Critical Analysis Of Socrates's Apology

In the Apology, Socrates pleads the case for the philosophical life. He stands trial for corrupting the Athenian youth and for not believing in the Greek gods. In his defense for himself, he outlines the compositions of both philosophy and “lovers of wisdom.” In what follows, I will argue that Socrates defines philosophy as the examination of oneself and others. Furthermore, he argues that a “lover of wisdom” works to perfect his or her soul and seeks truth in lieu of facts.

At his trial, Socrates establishes philosophy as the process of evaluating himself and those that he meets. He discusses his “duty of leading the philosophic life” which he describes as the act of “examining [him]self and others” (55). He views it as necessary to question others due to their often inflated perceptions of their own wisdoms. Thus, Socrates argues that knowledge is the awareness of facts, while wisdom is the awareness of what one does not know. Socrates’ conversations with politicians, poets, and craftsmen display this difference. Socrates explains how, while talking to a politician, he found that “although in many people’s opinion, and especially in his own, [the politician] appeared to be wise” that he in fact was not. Socrates elaborates that when he “began to try to show [the politician] that he only thought he was wise and was not really so, [his] efforts were resented” (44). Socrates saw this as proof that he was wiser than the politician because “‘neither of [them] has any knowledge to boast of; but [the politician] thinks that he knows something which he does not know” while Socrates is

In the process of doing so, he defines what philosophy is and what it means to be a “lover of wisdom.” Socrates explains how philosophy is the exercise of doubting and questioning oneself as well as other people. He then presents how a “lover of wisdom” is an individual who attempts to perfect his or her soul and seeks