Editing Trial of Socrates (section)

==Background==
{{Socrates}}

Before the philosopher Socrates was tried for moral corruption and impiety, the citizens of [[Classical Athens|Athens]] knew him as an intellectual and moral gadfly of their society. In the comic play, ''[[The Clouds]]'' (423 BC), [[Aristophanes]] represents Socrates as a [[Sophism|sophistic]] philosopher who teaches the young man Pheidippides how to formulate arguments that justify striking and beating his father. Despite Socrates denying he had any relation with the Sophists, the playwright indicates that Athenians associated the philosophic teachings of Socrates with [[Sophism]]. As philosophers, the Sophists were men of ambiguous reputation, "they were a set of charlatans that appeared in Greece in the fifth century BC, and earned ample livelihood by imposing on public credulity: professing to teach virtue, they really taught the art of fallacious discourse, and meanwhile propagated immoral practical doctrines."<ref>Kerferd, G.B.''The Sophistic Movement''. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2009.6.</ref>

Besides ''The Clouds'', the comic play ''[[The Wasps]]'' (422 BC) also depicts inter-generational conflict, between an older man and a young man. Such representations of inter-generational social conflict among the men of Athens, especially in the decade from 425 to 415 BC, can reflect contrasting positions regarding opposition to or support for the Athenian invasion of Sicily.<ref name="Waterfield">Waterfield, Robin. ''Why Socrates Died: Dispelling the Myths''. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2009.</ref> Many Athenians blamed the teachings of the Sophists and of Socrates for instilling the younger generation with a morally nihilistic, disrespectful attitude towards their society.

Socrates left no written works; however, his student and friend, [[Plato]], wrote [[Socratic dialogue]]s, featuring Socrates as the protagonist. As a teacher, competitor intellectuals resented Socrates's ''elenctic examination'' method for intellectual inquiry, because its questions threatened their credibility as men of [[wisdom]] and [[virtue]].<ref>Plato. ''Apology'', 21d–e, 23a, 23e.</ref>

It has sometimes been claimed that Socrates described himself as the "[[gadfly (philosophy and social science)|gadfly]]" of Athens which, like a sluggish horse, needed to be aroused by his "stinging".<ref>Plato. ''Apology'', 30e–31a.</ref>  In the Greek text of his defense given by Plato, Socrates never actually uses that term (viz., "gadfly" [Grk., ''[[:wiktionary:oestrus|oîstros]]''])<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/morph?l=oi)=stros&la=greek&can=oi)=stros0&prior=oi)/stros#lexicon|title=Greek Word Study Tool|website=www.perseus.tufts.edu|access-date=2019-09-03}}</ref> to describe himself.  Rather, his reference is merely allusive, as he (literally) says only that he has attached himself to the City (''proskeimenon tē polei'')<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0057:entry=pro/skeimai |title=Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon, πρόσκειμαι |publisher=Perseus.tufts.edu |access-date=2014-07-09}}</ref> in order to sting it.<ref>See the Greek text in H.N. Fowler, trans., ''Plato'', vol. 1, ''"Euthyphro," "Apology," "Crito," "Phaedo," and "Phaedrus,"'' Loeb Classical Library (New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1919), p. 112</ref>  Nevertheless, he does make the bold claim that he is a god's gift to the Athenians.<ref>Plato. ''Apology'', 31a-b</ref>

Socrates's [[elenctic]] method was often imitated by the young men of Athens.<ref>Plato. ''Apology'', 23c.</ref>

===Association with Alcibiades and the Thirty Tyrants===
[[Alcibiades]] was an Athenian general who had been the main proponent of the disastrous [[Sicilian Expedition]] during the [[Peloponnesian Wars]], where virtually the entire Athenian invading force of more than 50,000 soldiers and non-combatants (e.g., the rowers of the [[Trireme]]s) was killed or captured and enslaved. He was a student and close friend of Socrates, and his messmate during the siege of Potidaea (433–429 BC). Socrates remained Alcibiades's close friend, admirer, and mentor for about five or six years.<ref name="Waterfield"/> 

His complex friendship with Socrates was put on display during Alcibiades' speech at the Symposium, where he both praised Socrates and also disclosed his emotional turmoil and humiliation because of his personal desires. Alcibiades accused Socrates of arrogance during what he framed as a "trial", using the audience as a jury to judge Socrates' pride. Yet, Socrates remained silent, demonstrating the self-control that challenged Alcibiades' values. Alcibiades admitted this created an inner conflict, as Socrates' teachings inspired a shift in thinking toward focusing on one's inner character over their outward success. In this way, the "first trial" of Socrates serves as a powerful metaphor for the philosophical and personal challenges he posed to the traditional Athenian values, foreshadowing the tensions that would later lead to his formal trial.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hole |first=George T. |date=2017 |title=The First Trial of Socrates |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/article/663815#info_wrap |journal=Philosophy and Literature |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=1–15 |issn=1086-329X}}</ref> 

During his career, Alcibiades famously defected to Sparta, arch-enemy of Athens, after being summoned to trial, then to Persia after being caught in an affair with the wife of his benefactor (the King of Sparta). He then defected back to Athens after successfully persuading the Athenians that Persia would come to their aid against Sparta (though Persia had no intention of doing so). Finally driven out of Athens after the defeat of the [[Battle of Notium]] against Sparta, Alcibiades was assassinated in [[Phrygia]] in 400 BC by his Spartan enemies.

Another possible source of resentment was the political views that he and his associates were thought to have embraced. [[Critias]], who appears in two of Plato's Socratic dialogues, was a leader of the [[Thirty Tyrants]] (the ruthless [[oligarchy|oligarchic]] regime that ruled Athens, as puppets of Sparta and backed by Spartan troops, for eight months in 404–403 BC until they were overthrown). Several of the Thirty had been students of Socrates, but there is also a record of their falling out.<ref>Xenophon. ''Memorabilia'', 1.2.29–38.</ref>

As with many of the issues surrounding Socrates's conviction, the nature of his affiliation with the Thirty Tyrants is far from straightforward. During the reign of the Thirty, many prominent Athenians who were opposed to the new government left Athens. Robin Waterfield asserts that "Socrates would have been welcome in oligarchic Thebes, where he had close associates among the [[Pythagoreans]] who flourished there, and which had already taken in other exiles."<ref name=Waterfield/>{{Rp|183}} Given the availability of a hospitable host outside of Athens, Socrates, at least in a limited way, chose to remain in Athens. Thus, Waterfield suggests, Socrates's contemporaries probably thought his remaining in Athens, even without participating in the Thirty's bloodthirsty schemes, demonstrated his sympathy for the Thirty's cause, not neutrality towards it. This is proved, Waterfield argues, by the fact that after the Thirty were no longer in power, anyone who had remained in Athens during their rule was encouraged to move to [[Eleusis]], the new home of the expatriate Thirty.<ref name=Waterfield/> Socrates did oppose the will of the Thirty on one documented occasion. Plato's ''Apology'' has the character of Socrates describe that the Thirty ordered him, along with four other men, to fetch a man named [[Leon of Salamis]] so that the Thirty could execute him. While Socrates did not obey this order, he did nothing to warn Leon, who was subsequently apprehended by the other four men.<ref>Plato. ''Apology'', 32c.</ref>

=== Support of oligarchic rule and contempt for Athenian democracy ===

According to the portraits left by some of Socrates's followers, Socrates himself seems to have openly espoused certain anti-democratic views, the most prominent perhaps being the view that it is not majority opinion that yields correct policy but rather genuine knowledge and professional competence, which is [[Technocracy|possessed by only a few]].<ref>Xenophon, ''Memorabilia'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0208&layout=&loc=1.2.1 1.2.9]; Plato, ''Crito'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0170&layout=&loc=Crito+47c 47c–d], ''Laches'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0176&layout=&loc=Lach.+184e 184e].</ref>  Plato also portrays him as being severely critical of some of the most prominent and well-respected leaders of the [[Athenian democracy]];<ref>'' Gorgias'' 503c–d, 515d–517c.</ref> and even has his claim that the officials selected by the Athenian system of governance cannot credibly be regarded as benefactors since it is not any group of ''many'' that benefits, but only "someone or very few persons".<ref>'' Apology of Socrates'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0170&layout=&loc=Apol.+25a 25a-b].</ref>  Finally, Socrates was known as often praising the laws of the undemocratic regimes of [[Sparta]] and [[Crete]].<ref>Plato, ''Crito'' [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0170&layout=&loc=Crito+52e 52e].</ref> Plato himself reinforced anti-democratic ideas in ''[[Republic (Plato)|The Republic]]'', advocating rule by elite, enlightened "Philosopher-Kings".

The totalitarian Thirty Tyrants had anointed themselves as the elite, and in the minds of his Athenian accusers, Socrates was guilty because he was suspected of introducing oligarchic ideas to them. [[Larry Gonick]], in his "[[Cartoon History of the Universe]]"<ref>Gonick, Larry. "Cartoon History of the Universe Vol 1–7". Volume 7 – All about Athens. Doubleday Books, 1990. {{ISBN|0385-26520-4}}.</ref> wrote: 
{{blockquote|The trial of Socrates has always seemed mysterious{{nbsp}}... the charges sound vague and unreal{{nbsp}}... because behind the stated charges was Socrates's real crime: preaching a philosophy that produced Alcibiades and Critias{{nbsp}}... but of course he couldn't be prosecuted for that under the amnesty [which had been declared after the overthrow of the Thirty Tyrants]<!--Presuming this isn't part of the quote. It might be better to put it in a note if so-->{{nbsp}}... so his accusers made it "not believing the Gods of the city, introducing new gods, and corrupting the youth".}}

Apart from his views on politics, Socrates held unusual views on religion. He made several references to his spirit, or ''[[Daemon (classical mythology)|daimonion]]'', although he explicitly claimed that it never urged him on, but only warned him against various prospective actions.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/socrates| title = ''Socrates Legacy''| date = June 13, 2023}}</ref>