These men were put to death because of their radical beliefs that were contrary to the philosophy of the society in which they preached. Abinidi was burned because of his calling the people of Zeniff to repentance. Jesus Christ was crucified by the Jews because of his so-called “blasphemy. ” Although not exactly put to death, Galileo was imprisoned for life because of his research and theories on physical science that contradicted the views of the Catholic Church.
These men were each victims of corrupt society which could not accept these new views being offered, wrongly accused of high crimes such as treason. One other famous martyr was Socrates, accused of various charges by the people of Athens. In Plato’s reenactment of Socrates’ self defense, modern audiences learn what charges Socrates was accused of, and his method of defense against these charges. From the writings of Socrates’ student Plato we know many characteristics of Socrates himself.
We know that he although his own philosophy could be considered similar to that of the Sophists, Socrates condemned them for undermining existing values without introducing new values to the people. The Sophists tended to make “the worse seem the better” (728).
Socrates focused on problems relating to man instead of those of “man vs god. ” In one aspect was Socrates’ philosophy similar to that of the Sophists, and that was that he had a strong desire to have men make their own decisions in all circumstances, not to rely only on the gods.
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He also was of the passionate belief that “virtue is knowledge”, and that any man who does wrong does it out of ignorance of a better way. Socrates believed that anyone who really knew the truth absolutely would not do evil deeds. All of these values contradicted those of Athenian society. However, Athens was famous for its diversity, its freedom of thought, its allowing the people to have their own ideas. Why, then, was Socrates sentenced to death? Some say that it was because of Athens’ own instability following the Peloponnesian War and the occupation of Sparta.
During this time (about 399 BC), Athens was experiencing major setbacks, both economically and politically following a long period of prosperity and power. Others believe that Socrates was punished because, like all aforementioned martyrs, he spread his way of thinking to anyone who would listen. He pestered the city with his philosophies, as the “gadfly that stings the sluggish horse,” attempting to bring the city to his own enlightenment (738).
It was because of this circulation of radical views that the people became incensed.
The traditional Athenian religious views had been established hundreds of years before, so perhaps it was understandable that they were aggravated enough to sentence Socrates to death. In his Apology, Socrates lays out the various different accusations made against him. First he expounds on informal, ancient charges made against him in the form of prejudice by many of his peers. These charges are summed up “in an affidavit: ‘Socrates is an evil-doer, and a curious person, who searches things under the earth and in heaven, and he makes the worse appear the better cause, and he teaches these doctrines to others’” (729).
These charges are not the formal charges and reason for the trial. However, they serve a purpose: to show that the people of Athens were previously biased against Socrates for his studies and recitations. In reaction to the charge of “making the worse appear the better,” he accuses his accusers of practically the same thing. He accuses them of making the morally weak argument appear to be the better argument. He indicts those people of conformity to the prejudices against him as their only reason for believing him to be of evil.
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He urges the people present for his defense to listen to those who believe he is innocent. This, I believe, is a very weak movement. It is as if he were to say, “I am innocent because these people believe I am. ” Socrates’ formal charges were only two: first, he is accused of impiety, of disbelief in the accepted gods of Athens, and the introduction of new “divinities of his own”. His defense of this charge is quite weak. He brings up the oracle of Delphi, which plays a very important role in the world of the Greeks (which we know from various other works of literature).
Chaerephon, a friend of Socrates, went to the oracle and inquired as to whether any man possessed more wisdom than Socrates. The response was that of “there is no man wiser” (730).
When he heard this, Socrates immediately set about a search to find a wiser man than he. In doing so, he not only irritates and insults many of Athens’ most intelligent and powerful scholars, he almost proves his charge of impiety. In this case, Socrates is attempting to prove the oracle wrong. The Athenians believed that the oracles were never wrong, because they were gods and goddesses.
To accuse one of falsehood was to accuse a god of ungodliness. In his speech, Socrates makes it seem as though the oracle at Delphi gave him a sort of challenge, a charge to find a man wiser than himself. However, this was not the case. This is simply another weak link in his argument. Meletus’ second charge against Socrates is the corruption of the youth. In one of his most intelligent strikes, Socrates summons Meletus, and makes a fool of him in front of the judges and jury. As all good lawyers are capable of doing, Socrates provokes Meletus and prods him into a corner from which he has no graceful way to escape.
Thus he shifts the attention from himself onto the ridiculousness of Meletus’ propositions. Socrates also defends himself in this charge by saying simply that the young men of Athens need to be able to make up their own minds. He says that the children come to him of their own accord, because they want to learn, and Socrates will teach more effectively and relentlessly than the other conformist teachers. To the Athenian mind, the majority of his arguments are weak and unsubstantiated. Socrates rarely addresses the actual charges made against him, and never in a way that would effectively make this particular court rule in his favor.
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However, he is of the opinion that there is something morally wrong with “procuring an acquittal instead of informing and convincing” the judge and jury (741).
In this case, he remains true to himself and his own values throughout his entire life, even when found guilty and sentenced to death. He comments that he would “rather die having spoken after my manner, than speak in your manner and live” (744).
Socrates did not fear death. As he said, “no evil can happen to a good man, either in life or after death” (746).
He even speaks words of comfort about his death to the judges and people of Athens.
I think this is yet another testimony of the moral strength of his character. Thus, even though it is the natural instinct of man to defend himself, to do almost whatever it takes to avoid death, Socrates does so in a way that he remains true to himself and to those whom he has taught. One might say that his defense was ineffective due to the outcome, but his very lack of desperation in doing so would have changed my mind if I had been in that court.
