Summer Reading 2023 from SMU Fondren Library Permanent Collection

My next Summer Read for 2023 comes from SMU Fondren Library’s collection of Plato’s The Apology of Socrates, the speech Socrates gave at his trial.His charges include non-recognition of the state’s gods, inventing new deities, and corrupting the youth of Athens. Plato’s account continues to be treated as more of an historical essay than just a biography.

There have been many literary commentaries written about Plato’s Apology of Socrates over the centuries. The first extended English commentary was Burnet’s controversial one in 1924. In Michael C. Stokes, Plato: Apology of Socrates, the author tries “to find the correct register of English to render Plato’s very varied style and not smooth away the roughness of the original writing” as seen in Burnet’s work. In his commentary, Stokes treats Apology as “a work of both literature and philosophy”as it deploys many rhetorical devices of thought and expression not found in normal rhetorical commonplaces (Plato v).

 In a previous blog, I examined Aristophanes’ fictitious pandering to Socrates in his play The Clouds, which he published 25 years after Socrates’ death [see post]. Aristophanes singled out Socrates because he believed he taught science and dishonest rhetoric. Plato appears to have considered Aristophanes’ The Clouds a contributing factor in Socrates’ trial and execution in 399 BC as he “wrote not to inform but to amuse”(10).

In addition to The Apology, Plato wrote several works honoring the life of his teacher and mentor, Socrates: 1)Euthyphro of the supposed encounter on Socrates’ way to a preliminary hearing; 2) Crito Socrates discusses and rejects a plan to escape from prison; and 3)Phaedo Socrates’ last day.

The Apology of Socrates: a little background

In Plato: The Apology of Socrates, Stokes begins with a historical and biographical outline of the life of Socrates and the main focus of his commentary, the Trial of Socrates. It is his expectation that his work may be categorized as “fiction or faction”-the reader should decide for themselves.

In 399 BC, Socrates is arraigned for impiety, found guilty, and condemned to death. Impiety could presumably be extended to anything a prosecutor could convince a juror was impious—so that’s fair, not. According to Plato, Socrates is guilty of both corrupting the young and not recognizing the gods that the city recognizes, but other new superhuman beings. It is not clear whether this was a charge of formal atheism but for Plato, it was easier to rebut (11).

The accusations against Socrates were rooted in his philosophical activities and his interactions with the youth of Athens. He engaged in questioning and critical thinking, encouraging young people to question societal norms, beliefs, and the authority of the state, known as the ‘Socratic method’. This method included: 1) questioning and critical thinking and 2) encouraging young people to question societal norms, beliefs, and the authority of the state. Socrates’ teaching was seen as potentially subversive and destabilizing to the established order. Therefore, the charges against which Socrates defends himself include both the ancient prejudices and the legal accusations which have grown out of them.

In addition, Plato’s states in Apology that Socrates referred to himself as a prophet, but a poor one, insofar as he is a sufficient prophet only for himself (Stokes, 9). Socrates introduced new divinities to his audience of which he calls the divine sign or superhuman thing that happened to him. Socrates speaks of ‘seeming to hear a voice’ which he has heard from time to time and directed him toward moral and ethical actions. This voice forbids him to do something which he was about to do. Socrates states, however, that there was no guarantee that this voice would stop him from doing whatever was bad for him.

What was Plato’s purpose in publishing the Speech of Socrates?

While reading Apology, I began to wonder about the nature of Plato’s interest in publishing the Speech of Socrates. Yes, Socrates was his mentor and he was very loyal to his personal friend who held similar convictions and, yes, Plato perhaps wanted to allow Socrates’ his own defense against the accusations, but after doing some research into the Plato’s motive of publishing his speech, I found there was much more to consider.

According to Theodore De Laguna in The Interpretation of the Apology, Plato wrote the Speech of Socrates to depict to the world the very incarnation of the spirit of philosophy and how a true philosopher lived and died. This defense would infer that of every man who follows in the footsteps of Socrates. “It is not an apology, not alone for the historical individual, however loved and respected, but for the philosophical life” (Interpretation, 25).

As De Laguna observed, Plato was defending the philosophical life of Socrates in Apology—”a divinely appointed mission of a certain remarkable individual”. Plato felt this was a supreme obligation that ranked above his own public and private occupation. The most famous words of the whole Apology, according to De Laguana, is that the philosophical life is the greatest good to man, and that no other life is fit to be lived by man (29). Wow, this is quite a statement. This philosophical life cannot be cut off by death of him who lives it. That is a bold statement as it provides an everlasting happiness of the just. And the unjust? What gods determine this? Socrates denounces the accusation stated previously in this post that he “does not agree with the gods that the city recognizes”. So, in what gods does he believe? De Laguna points out that some have held that in the Apology we have only to do with a religious conviction, which was in later years given a genuinely philosophical basis (36). So, no gods then?

Apology is a work of art. Was Socrates guilty of the charges brought against him? Were these charges enough to warrant a conviction and death sentence? Has Plato’s purpose been fulfilled by publishing Socrates’ speech? The current Platonic controversy now questions the date that the Apology was written rather than the study of the development of Plato’s thought in publishing Socrate’s speech (37).

De Laguna ends with an interesting observation: A good speech easier to write than a good dialogue!

I have highlighted some of my favorite quotes of Socrates’, as recorded by Plato in Apology:

  • You ought to be careful I don’t deceive you, because I am a clever speaker” (17a6-7) –I love this!: Socrates’ disclaimer of rhetorical skill is itself a rhetorical convention!!
  • Their failure (accusers) to be ashamed at the immediate prospect of my refuting them in practice, when my utter lack of cleverness in speaking…I’m an orator in a different league from them (17b1-4)–Socrates specialized in refutation, usually by Q&A.
  • But from me you shall hear nothing but the truth: not by Zeus, Athenians, language elegant with fine words and expressions like theirs, or ornate, but you shall hear speech as it comes and with ordinary words…none of you would expect otherwise(17c1-2)—Socrates is emphasizing the style and manner rather than the arrangement of the speech. He is NOT going to do the following: combine the double assonance and the single assonance all in the same sentence as would Zeus or the Athenians! Hehe-this is so good.
  • What makes a good judge and what makes a good orator is truth telling.(18a5)
  • I shall therefore neither fear nor run away from things of which I do not know whether they are actually good things, rather than from those bad things I know to be bad (29b8-10)
  • I have never been anybody’s teacher (Plato?), but if anyone wanted to listen to me talking and doing my own business, whether younger or older, I have never yet begrudged that to anyone…rather rich or poor…to hear whatever I have to say (33a1-4 b1)
  • **An unexamined life is not worth living (38a5-6). My favorite…my credo, my raison d’être! Socrates believed that individuals should actively question and examine their beliefs, actions, and values. It is not healthy to only live life according to inherited belief systems from our Parents, Teachers, Mentors, etc. We must always question “why” (if you know me well, this explains much of my behavior! It may appear that I am untrusting or “judgy”, but I do not take things at face value. I want to go deeper and find the authentic truth.)

Work Cited

Theodore De Laguna. “The Interpretation of the Apology. The Philosophical Review, 1909, Vol.18, No. 1 January,Duke University Press, pp.23-37

Michael C. Stokes. Plato: Apology of Socrates. Aris & Phillips LTD; Warminster, England, 1997.