Ethics-Philosophy
In this reading, Socrates is defending himself in the Athenian Court. He was accused of being a cosmologist and a sophist, someone who did not believe in divinity, ancient beliefs and supernatural forces. The reading addresses some important ethical issues from a philosophical standpoint. In ancient times, gods and deities occupied an extremely important position and it was a cardinal sin to deny their existence or to reject the possibility of their intervention in significant matters. For example, earthquakes or thunderstorms were not seen as natural disasters but rather prominent signs of gods' wrath.
Socrates however chose to walk a different path and felt there were natural explanations for such phenomena. However the elite of the society rejected his theories and accused him of being a non-believer and a 'corruptor of the youth'. Socrates himself mentions the charges against him in these words, "far more dangerous are these, who began when you were children, and took possession of your minds...
11)
We must understand the approach that Socrates had adopted being the wisest man in Athens. Socrates was seen as a both cosmologist and a sophist however he did not link himself to either school of thought. In his defense, he explains why the judges and elite of his country had accused of being an atheist. The charge of "investigating things beneath the earth and in the skies" automatically connected him to other cosmologists like Thales and Anaxagoras. While the accusation that Socrates believed in "making the weaker argument appear the stronger" indicated his affiliation with the sophist group. Socrates however did not admit being either a cosmologist or a sophist but felt that the charges against him had arisen because a deep misunderstanding regarding his true pursuits. He simply questioned different values and beliefs in order…
