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Socrates was not executed because he "asked questions". He was executed because he opposed the Athenian democracy and was considered partly responsible for the

by goto11 4y ago

Socrates was not executed because he "asked questions". He was executed because he opposed the Athenian democracy and was considered partly responsible for the brutal oligarchy ("The 30 tyrants") which was installed after Athens defeat in the Peloponnesian war. While Socrates did not directly support the tyranny, one of his students was a leading member. This is why Socrates was executed for "corrupting the youth" after the tyranny was overthrown.

mannykannot 4y ago
Point taken - I was thinking of the charges out of context: A general amnesty issued in 403 meant that Socrates could not be prosecuted for any of his actions during or before the reign of the Thirty Tyrants. He could only be charged for his actions during the four years preceding his trial in 399 B.C.E. It appears that Socrates, undeterred by the antidemocratic revolts and their aftermaths, resumed his teachings and once again began attracting a similar band of youthful followers. The final straw may well have been another antidemocratic uprising--this one unsuccessful--in 401. Athens finally had enough of "Socratified" youth. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/socrates/socratesaccount.html http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/socrates/socra... also this: Cambridge University classicist Professor Paul Cartledge claims that, rather than being a farce, Socrates’ trial was legally just and that he was guilty as charged. Instead of being a warning from history, he argues, it is an example of just how different Ancient Greek politics often were. “Everyone knows that the Greeks invented democracy, but it was not democracy as we know it, and we have misread history as a result,” Professor Cartledge said. “The charges Socrates faced seem ridiculous to us, but in Ancient Athens they were genuinely felt to serve the communal good.” https://www.cam.ac.uk/news/socrates-was-guilty-as-charged https://www.cam.ac.uk/news/socrates-was-guilty-as-charged

by goto11 4y ago

mannykannot 4y ago

Point taken - I was thinking of the charges out of context: A general amnesty issued in 403 meant that Socrates could not be prosecuted for any of his actions during or before the reign of the Thirty Tyrants. He could only be charged for his actions during the four years preceding his trial in 399 B.C.E. It appears that Socrates, undeterred by the antidemocratic revolts and their aftermaths, resumed his teachings and once again began attracting a similar band of youthful followers. The final straw may well have been another antidemocratic uprising--this one unsuccessful--in 401. Athens finally had enough of "Socratified" youth. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/socrates/socratesaccount.html http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/socrates/socra... also this: Cambridge University classicist Professor Paul Cartledge claims that, rather than being a farce, Socrates’ trial was legally just and that he was guilty as charged. Instead of being a warning from history, he argues, it is an example of just how different Ancient Greek politics often were. “Everyone knows that the Greeks invented democracy, but it was not democracy as we know it, and we have misread history as a result,” Professor Cartledge said. “The charges Socrates faced seem ridiculous to us, but in Ancient Athens they were genuinely felt to serve the communal good.” https://www.cam.ac.uk/news/socrates-was-guilty-as-charged https://www.cam.ac.uk/news/socrates-was-guilty-as-charged