How Did Plato Corrupt Socrates

Socrates knows that if he corrupts a person who lives with him, he himself is likely to be hurt, but from what he confirmed previously nobody likes to be harmed. From this he presents two options to Meletus: that he is not a corrupter of the youth, or that he is a corruptor of the youth albeit unintentionally so. Socrates concludes that either way Meletus is lying. If Meletus was truly concerned for the youth, he would have confronted Socrates from the begging and corrected him yet, he did not. Thus Meletus is not concerned with the wellbeing of the youth, he is only concerned with punishing

However, when looked at with a modern eye, it becomes clear that Socrates did not deliberately corrupt the youth of Athens. This paper works to prove that Socrates did not deliberately corrupt the youth

1. I do not believe that corrupting the youth of Athens is a valid charge against Socrates. If Athens was truly a republic, then every citizen should be given the right to free speech. That means that any citizen has the right to choose what to listen to. In reality, the people that charged Socrates were just afraid that his new ideas would spread to the next generation. It is clear that Socrates ideas are vastly different from theirs, but being an independent individual doesn’t mean that one should be punished by death. The main reason that Socrates is charged for “corrupting the youth of athens” is because he calls things like they are. In his speech he called out politicians and claimed that they were full of themselves. This is true even now, but at that time it would have been inappropriate to mock political figures that the youth of Athens were supposed to look up to and obey. During this time, Athenians would have linked free thinking with rebellion and viewed Socrates as a threat. Even if people did agree with Socrates, no one would want to be associated with him in order to protect themselves, reputation, and material items. Socrates charge wasn’t about “corruption” it was about eliminating a source of enlightenment for the people. The real corruption was the hidden politics in the state going on at the time. The only way the charge could be valid is if Socrates forced the youth to listen to him. But as Socrates had said, he does not charge money to spread his

In spite of the fact that Socrates has been accused of numerous 'violations', one of the primary allegations made against him is that he is transgressor who has ruined the young fellows of Athens. In spite of the fact that a gathering of men have conveyed Socrates to trial, the fundamental representative is Meletus. In answer to the allegation that he is a corruptor, Socrates turns the tables on Meletus and raises three charges against him: First, Meletus is the genuine corruptor of the adolescent. Second, Meletus goes about as though he is not kidding yet is plainly clowning with respect to the current issue. Third, Meletus rushes to indict individuals, however his guaranteed thought process is yet a false one.

By definition, to corrupt someone means “having a willingness to teach someone to act dishonestly in return for money and personal gain”. Meletus accused Socrates of corrupting the youth of Athens; however Socrates proved throughout his trial that what he wanted more than anything was for everyone to be honest with themselves and others. Socrates merely opened up the eyes of the youth, showing them they have other options of what to believe in and how to view the world. The children that Socrates was accused of corrupting were young and impressionable, Socrates simply spoke out and they listened and were encouraged. Socrates had no youth at the trail to testify against him. Socrates chargers were flawed and he is innocent as far as corrupting the youth goes.

The charges against Socrates were brought upon him by a man names Meletus. Meletus was a young man that Socrates did not know very well. These charges brought on by Meletus caused the indictment of Socrates. One of the charges in the affidavit written by Meletus against Socrates is that he is "corrupting the youth." Another charge that is brought upon Socrates is that of he is making up new Gods and disregarding the old Gods the Athenians believe in. These were the charges brought on Socrates.

Socrates says that the young men follow me, but not on my account they try to imitate what I say, which causes their fathers to be angry with me. Socrates says I have been accused of corrupting the youth, but I say Meletus is guilty of such things. For it is Meletus who does not believe in the gods of the city and corrupting the youth, Socrates and Meletus start to argue about the rights and wrongs of the law. Socrates proves his point by saying that Meletus contradicts himself, for he say that Socrates doesn’t believe in gods but Socrates I do believe in the gods.

His position had an immense impact on the guilty verdict of his trial because he behaved arrogantly toward the judges who would choose his verdict and punishment. For example Socrates refused to refer to the judges to the as their titles but only as, Athenians. This caused an outrage towards Socrates this was seen as disrespectful. As well Socrates would talk back to the judges, “Do not interrupt me Athenians, with your shouts. Remember the request which I made to you, and do not interrupt my words”(pg. 41). Logically Socrates should have been much more agreeable towards the judges considering the situation he was in, but in contrast he remained true to his philosophical lifestyle and pursued his innocence in a way he felt was best.

Plato’s “Defense of Socrates” follows the trial of Socrates for charges of corruption of the youth. His accuser, Meletus, claims he is doing so by teaching the youth of Athens of a separate spirituality from that which was widely accepted.

In 399 B.C.E. Athens, Socrates, one of the greatest axial philosophers, was charged with impiety and corruption of the youth by Meletus, Lycon, and Anytus. Socrates was convicted of these accusations and executed. Socrates was one of many great thinkers in Athens, which was experiencing a Golden age as the most progressive and learned democracy in Greece. Strangely, Athens executed Socrates for his speech, which contrasted with Athenian democratic values. Moreover, Socrates was seen as annoying to authorities of the time, but never considered threatening enough to receive punishment to Athens before this. In order for Socrates to be executed, Athens needed to have undergone a deep shift that changed perceptions of Socrates from a gadfly to a danger to society. As a result of a crippling defeat by Sparta in the Peloponnesian Wars, Athens was paranoid of threats to its democracy, Athenian citizens were looking for a scapegoat for their recent troubles, and Socrates made enemies out of powerful politicians and thinkers due to his irritating Socratic method and uncustomary beliefs, therefore, he was easy to blame and execute.

He knows that when he is put to death, they will be the ones at a loss of his knowledge and true wisdom. He still believes he has gained no reasons to think that he can lose in death as his acts were not for material gain (28-29). Socrates has shown no fear for being hated by the majority of Athens, yet still finds himself being accused of serious crimes leading to his death.

Socrates was a man who spent most of his time talking to people. He would ask them hypothetical questions, and make them think for themselves about the true answer they believed in, by serving as a guide for the conversation. Many people, including the accusers, believed that while Socrates did this, he was serving as a Sophist. A Sophist is a person who talks to people, and teaches them how to argue a point, whether the point is right or wrong. A Sophist would collect money for this lesson, and go on with their teachings (Xenophon 42). This accusation is inaccurate because Socrates did not collect any money for his conversations with people. Instead, Socrates was a very poor man, who happened to have rich friends. Talking to these people was a way for Socrates to try to spread his way of life to the Athenian's. He enjoyed conversing with people about ethical issues, and moral beliefs. In his argument, Socrates refutes Meletus' charge that he corrupts the young. One crucial point deals with the idea of Socrates as a paid teacher. This would imply that Socrates was actively seeking students and teaching "corrupting" ideas. This plays a part in the argument, by Meletus, that Socrates has deliberately corrupted the youth. Socrates says that, "the young men who follow me around of their own free will, those who have most leisure, the sons

The main argument in The Apology by famous ancient Greek philosopher Plato is whether, notorious speaker and philosopher Socrates is corrupting the youth by preaching ungodly theories and teaching them unlawful ideas that do harm to individuals and society. In his words Socrates quoted the prosecution’s accusation against him: “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.” 1 Further Socrates consistently introduces tediously compiled number of examples to provide valid and sound arguments to prove that he is innocent of the charges brought up against him to the court.

On the first charge that Meletus brought against Socrates that he, ‘corrupted the youth’, this charge could have been seen as true by many. Socrates was teaching his followers to think for themselves. The government and people may have seen this as a threat. They believed that the youth may the try to break away from the norms that were set up, which would have lead to havoc.

The Narrative behind Socrates’ accusation is important to note. Socrates’ accusers present him to society as a destructive, uncouth old man who has no regard for anyone but