Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 Title and Preliminary Considerations
- 2 Prooemium (17a1–18a6)
- 3 Prothesis (18a7–19a7)
- 4 Defense against the Charges of the First Accusers (19a8–24b2)
- 5 Defense against the Present Accusers (24b3–28b2)
- 6 Second Digression (28b3–34b5)
- 7 Epilogue (34b6–35d8)
- 8 Penalty Section (35e1–38b9)
- 9 Final Speech (38c1–42a5)
- 10 Conclusion
- Short Titles
- Bibliography
- Index
2 - Prooemium (17a1–18a6)
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 August 2011
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction
- 1 Title and Preliminary Considerations
- 2 Prooemium (17a1–18a6)
- 3 Prothesis (18a7–19a7)
- 4 Defense against the Charges of the First Accusers (19a8–24b2)
- 5 Defense against the Present Accusers (24b3–28b2)
- 6 Second Digression (28b3–34b5)
- 7 Epilogue (34b6–35d8)
- 8 Penalty Section (35e1–38b9)
- 9 Final Speech (38c1–42a5)
- 10 Conclusion
- Short Titles
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
The Problem of Truthfulness
Socrates' Simple Truthfulness
Socrates' first speech to the jury has six parts: (1) prooemium or introduction (17a1–18a6); (2) prothesis or statement of the case (18a7–19a7); (3) defense against the charges of the “first accusers” (19a8–24b2); (4) defense against the present accusers (24b3–28b2); (5) digression (28b3–34b5); and (6) epilogue (34b6–35d8).
In the prooemium or introduction, Socrates takes up the question of telling the truth. His accusers, he says, spoke very persuasively, but almost everything they said was a lie. And of all their lies, the most astonishing and shameless was the lie that Socrates is a clever speaker. Now, isn't this strange? Socrates stands accused of terrible crimes, crimes he denies having committed, crimes that carry the death penalty – yet what really astonishes him is the prosecution's claim that he is a clever speaker! Despite the gravity of his tone, there is something lighthearted about his assessment (cf. Euthyphro 3d9–e2). Perhaps what Socrates finds so astonishing is that his accusers have told a lie that will be quickly and easily exposed. For as soon as he begins to speak, he says, he will “appear not to be a clever speaker in any way at all” (17b2–3). But isn't this precisely how a clever speaker in Socrates' situation would want to appear? Besides, if hearing Socrates is enough to refute the claim that he is a clever speaker, why do the Athenians, who have heard him speaking for many years now, still believe that he is not only a clever speaker himself, but a most effective teacher of clever speaking?
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- Information
- The Ironic Defense of SocratesPlato's Apology, pp. 8 - 38Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010