Should Socrates Receive the Death Penalty?

We are gathered today to make a decision of whether the wisest man in Athens should
bid farewell to humanity or be given another opportunity to live in our magnificent Athens.
Socrates is an innocent man who has been misjudged for being curious about the world. The
Athenian people think hes annoying for asking too many questions. Ill say this much; while
many think hes troublesome, Socrates hasnt committed any crimes. Although he is accused for
corrupting the youth, it doesnt seem that way to me. Socrates is simply teaching his students to
think more about their surroundings. His knowledge will even help us in the development of
Athens in the future. I say that Socrates should not only be given a chance to prove himself, but
should be rewarded as well.
Others may think that Socrates is an arrogant man. They dont appreciate the things that
Socrates says and assume that his words corrupt the youth. Athenians were mad that instead of
believing in the deities recognized by our city, Socrates created gods of his own to believe in.
Students of Socrates are thought to have been given impure and filthy knowledge. In the eyes of
many Athenians, they have become tainted by the hands of Socrates. According to Spiro, a
fellow Athenian farmer, Socrates was also the teacher of Critias, one of the leaders of the Thirty
Tyrants. As you are all aware of, the Thirty Tyrants were formed by our decision for our
government to become an oligarchy after our defeat in the Peloponnesian War. The Thirty
Tyrants made our lives miserable, and made Athens go through another time of pain and
suffering. I can understand that you would think that Socrates taught Critias to become such a
horrible man. Putting Socrates to death would appear to be the best option from your point of
view.
However, Socrates is trying to improve Athens. He asks questions so that we can make
better choices. Instead of thanking him, many of us are being cruel to him. We cant even call
Athens a democracy if our people cant even say what they want to freely. In addition, Socrates
was trying his best to teach Critias rightful things. Its not his fault that Critias became such a
terrible person. Furthermore, Critias only made poor judgments after Socrates stopped teaching
him. As you can see, Socrates isnt a man whos as bad as you think he is. As Pericles said,
The worst thing to do is to rush into action before the consequences have properly been
debated.
We should all give Socrates a chance. He hasnt committed any crimes at all. There is
no evidence that he corrupted the youth. As for the reward part, Socrates students show instead,
that Socrates has expanded their minds and their understandings of the world. Moreover, theyre
not charged for the lessons that Socrates teaches them. As one of our Athenian soldiers, Odys
says, Socrates is also an Athenian citizen. He should have the same respect that everyone else
has, especially since hes not guilty. The Athenian people didnt like Socrates attempt to make
Athens better. He has done nothing wrong, yet many of us are trying to put him to death. That is
simply unfair. Surely, if you wanted to help Athens, but people didnt like your idea, and they
were going to put you to death because they thought you were bothersome, you wouldnt feel so
good about it.
Therefore, we should not give Socrates the death penalty. He is innocent, and only
wishes to teach about the world. Instead, we should reward Socrates. If he wants free dinners,
as he said to the dikasts who are determining his judgment, then let him have them, for Socrates
words will toughen up us Athenians. Socrates words will lead us down the right path. Socrates
words will make Athens an even better and stronger city-state than ever before. That is why, my
fellow Athenian friends, we have to trust Socrates words and give them a chance by voting that
he should continue to live. This is the decision Pericles would have made himself, and also
would have wanted us to make, for our government is a democracy. He would say, We do not
get into a state with our next-door neighbor if he enjoys himself in his own way, nor do we give
him the kind of black looks which, though do no real harm, still do hurt peoples feelings.