Compare And Contrast Xenophon And The Apology

1209 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Platos apology summary

Plato, being an admirer and student of Socrates, wrote his version of Socrates’ speech as he defended himself in court against his charges of corrupting the youth, and impiety called The Apology. In comparison, Xenophon also wrote his version of the speech. Seeing as though each author has many supporting details that support their view as far as the outcome of the trial, Plato’s version of his apology may have been somewhat biased. Xenophon, on the other hand, was more at peace with the outcome of the trial. Considering this trial took place in 399 BC, their were no Greek court reporters, audio or video tapings, news records, so on and so forth. With this in mind, only two survived: Plato’s and Xenophon’s. Plato, when leading up to identify the first of Socrates’ charges, begins by stating such charges stemmed from the belief that Socrates was being condemned for being a “wise man”. Plato seems to rant on about Socrates’ accusers being “circulators of this rumor, and their hearers are too apt to fancy that speculators of this sort do not believe in the gods.” Plato states (Plato). Continuing, he
Socrates then questions him again about whether or not he alleges that he corrupts the youth intentionally or unintentionally. Meletus’ reply was that he does intentionally. Socrates begins to argue with Meletus about his previous statement and, what seems to become, more and more agitated with the fact that Meletus goes back and forth with his argument for the simple facet that he wants Socrates to face the death penalty which is evident in several occasions throughout Plato’s apology. Also, throughout Plato’s version of The Apology, he also makes sure that it is known that his first charges arose from general prejudices that surrounded him over the

Show More
Related

  • Justice In Electra, Apology And The Crito By Sophocre

    1457 Words  | 3 Pages

    Specifically looking at what Meletus thought Justice was, see that it is very similar to Electra. “You have made it sufficiently obvious, Meletus, that you have never had any concern for our youth; you show your indifference clearly; that you have given no thought to the subject for which you bring me to trail.” This is Socrates making a defense against the accusations of Metetus. Metetus as rushed into this trial and is guilty of “Irresponsibly bring people to court”. He is angry with Socrates and is trying to get Socrates back for embarrassing him in the streets of Athens. Meletus is trying to get revenge to make himself feel better and prove that Socrates does not know what he is talking about. By doing that he would be proving he is smarter than Socrates, bringing these charges on him are more out of revenge than trying to maintain the law. There it is Metelus’s definition of Justice, retaliation for what happened to make himself feel better. He thinks that he was treated unjustly and wants his

    Read More

  • An Apologia of Xenophon

    1089 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Anabasis” is the Xenophon’s account of the expedition for Cyrus against Persian and the marching home of Greeks. The Greek title of Xenophon’s work, “Anabasis”, referred to a march up country, away from the coast. The title applies only to the first of its seven books. It all ends with the death of Cyrus at the Battle of Cuxana. The Greek mercenary soldiers were left stranded in the “barbarian” world. The rest of the books involves with tales of the Greeks’ discipline, leadership and courage during their journey home. Xenophon’s narrative offers an insight of the character and their political life of a Greek army. Although Xenophon seems to write about the account between the Greek and the barbarian, he presents himself as an important role in the Greek army throughout the rest of the books. He uses a third-person form when describing his own actions as a character. It might suggest that Xenophon is writing an apologia to defend himself and to show his vital role in the expedition.

    Read More

  • Meletus Was The Corrupter Of The Youth

    748 Words  | 2 Pages

    During Socrates’ life on earth, he challenged traditional thinking in an honest, down to earth way and set the fundamentals of modern western philosophy. However, meletus, a young, egotistical person with the goal to destroy Socrates’ life for “corrupting the yout,” condemned him to death. Conversely, Meletus was actually the person who corrupted the youth for two obvious reasons; he is ignorant and careless.

    Read More

  • Socrates and His Innocence

    907 Words  | 2 Pages

    Socrates starts by speaking of his first accusers. He speaks of the men that they talked to about his impiety and says that those that they persuaded in that Socrates is impious, that they themselves do not believe in gods (18c2). He tells the court of how long they have been accusing him of impiety. He states that they spoke to others when they were at an impressionable age (18c5). These two reasons alone should have been good enough to refute the first accusers of how they were wrong about him but Socrates went on. He leaves the first accusers alone because since they accused him a long time ago it was not relevant in the current case and began to refute the second accusers. Socrates vindicates his innocence by stating that the many have heard what he has taught in public and that many of those that he taught were present in the court that day.

    Read More

  • The Trial of Socrates

    668 Words  | 2 Pages

    Socrates was accused of being a sophist because he was "engaging in inquiries into things beneath the earth and in the heavens, of making the weaker argument appear the stronger," and "teaching others these same things." (Apology, Plato, Philosophic Classics page 21) Socrates is also accused of denying the existence of the gods, and corrupting the youth. Socrates goes about trying to prove his innocence. The jury that Socrates was tried by was made up of 501 Athenian citizens of all classes of society.

    Read More

  • Athena Parthenos: The Goddess of Wisdom

    861 Words  | 2 Pages

    Plato, . The Trial and Death of Socrates, "The Apology". Trans. G.M.A. Grube. Third ed. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, 2000. 34. Print.

    Read More

  • The Trail Of Socrates And The Apology Of Plato

    1011 Words  | 3 Pages

    During this essay, the trail of Socrates found in the Apology of Plato will be reviewed. What will be looked at during this review is how well Socrates rebuts the charges made against him. We will also talk about if Socrates made the right decision to not escape prison with Crito. Socrates was a very intelligent man; this is why this review is so critical. In Plato’s Apology, it seems that overall Socrates did an effective job using the 3 acts of the mind.

    Read More

  • Plato's Apology

    807 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the retelling of his trial by his associate, Plato, entitled “The Apology”; Socrates claims in his defense that he only wishes to do good for the polis. I believe that Socrates was innocent of the accusations that were made against him, but he possessed contempt for the court and displayed that in his conceitedness and these actions led to his death.

    Read More

  • Socrates Was NOT Guilty

    1660 Words  | 4 Pages

    Socrates, in his conviction from the Athenian jury, was both innocent and guilty as charged. In Plato’s Five Dialogues, accounts of events ranging from just prior to Socrates’ entry into the courthouse up until his mouthful of hemlock, both points are represented. Socrates’ in dealing with moral law was not guilty of the crimes he was accused of by Meletus. Socrates was only guilty as charged because his peers had concluded him as such. The laws didn’t find Socrates guilty; Socrates was guilty because his jurors enforced the laws. The law couldn’t enforce itself. Socrates was accused of corrupting Athens’ youth, not believing in the gods of the city and creating his own gods. In the Euthyphro, Socrates defends himself against the blasphemous charges outside the courthouse to a priest Euthyphro. Socrates looks to the priest to tell him what exactly is pious so that he may educate himself as to why he would be perceived as impious. Found in the Apology, another of Plato’s Five Dialogues, Socrates aims to defend his principles to the five hundred and one person jury. Finally, the Crito, an account of Socrates’ final discussion with his good friend Crito, Socrates is offered an opportunity to escape the prison and his death sentence. As is known, Socrates rejected the suggestion. It is in the Euthyphro and the Apology that it can be deduced that Socrates is not guilty as charged, he had done nothing wrong and he properly defended himself. However, in the Crito, it is shown that Socrates is guilty only in the interpretation and enforcement of Athens’ laws through the court system and its jurors. Socrates’ accusations of being blasphemous are also seen as being treasonous.

    Read More

  • Plato's Apology: The Argument For Corrupting The Youth Of Plato

    785 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Plato’s Apology, when Socrates is pleading his defence, he makes a good argument against the charges of corrupting the youth of Athens. This is evident when he states that, firstly, Meletus, the man who is trying to get Socrates executed, has never cared about the youth of Athens and has no real knowledge on the subject. Secondly, Socrates states that if he was in some way corrupting the youth, then he was doing it unintentionally or unwillingly, in which case he was brought to court for no reason. Finally, Socrates brings to light the fact that Meletus doesn’t have a single witness to attest to Socrates’ corruption. This is how Socrates proves his argument that he isn’t responsible for corrupting the youth of Athens.

    Read More

  • Four Charges Brought Agains Socrates in the Apology by Plato

    1045 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...one else improves the youth, therefore to me it sounds as if Meletus doesn’t even know what improves the youth himself. I believe the main thing Meletus wanted was for Socrates to be sentenced to death from the beginning.

    Read More

  • The Apology of Socrates: Guilty or Innocent?

    943 Words  | 2 Pages

    What exactly is Socrates being accused of?  "Socrates is guilty of engaging in inquiries into things beneath the earth and in the heavens, of making the weaker argument appear the stronger, and of teaching others these same things" (29).  Socrates is charged with impiety, a person who does not believe in the gods of Athens.  Socrates defends this charge, claiming that he was propositioned by the gods through the Oracle of Delphi, to question people's wisdom.  He states, "...but when god stationed me, as I supposed and assumed, ordering me to live philosophizing and examining myself and others...that my whole care is to commit no unjust or impious deed."  By claiming that defense, Socrates manages to sway Meletus toward his point.  This point being that Socrates cannot both be atheistic and to believe in demons, for this would contradict his not believing in gods at all, s...

    Read More

  • Socrates was a Wise and Harmless Man

    1122 Words  | 3 Pages

    Socrates and the Apology Some of the best sources of information about Socrates' philosophical views are the early dialogues of his student Plato, who tried to provide a faithful picture of the methods and teachings of the great master. The Apology is one of the many recorded dialogues about Socrates. It is about how Socrates was arrested and charged with corrupting the youth, believing in no god(s) (Atheism) and for being a Sophist. He attended his trial and put up a good argument. I believe that Socrates was wrongfully accused and should not have been sentenced to death.

    Read More

  • The Charges Against Socrates

    634 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

More about Compare And Contrast Xenophon And The Apology

Open Document