Socrates Case

Socrates

Socrates is one of the first great philosophers of Ancient Rome who in his old age is sentenced to death by hemlock, for his teachings and beliefs. He is being accused of impiety, corrupting the youth, creating false gods and being an atheist. He refers to himself as, “A student of all things in the sky and below the earth (p.22); which associates him with natural philosophers who put no emphasis on deities, but rather on natural things. He was said to be impious because he did not honor the traditional gods of Athens. Socrates believed that the Gods would not be involved with such immoral acts including jealousy, lies, and seduction. The youth of Athens were said to have been corrupted by Socrates’ encouragement to examine the traditional Greek values and morals, as well as where their beliefs came from in terms of the gods.

During his trial, Socrates is informed that there is no one wiser than himself, and sets out on a quest to find people who believe they are experts at their trade; including poets, craftsmen, orators, and politicians. He comes to realize that these individuals are not wise, they are ignorant. Socrates takes it upon himself to expose their ignorance, stating, “I know that I do not know.”, signifying that the one fact that he gives himself credit for is that he is aware that he does not know everything. While speaking with the proclaimed “experts”, Socrates notices that they all believe they know all there is to know about their line of work, which Socrates finds off-putting.

In the United States justice system, duress is a defense to a crime if a person is threatened, attacked, or pressurized to commit a crime, otherwise stated as a crime that was committed unwillingly. In many jurisdictions, duress is a legitimate defense. Socrates did not commit his crime unwillingly, because he knew his thoughts, teachings, and actions were going to have an impact on the youth. In current times, sharing an opinion that may affect someone elses’ thinking is in no way discouraged. However, during Socrates’ time, this act was a major crime, and he was knowingly committing it. Socrates was not forced, pressured, or threatened, nor was he acting in self-defense,

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