are far more recent accusations and it is possible to attract the members of the jury into why they are false. It is important for Socrates to persuade these men into to supporting him not only to be acquitted of the charges. By believing that Socrates speaks nothing but the truth, they will understand and support his idea of wisdom. In his later accusations, Socrates is charged with corrupting the youth and of impiety. The method he uses to defend himself in this case is to thoroughly examine all of the motives of Meletus. At the same time, he, in fact, slanders Meletus and his beliefs. In his defense concerning the corruption of the youth, Socrates explains how it is impossible for one man to corrupt the youth while all others improve them. In this, he also establishes that Meletus does not have a solid argument for these charges and they are simply a desperate attempt to bring him to trial. “You have made it sufficiently obvious, Meletus, that you have never had any concern for our youth; you show your indifference clearly; that you have given no thought to the subjects about which you bring me to trial.” (Apology, 25c). By examining the intentions and validity of the accusations brought against him, Socrates is simply trying to gain the trust and support from the jury. By convincing the bias minds of the jury that he is not guilty of these charges, also convinces them of the logic of his wisdom.In his defense to the charge of not believing in the gods of the city but rather in other spiritual things, Socrates illustrates how Meletus contradicts himself. Socrates takes the approach of being confused as to what the charges actually consist of. He examines whether the purpose of this accusation is to prove that he does not believe in gods’ altogether, or that it is the idea that the gods in which he does believe are different from those of most Athenians. Socrates proclaims that these charges are not auth...
