Apology

Interesting Facts

• «Apology» represents the speech Socrates delivered in his defense at the trial in Athens, where he was accused of corrupting the youth and disrespecting the city's gods.
• In his speech, Socrates claims that his philosophical activity was inspired by the oracle at Delphi, who proclaimed him the wisest man because he recognized his own ignorance.
• Socrates uses the method of dialectics, asking questions of his accusers and listeners to reveal contradictions in their arguments and show the flaws in their thinking.
• In his defense, Socrates asserts that he would rather die than give up his philosophical activity, as he believes that a life without the pursuit of truth is meaningless.
• Socrates also speaks of his inner voice or «daimon», which prevents him from committing wrong actions, representing one of the earliest concepts of conscience in Western philosophy.
• At the end of his speech, Socrates predicts that his condemnation and death will harm the Athenians more than himself, as they will lose his philosophical guidance.