2. Socratic Citizenship: Plato's Apology

YaleCourses

21 Sept 200845:35

EducationalLearning

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TLDRProfessor Steven Smith delves into Plato's 'Apology of Socrates,' presenting it as the quintessential introduction to political philosophy. He outlines two key reasons for its significance: it illustrates Socrates defending his philosophical life in a public trial, highlighting the role of philosophy in political life, and it explores the inherent tension between political philosophy and political power. The lecture examines Socrates as a symbol of political resistance, questioning the compatibility of free thought and political obligations. Smith also discusses the historical context of Socrates' trial, the charges against him, and his philosophical shift from natural phenomena to ethical and political inquiry. The discussion extends to the implications of Socrates' teachings on citizenship, education, and the essential conflict between philosophy and societal beliefs, emphasizing Socrates' belief in the importance of the examined life and the pursuit of justice through private rather than public action.

Takeaways

😀 The Apology shows Socrates defending himself and his way of life before a jury of his peers in Athens. It demonstrates the conflict between philosophy and political power.
😮‍💨 The charges against Socrates related to corrupting the youth and impiety toward the Gods. In effect, he was accused of treason against Athens.
🤔 Socrates puts democracy itself on trial by questioning who has the right to educate and govern in the city.
😲 Socrates rejected the traditional poetic education and offered a new model of the questioning citizen trained in argument and dialectic.
😯 There was a long-standing quarrel between Socrates and the poets like Aristophanes over who should educate citizens.
🧐 Impiety for Socrates meant not properly caring for what his fellow citizens cared about, like belief in the Gods.
😕 Philosophy questions belief and faith, creating tension with a city's pieties and founding principles.
🤨 Socrates claimed philosophy required turning away from public political life to private pursuit of virtue and excellence of the soul.
😶 Socrates said he opposed political activity because it would lead to his death. He felt compelled to live a private life to truly fight for justice.
🙃 The Apology puts Socrates' conception of the philosophical citizen at odds with Athenian democracy and its principles.

Q & A

What charges were brought against Socrates by Anytus and Meletus?
-Anytus and Meletus charged Socrates with corrupting the youth and disbelieving in the gods that the city believes in.
How does Socrates' manner of teaching differ from that of the poets?
-Unlike the poetic, oracular style of teaching, Socrates uses a conversational, argumentative, and dialectical method focused on rational analysis and debate to arrive at truth.
What was the 'Socratic turn' that marked a major point in Socrates' intellectual biography?
-The 'Socratic turn' refers to when Socrates shifted his focus from investigating natural phenomena to studying human and political things after his friend Charephon conveyed the Delphic Oracle's claim that no one was wiser than Socrates.
What is the nature of Socrates' crime of 'impiety'?
-The charge of impiety suggests that Socrates did not properly revere the beliefs and ideals that Athenian society cared deeply about. His questioning threatened their faith-based opinions.
Why does philosophy necessarily conflict with belief and civic piety?
-Philosophy aims to replace opinion and faith with reason and knowledge. This quest for rational truth undermines the unexamined beliefs that hold a society together.
How did Aristophanes mock Socrates in his play The Clouds?
-Aristophanes presented Socrates as a detached natural philosopher who headed an institution that taught radical skepticism, undermining norms and traditions.
What new model of citizenship and civic virtues did Socrates propose?
-Socrates wanted to replace the older warrior virtues with a new Socratic citizen trained in verbal argumentation and focused on perfecting his own virtue and wisdom.
Why does Socrates claim he had to turn from public to private life to pursue justice?
-He argues that genuinely confronting injustice in public life leads to persecution and death, so one must lead a private life to preserve oneself and continue the pursuit of justice.
What was at stake in the conflict between Socrates and the poetic tradition?
-It was a conflict over who had the authority to educate new citizens - Socrates challenged the long-held belief that poets were the true legislators for mankind.
How did Socrates put democracy itself on trial in his Apology?
-By questioning Athens' right to pass judgement on him, Socrates asserted philosophy's claim to superior political authority over democratic rule.

Outlines

00:00

😃 Introducing Socrates and the Apology

Professor Smith introduces Socrates and the Apology as the best text for studying political philosophy. He explains how the text shows Socrates justifying his way of life and putting philosophy itself on trial in its relation to political power.

05:03

😞 Socrates Does Not Defend General Freedom of Speech

Socrates does not defend general, unlimited freedom of speech. Rather, he maintains that the examined life is the one worth living, focusing on his personal quest for self-perfection over a doctrine on speech.

10:06

🤔 Socrates' Trial Puts Athenian Democracy on Trial

The Apology can be seen as a struggle over who has the right to rule - the people of Athens or Socrates the philosopher. Socrates intends to put Athenian democracy itself on trial before the court of philosophy.

15:09

😖 Charges Brought Amid Political Turmoil Post-War

The charges against Socrates come amid political turmoil following military defeat to Sparta. With democracy only recently reestablished, Socrates had associations with the oligarchic Thirty Tyrants faction.

20:10

😡 Aristophanes' Mockery Creates Initial Prejudice

Socrates claims Aristophanes' mockery in the play The Clouds created an initial prejudice against him. This represents the old quarrel between philosophy and poetry over who educates future leaders.

25:18

🤨 From Investigating Nature to Political Virtues

Socrates recounts his intellectual shift from investigating natural phenomena to focusing on human excellence and moral/political virtues. This 'Socratic turn' shapes the later, Platonic Socrates.

30:20

🧐 What Was the Nature of Socrates' Crime?

The meaning of the charges of impiety and corruption against Socrates remain unclear. Impiety suggests irreverence toward what a society cares about deeply. Corruption implies leading youth astray morally/politically.

35:20

😕 Tension Between Philosophy and Civic Piety

There is an inevitable tension between philosophy's desire to replace opinion with reason, and a society's civic pieties or faiths that hold it together. In this sense, Socrates was likely guilty of impiety.

40:23

😌 Socrates Claims Pursuing Justice Requires Withdrawal from Public Life

Socrates claims that for someone fighting for justice, it is necessary to lead a private rather than public life. This raises questions about what he means regarding this new 'private virtue' he pursues.

45:24

❓ What Is Socrates' New Model of Citizenship?

The lecture concludes by posing a question for next week on what Socrates' claims about private virtue mean regarding his new model of citizenship and concern for the virtue of one's soul.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Socrates

Socrates was an ancient Greek philosopher and one of the founders of Western philosophy. He is portrayed in the video as defending himself and his way of life before a jury in Athens. Socrates questioned traditional beliefs and virtues, aiming to replace opinion with reason. He was ultimately sentenced to death for corrupting the youth and impiety. Examples of Socrates are mentioned throughout the transcript, as he is the main subject.

💡philosophy

Philosophy refers to the pursuit of knowledge and truth through reasoning and argumentation. In the video, philosophy is contrasted with belief or faith. Philosophy questions accepted beliefs and aims to replace opinion with rational knowledge. This puts philosophy at odds with civic piety and the beliefs that hold a society together. Socrates represents philosophy in questioning the virtues and assumptions of Athenian society.

💡piety

Piety means reverence and respect for the beliefs and institutions valued by a society. In the video, Socrates is accused of impiety for not caring about the same things as his fellow Athenian citizens, and for questioning their fundamental beliefs. Impiety suggests disrespect of the gods or principles that a society holds sacred. Socrates was seen as impious for not accepting the traditional virtues on faith.

💡poetry

Poetry refers here to the works of ancient Greek poets like Homer and Aristophanes. Their poetry extolled heroic virtues and stories that were used to educate Greek youth. Socrates challenged this poetic education, aiming to replace it with reason and argument. He is portrayed as in conflict with poetic tradition and poets like Aristophanes who mocked him.

💡virtue

Virtue means moral excellence or goodness. A major theme of the video is Socrates aiming to redefine virtue away from Homeric warrior virtues to qualities like reason, argumentation and concern for one's soul. He questioned traditional Greek virtues and wanted to educate a new kind of citizen with a new conception of virtue focused on examining life through reason.

💡citizen

A citizen is a member of a political community like Athens. The video contrasts the traditional Homeric warrior citizen with Socrates' new conception of the citizen. This new Socratic citizen would be trained in verbal argumentation and reason rather than physical combat. They would be more focused on private virtue and the soul rather than public affairs.

💡dialogue

A dialogue is a conversation between two or more people. The video explains that Socrates engaged people in dialogues and arguments rather than reciting poetry or myths. His conversational, questioning method of teaching was central to his new model of education that challenged the poetic tradition.

💡dialectic

Dialectic refers to logical argumentation and rational discussion between two or more people to analyze ideas and seek truth. Socrates introduced a dialectical method of teaching and learning through questioning and debate. This dialectical education was meant to replace the long tradition of poetic education in Greek society.

💡Delphi

Delphi was the site of the Oracle of Apollo in ancient Greece. Socrates recounts being told by the Oracle at Delphi that no one was wiser than him, prompting his turn from natural science to moral philosophy as he sought to prove the Oracle wrong.

💡regime

A regime refers to a system of government or political order of a society. The video explains how philosophy questions beliefs that hold a regime together, creating tension between philosophy and the requirements of a political regime. This helps explain the conflict between Socrates' philosophy and the Athenian democracy.

Highlights

First significant research finding

Introduction of new theoretical model

Proposal of innovative experimental method

Transcripts

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