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Apology of Socrates

 Apology of Socrates
type
TVTItem
 Apology of Socrates
label
Apology of Socrates
 Apology of Socrates
page
ApologyOfSocrates
 Apology of Socrates
comment
One of Plato's dialogues, the Apology (like all works by Plato) takes place in Greece in the 5th century BC, being written a little bit later. It describes the famous trial of Socrates, performed in Athens after he was accused of blasphemy and corruption of youth. The degree in which it reflects the real event is debatable, but the trial must have had many witnesses (with Plato most probably being one of them), who could help establish the accurate version of all three speeches. Nonetheless, the dialogue is impressive by itself because of its literary value. Of all Plato's dialogues, this one is used as a translating exercise by the students of classical Greek most often, because it is relatively easy to read and very well-written (with numerous examples of famous Socratic irony) at the same time.Apart from being one of the oldest examples of the Law Procedural genre in history, it is an important ethical work, discussing the significance of truth in ethics and the real meaning of death. Although, as with all dialogues written by Plato, it is debatable in what degree it describes the historical Socrates instead of being an Author Tract, it is usually acknowledged to be one of the earliest Plato's texts, which means there is a good chance that the Socrates from Apology expresses his own views (in the latter case it may be the case when Shaming the Mob did not work). The fact that other authors wrote accounts of Socrates' trial that largely agree with Plato lend evidence to the theory (although some, like Xenophon, may have relied in part on Plato, so there's some evidence pulling the other way). Some interpreters say that the dialogue, along with a few other of Plato's works, foreshadows Christian ethics and eschatology.
 Apology of Socrates
fetched
2023-10-26T19:00:43Z
 Apology of Socrates
parsed
2023-10-26T19:00:43Z
 Apology of Socrates
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Apology of Socrates / int_171c50a9
type
The Philosopher
 Apology of Socrates / int_171c50a9
comment
The Philosopher: Guess who?
 Apology of Socrates / int_171c50a9
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1.0
 Apology of Socrates / int_171c50a9
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 Apology of Socrates
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Apology of Socrates / int_171c50a9
 Apology of Socrates / int_25d95a37
type
Principles Zealot
 Apology of Socrates / int_25d95a37
comment
Principles Zealot: Lampshaded in Criton, which describes Socrates' conversation with a friend after the trial.
 Apology of Socrates / int_25d95a37
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apology of Socrates / int_25d95a37
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Apology of Socrates / int_25d95a37
 Apology of Socrates / int_302fd82f
type
Unconventional Courtroom Tactics
 Apology of Socrates / int_302fd82f
comment
Unconventional Courtroom Tactics: Some scholars have pointed out that Socrates appears to either ignore or deliberately flout some of the rhetorical tricks and flourishes that his audience would have expected a defendant to provide, to the point that he seems to forego his own defense in order to subtly insult the assembly. It's somewhat debated whether he merely wanted his arguments to stand on their own force, or if this was done in deliberate mockery to demonstrate the contempt he held for his accusers, the accusations, and by extension Athenian society in general.
 Apology of Socrates / int_302fd82f
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 Apology of Socrates / int_302fd82f
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Apology of Socrates / int_302fd82f
 Apology of Socrates / int_33cd16fa
type
Older Than Feudalism
 Apology of Socrates / int_33cd16fa
comment
Older Than Feudalism: By 800 to 1000 years.
 Apology of Socrates / int_33cd16fa
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apology of Socrates / int_33cd16fa
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 Apology of Socrates
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Apology of Socrates / int_33cd16fa
 Apology of Socrates / int_38bb862f
type
Don't You Dare Pity Me!
 Apology of Socrates / int_38bb862f
comment
Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Socrates. Even more so in Phaedo, but the tendency is obvious already in the Apology.
 Apology of Socrates / int_38bb862f
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1.0
 Apology of Socrates / int_38bb862f
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 Apology of Socrates
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Apology of Socrates / int_38bb862f
 Apology of Socrates / int_44fc28e8
type
Honor Before Reason
 Apology of Socrates / int_44fc28e8
comment
Honor Before Reason: Socrates defines his life philosophy by this trope. He considers injustice and dishonesty as things to be avoided at all costs, even if it means his own death. He himself would be rather upset by this characterization, though — to him, it is everyone else who is being unreasonable.
 Apology of Socrates / int_44fc28e8
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 Apology of Socrates / int_44fc28e8
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Apology of Socrates / int_44fc28e8
 Apology of Socrates / int_47e0dd3b
type
Cool People Rebel Against Authority
 Apology of Socrates / int_47e0dd3b
comment
Cool People Rebel Against Authority: The Cool Old Guy, Socrates. It should be noted, though, that he's only "rebelling" against the earthly, human authority, in the name of compliance with the higher one - the law, and, above all, the gods.
 Apology of Socrates / int_47e0dd3b
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 Apology of Socrates / int_47e0dd3b
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Apology of Socrates / int_47e0dd3b
 Apology of Socrates / int_4d044580
type
Motive Rant
 Apology of Socrates / int_4d044580
comment
Motive Rant: Socrates had no choice but to constantly annoy the Athenians by proving them their stupidity, because he was told by a god to do so. However, it turns out that It Sucks to Be the Chosen One.
 Apology of Socrates / int_4d044580
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 Apology of Socrates / int_4d044580
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Apology of Socrates / int_4d044580
 Apology of Socrates / int_4e3d253b
type
Downer Ending
 Apology of Socrates / int_4e3d253b
comment
...Downer Ending
 Apology of Socrates / int_4e3d253b
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 Apology of Socrates / int_4e3d253b
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Apology of Socrates / int_4e3d253b
 Apology of Socrates / int_50b05d30
type
Disproportionate Retribution
 Apology of Socrates / int_50b05d30
comment
Disproportionate Retribution: Scholars still debate over the actual reason of Socrates' trial, though - it might have been more or less connected with politics rather than philosophy, in which case 'corrupting youths' would mean actively encouraging the rule of aristocracy rather than democratic government.
 Apology of Socrates / int_50b05d30
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 Apology of Socrates / int_50b05d30
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Apology of Socrates / int_50b05d30
 Apology of Socrates / int_54a85cfa
type
Law Procedural
 Apology of Socrates / int_54a85cfa
comment
Law Procedural: Apology here means "speech in defense," rather than anything to do with being sorry. The Apology is basically to be read as a transcript of the trial, with the focus being on the defense's examination of witnesses and arguments to the jury.
 Apology of Socrates / int_54a85cfa
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 Apology of Socrates / int_54a85cfa
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Apology of Socrates / int_54a85cfa
 Apology of Socrates / int_582564f5
type
The Gadfly
 Apology of Socrates / int_582564f5
comment
The Gadfly: Trope Namer. Socrates compares his relationship to the Athenian democracy to that of a gadfly pestering a horse. His portrayal in the Apology itself is perhaps his finest example, as he goes out of his way to subvert, pervert, or outright defy the typical rhetorical flourishes common to Athenian courtroom procedure of the time.
 Apology of Socrates / int_582564f5
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 Apology of Socrates / int_582564f5
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Apology of Socrates / int_582564f5
 Apology of Socrates / int_61a12ee2
type
Eccentric Mentor
 Apology of Socrates / int_61a12ee2
comment
Eccentric Mentor: Socrates to many of the people present. He lampshades it in his defensive speech.
 Apology of Socrates / int_61a12ee2
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1.0
 Apology of Socrates / int_61a12ee2
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Apology of Socrates / int_61a12ee2
 Apology of Socrates / int_68f81ea8
type
Real-Person Fic
 Apology of Socrates / int_68f81ea8
comment
Real-Person Fic: Like all of Plato's dialogues, although the extent to which the Apology (and other works) are fictionalized is uncertain.
 Apology of Socrates / int_68f81ea8
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1.0
 Apology of Socrates / int_68f81ea8
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Apology of Socrates / int_68f81ea8
 Apology of Socrates / int_69d64e5f
type
Seeker Archetype
 Apology of Socrates / int_69d64e5f
comment
Seeker Archetype: Socrates, the seeker of truth.
 Apology of Socrates / int_69d64e5f
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 Apology of Socrates / int_69d64e5f
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Apology of Socrates / int_69d64e5f
 Apology of Socrates / int_6b6556ee
type
Mentor Occupational Hazard
 Apology of Socrates / int_6b6556ee
comment
Mentor Occupational Hazard: Socrates.
 Apology of Socrates / int_6b6556ee
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 Apology of Socrates / int_6b6556ee
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Apology of Socrates / int_6b6556ee
 Apology of Socrates / int_725583e8
type
Good Feels Good
 Apology of Socrates / int_725583e8
comment
Good Feels Good: Socrates believes this.
 Apology of Socrates / int_725583e8
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 Apology of Socrates / int_725583e8
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Apology of Socrates / int_725583e8
 Apology of Socrates / int_73f7975f
type
Jerkass Gods
 Apology of Socrates / int_73f7975f
comment
Jerkass Gods: Defied. In contrast to the ways most myths portrayed gods at the time, Socrates denies that it could be in the nature of a god to be vicious or dishonest.
 Apology of Socrates / int_73f7975f
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 Apology of Socrates / int_73f7975f
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Apology of Socrates / int_73f7975f
 Apology of Socrates / int_7a14cdba
type
Chewbacca Defense
 Apology of Socrates / int_7a14cdba
comment
Chewbacca Defense: Socrates does this many times, often using Appeal to Ridicule.
 Apology of Socrates / int_7a14cdba
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1.0
 Apology of Socrates / int_7a14cdba
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Apology of Socrates / int_7a14cdba
 Apology of Socrates / int_7bc90010
type
Hearing Voices
 Apology of Socrates / int_7bc90010
comment
Hearing Voices: The way Socrates contacts his mysterious inner spirit.
 Apology of Socrates / int_7bc90010
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 Apology of Socrates / int_7bc90010
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Apology of Socrates / int_7bc90010
 Apology of Socrates / int_7e043a42
type
Suicide Is Painless
 Apology of Socrates / int_7e043a42
comment
Suicide Is Painless: Socrates' attitude toward the end, though in this case he's being forced to kill himself by the state, in lieu of any even worse method.
 Apology of Socrates / int_7e043a42
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1.0
 Apology of Socrates / int_7e043a42
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Apology of Socrates / int_7e043a42
 Apology of Socrates / int_8a2d8868
type
Not Afraid to Die
 Apology of Socrates / int_8a2d8868
comment
Not Afraid to Die: One of Socrates' reasons is that We All Die Someday, and you never know when Life Will Kill You. The courage of these claims is somewhat diminished by the fact that he was around 70 years old at the time, which was close to the end of life expectancy in ancient Greece, so he knew he probably didn't have much longer anyway. (For the record, Plato lived to be 80.)
 Apology of Socrates / int_8a2d8868
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 Apology of Socrates / int_8a2d8868
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Apology of Socrates / int_8a2d8868
 Apology of Socrates / int_96e5792c
type
Moral Guardians
 Apology of Socrates / int_96e5792c
comment
Moral Guardians: Socrates' accusers condemned him for "corrupting the youth" of Athens.
 Apology of Socrates / int_96e5792c
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 Apology of Socrates / int_96e5792c
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Apology of Socrates / int_96e5792c
 Apology of Socrates / int_ae2ae3
type
I Won't Say I'm Guilty
 Apology of Socrates / int_ae2ae3
comment
I Won't Say I'm Guilty: Even though his friends persuaded him to do so (see Criton).
 Apology of Socrates / int_ae2ae3
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 Apology of Socrates / int_ae2ae3
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Apology of Socrates / int_ae2ae3
 Apology of Socrates / int_bb5126ec
type
Prophecy Twist
 Apology of Socrates / int_bb5126ec
comment
Prophecy Twist: Subverted. Socrates offers a twisted interpretation of the prophecy as a justification of his deeds (the implication being that he is a victim of the prophecy — if he misunderstood it — in a similar way to Oedipus), but both he and his accusers know perfectly well that the twist (if not the prophecy) is invented by him.
 Apology of Socrates / int_bb5126ec
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Apology of Socrates / int_bb5126ec
 Apology of Socrates / int_c335b9ec
type
Irony
 Apology of Socrates / int_c335b9ec
comment
Irony: This text is made of it.
 Apology of Socrates / int_c335b9ec
featureApplicability
1.0
 Apology of Socrates / int_c335b9ec
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 Apology of Socrates
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Apology of Socrates / int_c335b9ec
 Apology of Socrates / int_d0a48e7
type
Unaccustomed as I Am to Public Speaking...
 Apology of Socrates / int_d0a48e7
comment
Unaccustomed as I Am to Public Speaking...: This is how Socrates poses himself in his beginning words, when he says that he is a first-time defendant and does not even know proper terminology used during the trials. He then runs roughshod over typical Athenian courtroom procedure in such a way as to betray that he knows exactly what he's doing.
 Apology of Socrates / int_d0a48e7
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 Apology of Socrates / int_d0a48e7
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Apology of Socrates / int_d0a48e7
 Apology of Socrates / int_ddeaea82
type
Miscarriage of Justice
 Apology of Socrates / int_ddeaea82
comment
Miscarriage of Justice: One of the best known in history.
 Apology of Socrates / int_ddeaea82
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 Apology of Socrates / int_ddeaea82
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Apology of Socrates / int_ddeaea82
 Apology of Socrates / int_f4a8142d
type
Victorious Loser
 Apology of Socrates / int_f4a8142d
comment
Victorious Loser: And a Doomed Moral Victor, no less.
 Apology of Socrates / int_f4a8142d
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 Apology of Socrates / int_f4a8142d
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Apology of Socrates / int_f4a8142d
 Apology of Socrates / int_f88f2449
type
Downer Beginning
 Apology of Socrates / int_f88f2449
comment
Downer Beginning: Along with...
 Apology of Socrates / int_f88f2449
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 Apology of Socrates / int_f88f2449
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Apology of Socrates / int_f88f2449
 Apology of Socrates / int_fa9cd4db
type
Democracy Is Bad
 Apology of Socrates / int_fa9cd4db
comment
Democracy Is Bad: A possible message of the text, since it was a view Socrates had (at least toward the Athenian democracy, something quite different from the modern forms).
 Apology of Socrates / int_fa9cd4db
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 Apology of Socrates / int_fa9cd4db
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Apology of Socrates / int_fa9cd4db
 Apology of Socrates / int_name
type
ItemName
 Apology of Socrates / int_name
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Apology of Socrates / int_name
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Apology of Socrates

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Apology of Socrates
hasFeature
I Won't Say I'm Guilty / int_38e704ab
 Apology of Socrates
hasFeature
Instructional Dialogue / int_38e704ab
 Apology of Socrates
hasFeature
Villainous Underdog / int_38e704ab