POL S 1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Meletus, Atheism
Document Summary
Socrates describes his pursuit of wisdom as a divine duty. Philosophers give justice to society = good life (republic) Socrates" willing to be a martyr for his love of truth and belief in philosophy. Socrates" defending himself against charges brought upon him by athens (new accusations) Socrates distinguishes himself from other speakers by trying to present the truth in a direct way. Basically he shows up and tells the jury that he"s going to improvise. This is terrible in athens because there, they prioritize the duty of being an active citizen. Athens (government, society, and politics) which is horrendous and unacceptable to athenian men. Starts his case by rubbing everyone the wrong way when he says he doesn"t affiliate with them. He also says he will not speak to persuade or use the kind of speech that they use in courts (rhetoric) He isn"t skilled in the art of persuasion, and he"s only interested in the truth.
