Plato's Apology 26 A - 27 ADefense Against the Second AccusersThat Socrates corrupts the youth by teaching them not to believe in the gods of the city | |
| [Socrates 15] But enough of this, for,
men of Athens, this is clear, as I said,
that Meletus never cared much or little
for these things. But nevertheless, tell
us, how do you say, Meletus, that I
corrupt the youth? Or is it evident,
according to the indictment you
brought, that it is by teaching them not
to believe in the gods the state believes
in, but in other new spiritual beings?
Do you not say that it is by teaching
this that I corrupt them? [Meletus 13] "Very decidedly that is what I say." [Socrates 16] Then, Meletus, for the sake of these very gods about whom our speech now is, speak still more clearly both to me and to these gentlemen. For I am unable to understand whether you say that I teach that there are some gods, and myself then believe that there are some gods, and am not altogether godless and am not a wrongdoer in that way, that these, however, are not the gods whom the state believes in, but others, and this is what you accuse me for, that I believe in others; or you say that I do not myself believe in gods at all and that I teach this unbelief to other people. [Meletus 14] "That is what I say, that you do not believe in gods at all." [Socrates 17] You amaze me, Meletus! Why do you say this? Do I not even believe that the sun or yet the moon are gods, as the rest of mankind do? [Meletus 15] "No, by Zeus, judges, since he says that the sun is a stone and the moon earth." [Socrates 18] Do you think you are accusing Anaxagoras, my dear Meletus, and do you so despise these gentlemen and think they are so unversed in letters as not to know, that the books of Anaxagoras the Clazomenian are full of such utterances? And forsooth the youth learn these doctrines from me, which they can buy sometimes (if the price is high) for a drachma in the orchestra and laugh at Socrates, if he pretends they are his own, especially when they are so absurd! But for heaven's sake, do you think this of me, that I do not believe there is any god? [Meletus 16] "No, by Zeus, you don't, not in the least." [Socrates 19] You cannot be believed, Meletus, not even, as it seems to me, by yourself. For this man appears to me, men of Athens, to be very violent and unrestrained, and actually to have brought this indictment in a spirit of violence and unrestraint and rashness. For he seems, as it were, by composing a puzzle to be making a test: "Will Socrates, the wise man, recognize that I am joking and contradicting myself, or shall I deceive him and the others who hear me?" For he appears to me to contradict himself in his speech, as if he were to say, "Socrates is a wrongdoer, because he does not believe in gods, but does believe in gods." And yet this is the conduct of a jester. | Student name: |