My fellow Athenian jurors, I have come here to discuss Socrates’ trial. I am a student of Socrates. I have paid what I can to become wise such as Socrates has been teaching in his class. It has been brought to my attention that Socrates is being charged with “corrupting the younger generation, and making false gods or making up gods.” I sat in many classes and never heard once of a false god. In fact he always seemed to reply, by Zeus or another one of our gods. This charge is totally false and should be dropped without further ado. Meletus is the primary accuser and we need to look at his past. He may have had a bad semester and was failing Socrates’ school. This has led to false accusations buy Meletus and the other two.
Now let’s look at the next charge, corrupting the younger generation. Is teaching the young children the difference in just and unjust wrong? Socrates’ taught the difference in how cities become just, and cities that have been unjust. Is that wrong or corrupting? Anytus a middle-class politican is charging Socrates’ ideas corrupting. Is this because he told Anytus’ son to stop doing servile jobs? I believe it is a teacher’s job to show a student what a serville job is compared to a high political job is. Is this corrupting the youth? I say no! I think Anytus who caused the Athenians to lose the war in Pylos, is trying to get payback from Socrates. Everyone in Athens knew that Alcibiades was a student of Socrates and left the Athens army to go to the Spartans. With this student leaving the Athenian army and seeking refuse in the Spartan army everyone is assuming Socrates taught him that. I am here to tell you, that is not how Socrates teaches his students. These are very harsh charges for a very wise man to try and prove his innocence.
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