The Death of Socrates, by Jacques-Louis David (1787)
Wrongfully Accused: The Political Motivations Behind Socrates’ Execution
David Bowles
Hirundo: The McGill Journal for Classical Studies, Volume 5, 2006/2007
Abstract
In 399 B.C.E., Socrates was executed by the Athenian court on charges of impiety and corrupting the youth. The controversial decision lingers atop the great legacy of Athens, a city praised for its intellectual and political liberty. However, the reasons behind Socrates’ execution are themselves questionable. Firstly, the charge of impiety is a vague accusation which would have been unlikely to produce a conviction on its own. Simi- larly, the second charge of corrupting the youth is ambiguous and lacks any substantial evidence in support of it. Instead, a primary cause of the execu- tion is Socrates’ relationship with two violent oligarchic tyrants. Moreover, Socrates’ constant criticism of Athens’ civic structure and the city’s promi- nent citizens leads to growing animosity towards his public presence. Fi- nally, the instability of Athens in the wake of the oligarchic coup of 404 B.C.E. amplifies the desire to eliminate sources of dissent, such as Socrates. Thus, Socrates’ execution by the Athenians is not caused by the explicit charges of impiety and corrupting the youth, but rather by implicit political motivations which come to a head in 399 B.C.E.
Plato’s Apology is a major source for the trial of Socrates although it comes with its own problems. Historians such as J. Burnet have argued that Platonic sources express Plato’s own fictitious version of the trial and partic- ularly Socrates’ defence, and should thus not be considered as a reliable study of Socrates’ execution.1 Although Plato undoubtedly possesses a bias in favour of his mentor and friend, there are several reasons for asserting that Plato’s Apology is a valid and accurate source. Firstly, Plato is an eye- witness of the trial; his presence being noted by Socrates during the defence speech. Secondly, Plato wrote his account shortly after the trial, perhaps within a few years of 399 B.C.E, when the event was still fresh in both his and Athens’ collective memory. Additionally, Plato’s account would have been read by others present at the trial. As such, any substantial deviation from the trial’s events would have been widely criticized. Therefore, although the Apology is unlikely to be a verbatim account of Socrates’ speech, it possesses the general ideas and arguments presented at the trial.
Wrongfully Accused: The Political Motivations Behind Socrates’ Execution
David Bowles
Hirundo: The McGill Journal for Classical Studies, Volume 5, 2006/2007
Abstract
In 399 B.C.E., Socrates was executed by the Athenian court on charges of impiety and corrupting the youth. The controversial decision lingers atop the great legacy of Athens, a city praised for its intellectual and political liberty. However, the reasons behind Socrates’ execution are themselves questionable. Firstly, the charge of impiety is a vague accusation which would have been unlikely to produce a conviction on its own. Simi- larly, the second charge of corrupting the youth is ambiguous and lacks any substantial evidence in support of it. Instead, a primary cause of the execu- tion is Socrates’ relationship with two violent oligarchic tyrants. Moreover, Socrates’ constant criticism of Athens’ civic structure and the city’s promi- nent citizens leads to growing animosity towards his public presence. Fi- nally, the instability of Athens in the wake of the oligarchic coup of 404 B.C.E. amplifies the desire to eliminate sources of dissent, such as Socrates. Thus, Socrates’ execution by the Athenians is not caused by the explicit charges of impiety and corrupting the youth, but rather by implicit political motivations which come to a head in 399 B.C.E.
Plato’s Apology
is a major source for the trial of Socrates although it comes with its own problems. Historians such as J. Burnet have argued that Platonic sources express Plato’s own fictitious version of the trial and partic- ularly Socrates’ defence, and should thus not be considered as a reliable study of Socrates’ execution.1 Although Plato undoubtedly possesses a bias in favour of his mentor and friend, there are several reasons for asserting that Plato’s Apology is a valid and accurate source. Firstly, Plato is an eye- witness of the trial; his presence being noted by Socrates during the defence speech. Secondly, Plato wrote his account shortly after the trial, perhaps within a few years of 399 B.C.E, when the event was still fresh in both his and Athens’ collective memory. Additionally, Plato’s account would have been read by others present at the trial. As such, any substantial deviation from the trial’s events would have been widely criticized. Therefore, although the Apology is unlikely to be a verbatim account of Socrates’ speech, it possesses the general ideas and arguments presented at the trial.
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