The Apology of Socrates(Audio)

The Apology is Plato’s version of the speech delivered by Socrates before the Athenian people in his defence agaist charges of impiety and of misleading others, which ended in his condemnation and death in 399 BC.

Plato's Apology is commonly regarded as the most reliable source of information about the historical Socrates.

It is the earliest and most eloquent expression of what has been termed ‘philosophical faith’, as that love and search for truth which gives meaning to life and trust in the face of death.

Socrates proves to be a master orator who is not only eloquent and persuasive, but even wise. This is how he corrects the Orators, showing what they should have been doing all along, speaking the truth persuasively with wisdom. The speech does not succeed in winning him acquittal. Socrates is condemned to death.

The Apology can be divided into three parts. The first part is Socrates' own defense of himself and includes the most famous parts of the text, namely his recounting of the Oracle at Delphi and his cross-examination of Meletus. The second part is the verdict, and the third part is the sentencing.

This book is translated by Benjamin Jowett.