Plato's Apology: Traditional Moral Beliefs Of A Political Society

In a deflection from his goal during his defense trial, Socrates conjectures:

Perhaps, then, someone might say, “Then are you not ashamed,

Socrates, of having followed the sort of pursuit from which you now run the risk of dying?” (28b3–5).

This essay aims at explaining, based on Plato's Apology (28b - 30c), why philosophy is a way of life that puts the traditional moral beliefs of a political society into question and exploring the new principles that justify a life worth living. First, this paper attempts to illustrate the common moral beliefs of the Athenian aristocracy; second, to establish Socrates' pursuit; and third, to elucidate those principles that support a meriting life. It appears that the Greek term aretê, most commonly and

For the Sophists were masters of the art of rhetoric, claiming to be able to teach the art of persuasion, to make their students excellent individuals and citizens, and to even teach what aretê is and how to accomplish it. Accordingly, those who were able to pay for the Sophists' instructions could eventually attain notability and esteem and gain a prominent role in the Assembly, striking faith in the possibility of some sort of social mobility.

Unlike the sophists, Socrates did not charge a fee and did not profess to know what aretê is. In fact, contrary to politicians, poets, and craftsmen, who were thought to be wise by many, he professed to have no wisdom (21b4–5).

Conceivably, the incident with the Oracle of Delphi (20e7–8) can be accounted as the starting point of Socrates’ pursuit. Socrates expresses his association with the civic religious beliefs of the Athenian society on many occasions throughout his discourse. In investigating the riddle, he states that the god is wise (23a5-6). Trying to react properly in his present situation, he states that he is there stationed by his commander, the god (28d6-e5). He even concludes his initial defense by

That said, Heraclitus casts some light into the nature of the Oracle's declarations:

"The lord whose oracle is in Delphi neither speaks out nor conceals but gives a sign."12,

However, he had to conciliate and sort out the apparent contradiction between the statement of the Oracle and the acknowledgment of own ignorance. The cryptic and equivocal statement of the Oracle led him to test its truth by searching for someone wiser than himself. In an attempt to find those endowed with such wisdom, he commenced his search by cross-examining those notorious for being wise and came to the conclusion that none of them possessed the knowledge they claimed to have.

For this reason, Socrates seems to have taken upon himself the task of cross-examining his fellow citizens to not only demonstrate the ignorance of many allegedly wise Athenians, but also to reveal the incompatibility and the misalignment between their thoughts, speech, and