Plato's Apology 22 E – 23 CDefense Against the First AccusersHow Socrates acquired his reputation: Socrates interprets his own wisdom | |
| Now from this investigation, men of
Athens, many enmities have arisen
against me, and such as are most harsh
and grievous, so that many prejudices
have resulted from them and I am
called a wise man. For on each
occasion those who are present think I
am wise in the matters in which I
confute someone else; but the fact is,
gentlemen, it is likely that the god is
really wise and by his oracle means
this: "Human wisdom is of little or no
value." And it appears that he does not
really say this of Socrates, but merely
uses my name, and makes me an
example, as if he were to say: "This
one of you, O human beings, is wisest,
who, like Socrates, recognizes that he
is in truth of no account in respect to
wisdom. Therefore I am still even now going about and searching and investigating at the god's behest anyone, whether citizen or foreigner, who I think is wise; and when he does not seem so to me, I give aid to the god and show that he is not wise. And by reason of this occupation I have no leisure to attend to any of the affairs of the state worth mentioning, or of my own, but am in vast poverty on account of my service to the god. | Student name: |