This article discussed about one of the greatest philosophical minds that have lived in the

world which is Plato and Socrates. And the paragraphs explained what both philosopher did and
their opinion.
In the Apology, Plato has provided posterity with one of the most memorable portraits of his
teacher Socrates. In Platos view, Socrates was a paragon of virtue. Perhaps the essence of his
virtue can be summarized in a single word, integrity. Socrates dedication to the truth was so total
and so unswerving that the very thought of compromising that truth was repugnant to him.
One of the things that makes the Apology so effective a piece of literature is the fact that it
is, at bottom, the account of a trial. By their very nature, trials tend to be dramatic and interesting
affairs, especially when, as was the case with Socrates, the stakes are high. Yet what gives this
particular trial surely one of the most famous in the history of the world a special twist is that,
although Socrates was on trial for his life, he did not fight for his life. He fought for something
that he regarded as immeasurably more important the truth.
when Plato would have been in his late twenties, Socrates was accused by Meletus, Anytus, and
Lycon of two criminal offenses: corrupting the youth of Athens and adopting an atheistic attitude
toward the gods of the city. The trial was held before a large assemblage of people, very likely
numbering in the thousands, but the verdict was to be decided by a corps of five hundred judges.
Although the Apology is in dialogue form, it tends at times to be more of a monologue, with
Socrates himself doing most of the talking. There were no lawyers in ancient Athens, and those
who were accused of capital crimes were expected to defend themselves. By the same token,
their accusers were obliged to face them in public, and the accused had the right to examine these
accusers before the court.
As I read, Socrates begins by giving a general explanation of his philosophical way of life. Why
does he behave the way that he does, roaming about the city and constantly questioning the
citizens? He realizes that his manner of life is irksome to many people because he exposes their
ignorance to public view. The whole business started, Socrates explains, when a friend of his
brought back from the sacred shrine at Delphi the divine oracle that declared Socrates to be the
wisest of men. This message baffled Socrates completely. On the one hand, he firmly believed
that the gods do not lie, on the other hand, he was equally convinced that he was in fact not wise.
What could the oracle possibly mean? In attempting to answer that question, he made a practice
of approaching people who had the reputation of being wise politicians, poets, artists with the
purpose of trying to discover the nature of their wisdom.