Apology of Socrates

Background

 Peloponnesian War (5th century B.C.): Athens vs Sparta

 Thirty tirans and the fall and reinstauration of democracy

 Political persecution of the Sophists and relativism

 Athens against cosmological philosophy and atheism

Philosophy as understood by Socrates

 Continuos search for the truth

 Coherence between words and acts: a form of life

 Reflection upon ourselves and human reality

 Conceptual analysis: Good, Beauty, Justice, etc.
 Interest in virtue: What is the best form of life?
 Virtues: Wisdom, Courage, Temperance and Justice
Continuos search for the truth

 The best way to talk is with the truth, not just with beautiful speeches.

 Recognize our own ignorance

 Socratic irony

 We need to use a specific reasoned method

Coherence between words and acts

 Against the relativism of the Sophists

 Socratic mission comes from the gods: vocation

 Socrates will not stop to examine people, even of he is in another country or in the afterlife

 He prefers death rather than renouncing to his philosophical way of life

Reflection upon ourselves and human reality

 The “anthropological twist” in philosophy

 “Know yourself”, at the Oracle of Delphi

 Conceptual analysis: what is “Beuty”, “Justice”, or the “Good”?

Interest in virtue

 Virtue: the best way of being. Excellence.

 Greek culture virtues: wisdom, courage, justice, temperance (self-control)

 Virtue is the key to happiness