socrates intended to change the mentality of his audience to save them from the slavery of lacking options on what to believe. The claim that Socrates was a sophist was misplaced, and Socrates did not change money for his addresses. Socrates did not engage in corrupting the youth but instead empowered them to have a diversified view concerning life.
Works Cited
Ober, Josiah. “Socrates and democratic Athens.” The Cambridge Companion to Socrates (2011): 138-78. https://edu.books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=HFQiAwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=P A138&dq=Was+socrates+innocent%3F&ots=pDXzH0v8UN&sig=dsxJPk6PM47u5H4T s1e-w5Jonn0
Plato, and John Burnet. Plato’s Euthyphro, Apology of Socrates and Crito. Clarendon Press, 1977.
Steinberger, Peter J. “Was Socrates Guilty as Charged?: Apology 24c-28a.” Ancient Philosophy 17.1 (1997): 13-29. https://www.pdcnet.edu/ancientphil/content/ancientphil_1997_0017_0001_0013_0030