Clarendon Paperbacks
1 total work
Brickhouse and Smith argue, contrary to many modern interpretations of Plato's "Apology of Socrates", that Plato's Socrates offers a sincere defence against the charges he faces. In doing so the book offers an exhaustive historical and philosophical interpretation of and commentary on Plato's "Apology". The authors demonstrate that Socrates' moral and religious principles prohibit him from needlessly risking a negative vote at his trial. By providing a complete commentary, they show that each specific claim Socrates makes in the "Apology" can be construed as a sincere attempt to inform the jury of the truth and convince the jurors of his blamelessness. The effect of these two strategies is a novel interpretation of the "Apology" which sheds new light on various aspects of Socrates' life and philosophy.