The Virtue: A Defense Of Socrates

Socrates begins his defense by stating that he will speak plainly, as opposed to the superfluous manner attributed to the Sophists. His old accusers originate from the anger of those he questioned and deemed unwise; the politicians, the poets, the craftsmen, and the orators. This anger accumulated over time and manifested itself into the accusations by Meletus, Anytus, and Lycon. Socrates invalidates the argument of corrupting the young by proving that Meletus does not even concern himself with this matter, and that the young who feel that they have been wronged should be the ones condemning him, rather than being the ones who wish to defend him. The claim that Socrates does not believe in the gods is nullified since he is being accused of teaching

Phaedo says that Socrates died in a manner that incurred no pity from the onlookers since he appeared content and even happy. Prior to his death, Socrates tells Evenus to follow Socrates to the underworld, which leads to the exploration of the possibilities of the afterlife. Socrates explains that the purpose of philosophy is to prepare for dying and death itself. This is so since death separates the body and the soul and serves to fulfill the philosopher’s quest in his pursuit of true wisdom. Therefore, the philosopher should not fear death. However, there is the question of whether or not the soul remains cognitive after death instead of dissipating. Socrates defends himself by proving that there are certain things that are constant, with the soul being one of them as it is invisible. Next, he addresses reincarnation by proving the existence of Equality. He does this by stating that there must be a process for the dead to become alive since there is a process for the living to become dead. If this Equality did not exist, then the number of living things would decrease since the living cannot convert into the living based on its principles. To be