Socrates Argument Against Charges Essay

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Socrates Argument Against Charges

The Apology: The horse-breaker analogy

The trial of Socrates came about because he was the teacher of several radical aristocrats who attempted to overthrow Athenian democracy and replace it with an oligarchy. Socrates had taught many of these men philosophy, and he advocated a philosophical kingdom ruled by elite philosophers as the ideal form of government. Socrates believed that just as the people most suited to make shoes should be cobblers, only the most intelligent and intellectually 'fit' should be allowed to rule (Stone 1979). When Athens was threatened, Socrates was prosecuted (Stone 1979). Socrates' analogy of the horse-tamer is in response to Meletus' claim that everyone else is a positive influence upon the youth of Athens -- except Socrates. Socrates points out specialized individuals are required to tame a horse, rather than ordinary individuals. This suggests that only educators can have an influence upon young, untamed animals, not greater society. Socrates claims that because most of his students are good and not corrupt, he is a good teacher and influence.

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Socrates' argument is profoundly antagonistic, although Meletus is unable to fully refute it. Socrates suggests that he alone, as an experienced teacher, can act as a good or bad influence upon the youth, and the fact that not all of his young pupils are bad means that Socrates can take credit for the result, much like a good horse-tamer. This supports Socrates' aristocratic view of the world that certain people are more fit to rule over the young, such as himself. It suggests he is not a corruptor of the young, but an elevator of the moral character of young people.

The first problem with the horse-tamer analogy is that it seems fundamentally inaccurate, even for horses. An animal can have one good 'tamer' but that does not necessarily mean that he will be influenced only by his trainer, and may even be more influenced by the ordinary….....

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