Plato’s Apology

In Plato’s Apology, Socrates is defending himself from being found guilty of corrupting the youth and failing to believe in the same Gods the men of Athens believed in. When he is finally in court presenting his defense, Socrates makes a speech about how a trust worthy source Chaerephon traveled to the oracle of Delphi to ask if there was any man wiser than Socrates. When the Pythian replied by saying that there was indeed no one wiser, it only sparked Socrates interest to prove him wrong and cross-examine others and prove that they are wiser than him. Socrates determines that the oracle of Delphi claimed he is the wisest because, he possess human wisdom. Thus, Socrates cross-examines the people of Athens because he believes it his duty to the God and the people of Athens to expose false claims to wisdom.

Socrates expands on the claim that he is wise due to the fact that he has Human wisdom, which is worthless throughout the Apology. “I am wiser than this man; it is most likely that neither of us knows anything worthwhile, but he thinks he knows something when he does not, whereas when I do not know, neither do I think I know; so I am likely to be wiser than he to this small extent, that I do not think I know what I do not know (21d Apology)”. This proves that Socrates has concluded the oracle’s meaning, by investigating and continuing to challenge the so-called wise men of Athens. As opposed to Human wisdom, the so-called experts and their Divine wisdom keeps them from being truly wise. “Men of Athens, the good craftsmen seemed to me to have the same fault as the poets: each of them because of his success at this craft, thought himself very wise in other most important pursuits, and this error of theirs overshadowed the wisdom they had (22e Apology)”. If the men of Athens have knowledge of something, they go upon teaching the youth, but Socrates believes that by them doing so, they are in fact corrupting the youth. An objection one might raise to the surface is the fact that Socrates felt the need to challenge and cross-examine so many people. He could have done so to further etch the oracle’s words in stone, or prove to people that there was no men wiser than him as well. After Socrates questions himself, asking whether or not he should prefer to be as he is, with neither wisdom nor ignorance, or both. He reassures himself that the answer he gives himself and the oracle is that it is at his advantage to be as he is (22e Apology).

After Socrates determines he is not making the same fault as the so-called wise men of Athens, he makes it his mission to expose those who think they are wise and show them that they thought themselves wise, but truly are not. “It is perhaps on this point and in this respect, gentlemen, that I differ from the majority of men, and if I were to claim that I am wiser than anyone in anything, it would be in this, that, as I have no adequate knowledge of things in the underworld, so I