Socrates Trail
There has been much controversy over the trial of Socrates. ... Although, Socrates’ trial was riddled with bias and prejudices, it originated from him and not the court. Socrates was ultimately responsible for his own demise. ... Socrates did receive a fair trial, although, he offered no serious attempts to defend himself, antagonized the jurors with his arrogance, and showed no remorse for his behavior. The courts were apprehensive after the war with Sparta, and Socrates behavior contributed to their insecurities. ... Eventually, democracy was restored; however, they were still uneasy and felt that Socrates was undermining its traditional views and values. Consequently, Meletus, a concerned citizen, accused Socrates of corrupting the minds of the young men in the city, as well as believing in deities of his own invention instead of the gods recognized by the state. In ancient Greek law courts, citizens served as their own defense attorneys, however, Socrates seems more concerned with dispelling rumors against him rather than making any serious attempt to defend himself. He maintained that his unpopularity was due to the oracle at Delphi declaring that no one was wiser than Socrates. As a result, Socrates set out to determine if the oracle was true by interrogating those who had a reputation for wisdom. Socrates’ method of interrogation angered the population, and became in his mind, the reason for his unpopularity.