Validity In The Charges Of Impiety Against Socrates

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Validity in the Charges of Impiety against Socrates Impiety is commonly defined as a lack of proper concern for the obligations owed to public religious observation. Plato’s Apology consists of a speech made by Socrates, a well-known philosopher, in defense of his life and conduct at his trail. Socrates was accused of being impious through accusations such as corrupting the youth of Athens, not recognizing the gods that are recognized by the state, as well as inventing new deities. The question then becomes, with these accusations in mind, are the charges of impiety against Socrates valid? This question is not easy to answer, and is in fact, quite complex. Many sides are presented throughout the text of The Apology, most notably in the cross-examination with Meletus, and as well as Socrates’ explanation of the Oracle of Delphi. One must explore both sides in order to come to a conclusion over whether Socrates was impious or not. There are many indications which lead to the invalidity of the charges of impiety against Socrates. The charge that the Athenians placed on Socrates was that he “disbelieved in the gods”, or was an atheist. However, Socrates makes many arguments that directly refute this claim. He goes on to talk about how he has devoted his entire life to the Oracle of Delphi. This alone proves that he believed in the gods since the Oracle of Delphi is from the god Apollo. In the text of The Apology, Socrates outlines his actions in following this oracle. He questioned everyone with a reputation for wisdom—poets, craftsmen, and politicians—and after having a conversation with them, he determined they were not in fact wise at all. He concluded that he was the one with the most wisdom since he recognized that he actually wasn’t wise at all. The second charge of impiety placed against Socrates was that he believed in the supernatural things of

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