The Inner Life
THE HERALD OF THE NEW AGE | MAY 1934
SOCRATES’ APOLOGY
According to Plato.
SOCRATES—Born in Athens not earlier than 471, nor later than May or June, 469 B. C.
SOCRATES had been accused in the assembly of Athens of perverting the youth and teaching false gods,” because he insisted on teaching what he honestly believed to be the truth. This consisted largely in opposing the dishonest methods which the Sophists were teaching to young men of that day; methods of securing elections, of winning law suits, and of taking advantage of others in business dealings; also in his denying that the sun and moon and stars were, or contained gods. He was brought before the Assembly, of which he, as a citizen of Athens, was a member, and there was given an opportunity to defend himself. This he did in the Apology. Socrates was at this time more than seventy years of age, and this was the first time that he had ever appeared as a defendant in a court of law.
Here is a man whose conscience would not allow him to desist from seeking and teaching the truth, even though a statute had expressly forbidden the teaching of anything not taught by the Oracles.—Author.
STRANGE, indeed, would be my conduct, O men of Athens, if . . . I were to desert my post through fear of death, or any other fear . . . when, as I conceive and imagine God orders me to fulfill the philosopher’s mission of searching into myself and other men. . . . For the fear of death is indeed the pretense of wisdom, and not real wisdom . . . since one knows whether death, which others in their fear apprehend to be the greatest evil, may not be the greatest good . . . I know but little of the world below, . . . but I do know that injustice and disobedience to a better, whether God or man, is evil and dishonorable, and I will never fear or avoid a possible good rather than a certain evil. . . .
If you let me go now, and . . . say to me, “Socrates, we . . . will let you off, but upon one condition, that you are not to inquire and speculate in this way any more, and that if you are caught doing this again you shall die;” if this was the condition on which you let me go, I should reply: “Men of Athens, I honor and love you; but I shall obey God rather than you,” and while I have life and strength I shall never cease from the practice and teaching of philosophy, exhorting any whom
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