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Book No. – 52 (Political Science)
Book Name – Political Philosophy (Richard G. Stevens)
What’s Inside the Chapter? (After Subscription)
1. The Proemium
2. The Prothesis
3. The Defense of Socrates
3.1. The Defense against the Old Accusers
3.2. The Defense of Socrates against Meletus
3.3. The Interrogatory of Meletus
4. The Divine Mission of Socrates
5. Epilogos
6. The Antitimesis
7. After the Sentence
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The Origin of Political Philosophy
Chapter – 4
Table of Contents
- Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 b.c.) was a lawyer, orator, statesman, and philosopher, considered one of the greatest intellects of the ancient Roman republic.
- Cicero is often labeled a “Stoic,” though his adherence to Stoicism is debated as he may have deviated from traditional Stoic principles by returning to classical thinkers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
- Aristotle (384–322 b.c.) wrote treatises that offered demonstrative proofs, attempting to improve on Plato’s dialogues, which were more poetic and like plays.
- Plato (427–347 b.c.) was the first political philosopher to leave behind written works, primarily dialogues, and was the greatest follower of Socrates (469–399 b.c.), who left no writings.
- Cicero credited Socrates with founding political philosophy, as Socrates brought philosophy down from the heavens to question life, morality, and the nature of good and evil.
- Aristophanes’ Clouds portrays Socrates humorously, yet it played a role in Socrates’ trial and execution, contrasting with the posthumous praise Socrates received as the “best, wisest, and most just.”
- In the Clouds, characters like Strepsiades, Pheidippides, and Socrates represent the tension between philosophy and practical life, with Socrates teaching how to use rhetoric to manipulate law.
- Socrates is depicted as a teacher who elevates himself by questioning both the earthly and the heavens above, emphasizing how to make the Worse Speech seem like the Better.
- Pheidippides, influenced by Socrates’ teachings, beats his father, a highly impious act, and justifies it through persuasive rhetoric, illustrating the corrupting influence of Socratic education.
- Whether Aristophanes intended to mock or criticize Socrates, he acknowledges Socrates as a highly sought-after teacher whose teachings affect both private and public life.
- In his defense speech (Apology), Socrates links his trial to earlier slanders and defends philosophy itself, revealing the antipathy between philosophy and the polis.
- Plato’s tetralogies, starting with the Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, and Phaedo, highlight Socrates’ trial, his conversation with Euthyphro, and the concept of piety as a matter of life and death for Socrates.
- The Euthyphro dialogue showcases Socrates attempting to understand piety, which becomes central to his trial for impiety. Despite Euthyphro’s strong beliefs, he fails to provide a clear definition of piety, leading only to a clarification of the question rather than an answer.
- The word “Apology” confuses modern readers, as it traditionally means a speech in defense of one’s actions, not an expression of regret or asking for forgiveness.
- The Greek word apologia (ἀπολογία) means a defense speech, an oration defending one’s actions and maintaining that one has not broken the law as charged.
- In Athenian jurisprudence, a court was convened by drawing a large number of citizens by lot, with no distinct judge separating the roles of judge and juror as seen in modern legal systems.
- In Socrates’ case, the court consisted of 501 men.
- In Athenian law, one could hire a rhetor (or orator) to write a persuasive defense speech but could not hire a lawyer or barrister as in modern legal systems to represent someone in court.
- Socrates defended himself, choosing not to hire anyone to write his speech, possibly for reasons of honesty or prudence.
- John Burnet published a critical edition of the Greek texts of the Euthyphro, Apology, and Crito in 1924, dividing Socrates’ speech in the Apology into nine parts for analysis.
- Despite Socrates’ claim of not knowing the proper legal forms, Burnet shows that his Apology in fact follows these forms.
The Proemium
- Socrates describes the argument made by his accusers to the court as a deliberate attempt to mislead.
- The charges were brought by Anytus, Meletus, and to a lesser extent, Lycon.
- Among the many lies told by the accusers, one was that Socrates was a persuasive speaker.
- Socrates denies this claim, stating he is not a persuasive speaker.
- It is generally accepted by Socrates’ disciples that he was knowledgeable in almost everything, including forensic rhetoric.
- Plato’s dialogues Phaedrus and Gorgias portray Socrates as being skilled in both private and public rhetoric, including erotic and deliberative speech.
- Socrates denies his rhetorical skill because admitting it would confirm the charge against him that he was a Sophistwho used rhetoric to undermine public order.
- If speaking plainly is considered clever, then Socrates’ speech could be seen as rhetorically skilled, but speaking plainly should not be unlawful unless the substance of the speech is forbidden.
- Socrates asks the judges not to focus on the manner of his speech but on whether his words are just.
- If the court accepted his defense, it would acquit him or dismiss the case for lack of a cause of action.