University of San Jose - Recoletos

Department of Social Sciences & Philosophy

Political Science Degree-Program
PS Major 4: Introduction to Political Theory Ancient & Medieval Political Theory

MID-TERMS WORKSHOP 1

The Apology by Plato: An analogy

Name: _Gabatan, Heavenly T.

Instructions: Read the dialogue “Apology” by Plato, supplemented by the

commentary of Ebenstein & Ebenstein in ‘The Great Political Thinkers’ and
answer the questions below.

Tip: It helps a lot to read the Apology aloud as if reading the first reading of the gospel in front of an
audience. A technique that involves all the senses rather than just the mind. 

Grading Rubrics:

Why was Socrates put on trial and what were the accusations made against
him? (60pts)

Socrates, at 70 years of age, was put on trial in 399 B.C. by the citizens of Athens for multiple
“crimes”. The trial of Socrates occurred soon after Athens’s defeat at the hands of Sparta in the
Peloponnesian War. Sparta and Athens were not only military rivals but also have different
forms of government; Athens was a democracy but Sparta, by contrast, was a mixed regime
based on a complex power-sharing arrangement. Furthermore, Socrates was alleged to have
violated the law against impiety, for he believed that the gods must be good, wise, and rational or
otherwise not to be gods contrary to almost all Greek mythology which is filled with jealous and
self-serving deities. Moreover, he was also charged of corrupting the youth for Socrates was “the
doer of evil” and he was held responsible for the actions of his pupils, especially those who had
joined the tyrants.
 University of San Jose - Recoletos
Department of Social Sciences & Philosophy
Political Science Degree-Program
PS Major 4: Introduction to Political Theory Ancient & Medieval Political Theory

Outline the arguments that Socrates made in his ‘apology’ or defense during
his trial (60pts)

The Apology of Socrates by Plato is an account of the speech of Socrates in which he was put in
trial for his alleged with crimes. Socrates attempted to defend himself by speaking in a plain but
conversational manner. He may have had no experience with the law courts, but he spoke and
answered with honesty and directness. This began when the oracle at Delphi claimed that
Socrates was the wisest of all men. However, Socrates recognized his own ignorance and it made
him conclude that he is wiser than any other man only because he knows that he knows nothing.
Also, Socrates explained his duty to question supposed “wise” men in order to recognize or
expose their false wisdom as ignorance. Because of this, it earned him much admiration among
the youth of Athens but he also gained hatred and anger from the others.

Socrates once again addressed the court for his defense for the accusation of impiety against him.
As the trial was going on, he spent a large part of his speech trying to convince his fellow
citizens that he is a pious man for his philosophical mission has been carried out in obedience to
the god who presides at Delphi. Upon the cross examination, Meletus asserted that Socrates did
not believe in the gods to whom the city believes but Socrates believed that gods should be
perfectly good, wise, and rational. Therefore, he did not believe in the Athenian gods, but he did
introduce new gods and by teaching these to the youth of Athens, he was accused of corrupting
the minds of the young who gathered around him. Aside from that, Socrates saw himself as a
gadfly stinging the lazy horse which is the Athenian state. He also claimed that through his
influence, the state can be wakened into productive and virtuous action.

After all the arguments, interrogations, and explanations, Socrates was still found guilty. The
result was about 281 votes who judge him guilty against the 220 votes in favor of him. He
rejected the thought of prison and exile and suggested to have an offering instead by paying a
fine, but the jury rejected his suggestion and sentenced him to death. In the end, Socrates
accepted the verdict and for him, only the gods know what happens after death and he even
warns those jurymen who voted against him that they have harmed themselves much more than
they have harmed him.
 University of San Jose - Recoletos
Department of Social Sciences & Philosophy
Political Science Degree-Program
PS Major 4: Introduction to Political Theory Ancient & Medieval Political Theory

Who were the Sophists and why were they criticized by Plato and Socrates?
(60pts)
Gaarder (1991) said that “Sophists were itinerant professional teachers and intellectuals who
frequented Athens and other Greek cities to teach and practice rhetoric (the art of persuasion) for
a means of making a living.” The Sophists were concerned with the individual and the
individual’s place in the world, thus they believed other concepts of truth and justice were
products of habit and circumstance. They were wise and well-informed people and use the power
of words through convincing other people. They were also skeptical about the existence of the
gods and they taught a variety of subjects such as mathematics, grammar, political philosophy,
and ancient history. However, Plato and Socrates criticized the Sophists and described them as
the “traders of false knowledge” and the “athletes in a sport of words”. The Sophists did not
teach true knowledge and only made their students to believe in public opinion. Furthermore, the
sophists failed to discover the epistemic truth which is compromised by law and justice and for
this reason, Socrates and Plato criticized the Sophists for misleading the people from the truth by
calling up memorized passages and having memory activated instead of reason. Lastly, Socrates
did not take fees as the Sophists did as a return for teaching.

‘Is anybody wiser than Socrates?’ Why is this question central to the
arguments in the ‘apology’ (60pts)

This started when Socrates’ friend, Chaerephon, went to the oracle of Delphi and asked whether
there was anyone wiser than Socrates. So, this question is central to Socrates’ arguments in The
Apology because in the first place, this is the reason why he was put in the trial. Then, the oracle
told Chaerephon that no one is wiser than Socrates. However, Socrates was aware of his own
ignorance and therefore, he attempted to refute the oracle by finding someone who was wiser
than him. He went and spoke to people with different professions (e.g., poets, artisans,
craftsmen, and politicians) but he found out that they only possessed “human wisdom.” Socrates
believed that knowledge is the most valuable thing in life as it is better to seek for knowledge
and to be conscious of our own ignorance rather than to claim knowledge that we don’t really
have.