Socrates Is Not Corrupting the Youth

Dave (a Socratic) writes:

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.

Give Socrates a Second Chance

Allison (an Oligarch) writes:

Good afternoon Athenians. Today, we are being asked to determine the fate of Socrates, a fellow citizen. Some here today want Socrates to be brought to trial. They believe he is guilty of hubris. They claim that he is corrupting the minds of the Athenian youth and has failed to recognize the gods of the state.

Well, we Athenians are an understanding people. Three assemblies ago, did we not pardon those who assisted the Thirty Tyrants? The same Thirty Tyrants who abused their political power and executed over a thousand of our Athenian citizens and exiled thousands more. These crimes simply cannot be compared. The Thirty Tyrants killed our people and their actions forced us to flee our homes in fear. We pardoned those Tyrants with the hopes of bringing restoration to our city and seeing a brighter future. We gave them a second chance. Socrates is not a bully or a tormentor; he is only a teacher and a man of knowledge. I am only asking that we show Socrates the same mercy that we have shown others.

In a previous assembly, the security of us Athenian men had been questioned. It was asked of us, were we so insecure in ourselves that we will not allow our slaves to vote for fear that they take over? Well, we voted. Our slaves now have the right to vote and have a voice in our Athenian democracy. I will ask you the same question. Are we so insecure in ourselves that we must convict and execute a single Athenian citizen for using his voice and simply speaking his mind? Do we want to be part of a democracy in which our voices can be silenced? If we bring Socrates to trial and find him guilty, we will be answering yes.

Socrates Should Be Executed

James S. (a Radical Democrat) writes:

Good day my fellow Athenians. I come to you today to determine what the fate of Socrates will be. Socrates is guilty of numerous charges such as corrupting the young, believing in Gods other than the people of Athens believe in, and hybris. I believe he is guilty of all charges and I know you do too. With that being said he should be convicted of being hubris, and executed for the pain and suffering he has brought to our city.

Yes he fought by our side in the Peloponnesian War, but what type of Athenian turns his back on Athens at our most critical point? Even if he didn’t agree with our democracy he should have stood by Athens instead of supporting the thirty tyrants and their oligarchy plan. “That my friends, is betrayal. “

Do you want that around our children? And speaking of our children, Socrates is corrupting our young and will continue to corrupt them if we allow this madness. He is telling our young several myths, which aren’t the Athenian way. Our children are the future of Athens. If we look over this the future of our city will not be good. Socrates is poisoning the mind of our young and leading them down the path that he has chosen.

Socrates is all about his self and his beliefs and not Athenian beliefs. He doesn’t even attend our assemblies which are very important for our city. Athena is frowning down on us because we allowed this and she will continue if we don’t convict him of these charges and execute him.

Only banishing Socrates from Athens gives him a chance to side with our enemies and for him to completely turn against us. It would allow him to go join our enemy and use our tactics and battle strategies against us. We must do what is just and vote Socrates to not only be convicted, but executed for corruption of our young, not believing in Gods in whom the city believes in, and hybris. Most importantly, lets carryout this punishment because of him disrespecting Athena. Let’s not let his slick and smooth way of talking get him out of doing what is just, what is right, and what is the Athenian!!!

Socrates Needs to be Punished

Josiah (an Indeterminant) writes:
Good day Athenians. Or is it really a good day? The question of what to do with a man’s life whenever he has committed a crime is never an easy decision. So I ask that the assembly thinks carefully about your next moves. Yes, Socrates has committed a terrible crime and does need to be punished for his actions, but does he deserve to die for his actions? Some say yes, some say no. For those of you here today who believe Socrates should pay the ultimate price for his actions need to first take a step back and analyze yourself. Think about the bad things that you have done in your life and ask yourself: should I die for my actions? Yes, Socrates is very full of himself and quite pompous all of the time, but who does not think of themselves in high regard at one point or another? First let us look at the things that Socrates has done for Athens; first and foremost Socrates has been a defender of Athens and come to her aid when she needed him most in fighting to keep Athens free from those who want to see her destroyed. Second, think of what he has brought to the table in the question of democracy? He does ask the questions that make us think twice if what we are doing is for the betterment of our great society. Socrates has brought so much to the table for Athens that it would be shameful of us to sentence him to death. Now I am not saying that Socrates should not be punished for his actions, because he most definitely should. So my question to this assembly is if Socrates be found guilty of this crime then please choose something other than the death penalty. I believe this because is it really our decision of what becomes of a man? Please take my words and think hard Athenians.

Socrates Is Guilty of Arrogance

Mason (an Indeterminate) writes:
Good day my fellow Athenians, we have come to this assembly today to discuss a very important matter and to make an extremely difficult decision that will affect Athens from this day forward. Our fellow citizen Socrates has been charged with the crime of arrogance. One of the greatest minds within our great city-state of Athens and now we have to decide if he is guilty or not.

Now we all know that Socrates is a very arrogant person that prides himself on arguing with people and proving them wrong, but do we not all learn from his arguments. I believe that we can all agree that Socrates is guilty of arrogance. How severe should our punishment for him be though? Do we really want to banish the greatest mind in Athens? I say that we sentence him to a type of community service, such as educating our children, rather than banishing him from Athens. If we banish him from Athens we will be losing one of the greatest minds in the history of Athens and we will also lose one of our greatest educators. If we sentence him to educating our children for free then we will still benefit from his unique mind. We all know that Socrates never paid for his education so why shouldn’t we sentence him to educating our children. Some people will say that Socrates is not guilty of this crime of arrogance, while others will say that he is guilty and should be banished from Athens as a result of his arrogance. I am just a middling farmer and cannot stand to see our different factions never agreeing on the right thing to do. I believe we should all come to a compromise and come to a result that will make all of the factions happy. We cannot afford to lose such a unique person, but we must also punish him for his crime against Athens. This is a very important decision for us and I ask you, my fellow Athenians, to come to an agreeable compromise in deciding the correct punishment for Socrates.

Socrates Must Be Silenced

Romas (a Moderate Democrat) writes:

My fellow Athenian, We are here to make Athens more magnificent and successful by discussing laws which can make our future splendid, a future which can only be seen from democracy. Democracy helps people think about themselve, in the new ways which cannot be think if they are in control of other.  Athens democracy is alive with ideas on how to understand the world through art and how to make money through trade.

Young people need to learn this truth, the truth of Athens.

But one person in particular has neglected the idea of the democracy. 

He is a little man named Socrates. His ideas and philosophy about democracy are dangerous to Athenian democracy. He is even more dangerous because he has infected mind of our young ones with his ideas. He has formed an idea about one leader government to replace Athenian democracy, that one leader government is ruled by selective elite (whom he named “philosopher kings”). As a result of his attitude toward democracy, he has corrupted the minds of the youth of Athens. Critias, leader of the Thirty Tyrants, was one of his pupils and Alcibiades who helped Spartan in battle of Sicily was also one of his pupils, who shared one idea of utopia society. That idea of utopia has started this situation in Athens.

Socrates must be silenced. As a punishment I say,he must be exiled from Athens for life. But some of my fellow Athenians may say, we should put him death as a punishment. However, history has witness from beginning to end that peace can’t be secure from violence. Moreover, death is just an easy punishment for him destroying Athens. He must live his life knowing that he was one who destroyed peace of our glorious Athens. So I vote for exiling Socrates for our future, for our democracy, for our young ones.

Why Can't We Just Hang Socrates?

Sammantha (an Indeterminate) writes:
On this day we witness a trial that I see as pointless. I have no reason to even go. This man, Socrates, is a philosopher. From what I hear he teaches young men of things like reason and truth. He was born to a stone cutter. He does not believe in democracy. Personally, I don't like that he thinks of us as a herd of sheep. I am perfectly capable of handling my own issues and speaking my own opinion. But maybe we need some one to help guide us not take over things. We should still have a say in matters. I think that I should be able to say what I need to have heard at assembly. I have no respect for the man. He thinks of that knowledge  is not for the ordinary man. His way of thinking drives me crazy. Its like he has no respect for a man's opinion.  But why is he being put on trial? Because he taught more people of his ways and we didn't like it? Why can't we just go back to the old days and just hang him or ostracize him? No we decide to waste a days worth of work to have a t ial for a seventy year old man who has not harmed nor helped me. My sons do not go to this philosopher and listen to him. And I do my best to keep his madness out of their heads. Besides there is no time for them to seek out word from him. My wife and I have fallen into a time of need. Athens is not what it use to be. Regardless of what is done to Socrates, I will still have my own issues to handle. So unless he is going to mess with what little money that I have, this trial concerns me none.