Apology

About the book

Plato presents Socrates addressing the Athenian court that is judging accusations against him. His response considers the origins of his reputation, the claims of those who profess knowledge, and the activity of questioning for which he has become known. Rather than treating acquittal as the only goal, the speech asks what obligations a person has to truth and to the examination of his own life. Its changing stages respond to the circumstances of judgment while retaining an unsettling independence from the audience's expectations. Benjamin Jowett's translation includes an introduction that should be distinguished from Plato's text. The work offers a compact encounter with philosophical inquiry as a public practice, where the manner of defending oneself becomes part of the argument being made.

• Self-examination
• Knowledge
• Public responsibility

Why read it

For a short, forceful presentation of philosophy as an activity whose value must survive public disagreement.

Benjamin Jowett translation · English text