Socrates Death Sentence
Athens Was Right To Sentence Socrates To Death
Maybe there’s some tarnish to philosophy’s golden idol
What if Socrates’ death sentence was justified? I’m sure you’re rolling your eyes. After all, he’s likely the greatest philosopher that ever lived and a method of teaching —named the Socratic Method out of reverence—bears his name.
Reverence is a good word to describe the current treatment for the man who possibly lived in 400 BC. Author Donald Robertson points out the presently popular Stoics used Socrates’ ideas as a building block. In fact, words written about him started Zeno of Citium down his path. Plus, Epictetus spoke admiringly about him as well.
The Oracle of Delphi even confirmed no one was wiser than Socrates. So, what could justify his punishment?
The philosopher’s curated story states he annoyed the Athenian establishment with his Socratic Method. In other words, he asked too many questions. Just think about your five-year-old nephew continuously asking “why” as you try to answer. Now, manifest that into a grown man’s frame.
Speaking of children, Socrates’ accusers also charged him with corrupting the youth of Athens. By “corrupting” most proclaim this means questioning their elders.
Obviously, that’s irritating but it’s hardly worth a death sentence. Think about it for a minute. Isn’t it a bit odd to execute someone for being annoying? There’s got to be more than that. Perhaps our story of Socrates is missing something?
After all, friends of the philosopher (Xenophon and Plato) tell his story. Not exactly unbiased sources. They sort of breeze over pretty damning behavior, and the period in Athens’ history that made it even worse.
So what pieces of the puzzle are we missing?
Athens Of Socrates’ Age
If you were an Athenian in the time of Socrates, you lived through a chaotic time of war. Will Durant in his book Heroes of History, explains during the Peloponnesian War in 431 BC, the surrounding land of Attica was invaded by the Spartans.
The Athenian army was swept away, and the mass of the population was forced to hide behind the walls of Athens — for about twenty-seven years. Famines and plagues pushed the Athenians to even abandon democracy. This likely pleased Socrates since he wasn’t a fan of it.
Durant says an “oligarchy of demagogues” took control. After Athens lost the war with Sparta, they negotiated a peace settlement. This group, referred to as the “Thirty Tyrants”, elected 500 magistrates and “whip bearers” to enforce the law and literally whip people if they disobeyed.
The Corrupted Youth Of Socrates
The Tyrants confiscated land and redistributed it to men of their choosing. This in-crowd were the only ones allowed to live in the city and carry weapons. Furthermore, Critias, a student of Socrates, led the Tyrants.
While the philosopher thought a wise oligarchy the greatest form of government, his student was a nightmare. Durant says Critias banned Socrates from holding his dialogues. Furthermore, the head Tyrant went on a torture, murder, and banishment spree.
Banished Athenians eventually returned and started a revolt against the Tyrants. Critias died in the capitol, alongside other students of Socrates, while being aided by Spartans. Now, you might say that’s a one-off and any teacher’s student could go bad.
Maybe. But another young student of Socrates also became infamous in the city. This one for his illegal drug use, a botched military campaign, and becoming a three-time traitor.
The Athenian politician and general Alcibiades, might have the shadiest reputation in all of Greek history. Imagine a self-indulgent rock star in a toga and you have him. He’d be worthy of a modern-day tabloid cover.
- Plutarch tells a story where Alchibiades’ wife tried to divorce him for multiple instances of cheating. He settled the matter by dragging her home by her hair in front of all of Athens. However, this was child’s play.
- Alchibiades bought an Olympic sweep by hiring seven chariots to compete in the Tethrippon event. But he wasn’t done. In rock star style, he hired a poet to literally sing his praises after the victory.
- Upon election as a general, he talked the Athenians into the disastrous invasion of Sicily. Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal in their book Stealing Fire note that before the campaign Alchibiades stole a sacred elixir called “kykeon” for a private party. He was recalled on his way to Sicily back to Athens to face trial for the heinous crime.
- Alchibiades realized he faced a death sentence, so defected to the Spartans and helped them defeat the Athenians. After supposedly getting the Spartan king’s wife pregnant, he defected to the Persians.
But there’s one more notable entry. Anytus, a prosecutor of Socrates, had a personal beef with the philosopher. While exiled from Athens, Anytus’ son came under the influence of Socrates and became a drunkard according to Durant.
Sentenced For More Than Annoyance
Speaking of Anytus, he was a general in the forces which defeated the Tyrants and very pro-democracy. After the civil war, he helped broker a truce. Only the Thirty and a few core associates would be prosecuted. All others supporting the oligarchs would be pardoned, providing they avoided seditious behavior.
The Encyclopedia Britannica reminds us Socrates continued his previous behavior, preaching about the benefits of oligarchy and weakness of democracy. He also extolled the virtues of the Spartans.
Obviously, former exiles that had their land taken, loved ones abused, and nation destroyed would have had difficulty hearing that.
Between this and his dangerous pupils, it’s no surprise some kind of charges were brought against him. So, he was sentenced to death for much more than being annoying.
A More Complex Vision Of Socrates
The standard idea of Socrates comes mainly from our philosophy classes. He’s described as a brave seeker of truth who faced meaningless charges willingly and accepted death rather than stopping his pursuits. But is that his whole story?
His charges seem meaningless in “our time”. But in ancient Athens, after a terrible war and violent civil war, his offenses carried much more weight. Especially if you were banished and had to live next to neighbors who cheered your exile.
So, is Socrates the brave seeker of truth? Yes. But is he also a man with dangerous ideas who instructed a group of traitors to Athens? Yes. He happens to be both, and our current vision of his “meaningless” prosecution is given to us by his supporters.
It appears his prosecutors even provided him with ample chances to escape, which he ignored. Instead he chose to continue, even with the huge load of baggage that could be used against him.
So, was Socrates’ death sentence justified? If I was in the shoes of an Athenian at the time, I’d be the first to hand him a cup of hemlock.
posted by Aloyzio Achutti at 9:45 PM
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