, Meletus, you have sufficiently displayed that you never yet gave any thought to the young. And you have made your lack of care apparent, since you have cared nothing about the things for which you bring me in here.Socrates then tells the jury that he would never corrupt any person voluntarily, but it is possible for him to corrupt someone involuntarily. He tells the jury that he should not be punished for his ignorance since he did not hurt anyone out of malice, but instead he should be educated so that he could change his ways. As an advocate of justice he also tells the jury that punishing him would be unjust because he did not commit any crime.The second charge placed against Socrates was the charge of introducing novel gods that were not those of the Greeks. Socrates uses his questioning skills to falsify the absurd charges that Meletus placed against him. Socrates uses a parallel between man and daimons, and in doing so he gets Meletus to concede that Socrates does believe in a power greater than man. Even though Socrates proves his innocence within the court of law he knows that the truth alone still may not save him because the envy and slander of the many was so prominent around him. Socrates, knowing the likeliness that he would be found guilty compares himself to the Greek hero Achilles. Achilles sacrifices his own life to avenge the life of his friend and Socrates sacrifices his life so that justice might survive. In doing this he creates a hero that uses his intellect as his sword and justice as his shield.The charges placed against the philosopher were outlandish and the validation of them is purely circumstantial. Socrates should never have been charged for committing any crime; instead the Athenians should have used his intellect for the good of the community. Socrates proclaims his innocence and wins my vote when he says:I offer myself to both the rich and the poor alike for questioning, and if anyone wishes...
