Personal Reflections on  Plato's The Apology of Socrates

"... the unexamined life is not worth living... "                                                              - Socrates in Plato's Socrates' Apology  (38a)

Socrates' Apology is an exceptional work both for its historical interest and its philosophical power.  Written by Plato, it is part of a larger work called The Last Days of Socrates.  This larger work is made up of a dialogue (Euthyphro), the Apology, another dialogue (Crito), and a final conversation meditating on death (Phaedo).  The Apology is Plato's reconstruction of Socrates' defense at the trial.  It is not an "apology" as in an admission of wrongdoing, rather, an APOLOGIA is a statement of explanation; in this apology, Socrates explains how and why he has lived his life as he has done.
 
Purpose:
The purpose of this project is threefold: (1) to gain an academic understanding of the lives and philosophies of both Socrates and Plato, (2) to place the actions of Socrates and the people of Athens in a historical context, and, most importantly (3) to question ourselves: what is justice? what is the value of philosophy?  what is the right thing to do in life?  what do the gods want of us? what is the nature of death?  what is wisdom?  what is truth?
 
Materials and Process (What you will need and need to do):
  
 A. Get a Translation  -
   Although there are many translations available, there is a very limited number of free translations of the text available as a single document on-line.  I will be using the 1954 Penguin Classics translation by Hugh Tredennick.  Because it is still under copyright, I cannot post it to the site.  You are free to buy it (or any other edition) at the local bookstores.  If you have printer access, then you can get free copies off the internet.  The following list explains several of the various translations and options.  Students who have used this version find it very readable and clear.

  If you are not purchasing the text, this is the on-line text I am recommending students use.  It is a produced at Clark College and has a great set of linked pictures and explanatory notes. This references the page numbers from the Greek manuscripts, which is why it begins with 17a.  It uses a famous translator's comments (Jowett) along the sides as a brief summary of the argument line by line.  There is even a simple 10-Question Quiz you can take to see how well you understood the basics!

Illustrated Translation and Annotation at Clark College

   The most commonly available translation is by Jowett.  This is from the Harvard Classics and is a translation done nearly 100 years ago (1909 - 1914).  As a result, for today's students the language is a bit stilted and awkward; though it is a very scholarly translation, it loses the immediacy and personality of Socrates.  The web-site Bartelby has, as its mission, the publication of public domain literature (such as the Harvard Classics translations of Plato) and has provided the entire text, free of charge. It can be found in its entirety as an easily printable version at the following link: 

Jowett Translation at Bartelby

   There is a very smooth and readable translation (almost like poetry) by Sanderson Beck, a local author who lives in Ojai.  Unlike the Jowett translation, Beck's translation has been produced with an openly avowed ideological position (he is a  pacifist).  The effect of this on the translation is negligible however and this is one of the recommended translations for students, and one of the most recent translations available in English on-line.  The only drawback is that it is not marked paragraph by paragraph, but is has section divisions accessible on his web-page.

Sanderson Beck's Translation

    The Perseus site is an amazing sentence by sentence commentary on not just Plato's Socrates' Apology but on a whole host of ancient literature (Greek and non-Greek).  The translation they use is excellent, the only drawback being that you have to click through it line by line.  This uses the Fowler translation, which is a tad smoother than Jowett's for 21st century students.

Perseus Commentary on The Apology (begins with Apol. 17a)

   There is also a good paraphrase which summarizes, sentence by sentence, the entire Apology.  It is not a very good resource to simply read by itself, but is superb to read alongside the main text, particularly when the meaning is unclear or it seems difficult to understand.  It uses the Grube translation as its basis but does not present the Grube translation (which is copyright protected).  It is produced by a Southern California philosophy professor, Dr. Kelley, grandson of the creator of the Kelley Bluebook for Automobiles. 

 Kelley Commentary on the Apology

Now that you picked a translation...

B. Mark the sections:                                                                      We will be dividing the readings up into three sections.  The Apology itself naturally divides into three separate speeches: (1) Socrates' defense; (2)  then, once he is found guilty, his proposed punishment; and (3) his final speech.  His defense speech is divided in half - the first half deals with his former accusers (rumors and reputation), the second half deals with the formal accusations at the trial (corruption of the youth and irreverence).  In class we will spend the first day dealing with the "former accusers" and Socrates' reputation and personal history.  The second day we will look at what Socrates has to say about the formal accusations.  The third day we will focus on the last two speeches Socrates gives: proposed punishment and final comments.

   Depending on which translation you use, you will need to mark off the three sections.  I have made a table here indicating the translation and the material required for each day's preparation.

Translation           Day 1 Reading      Day 2 Reading       Day 3 Reading

C. Print Out or Write Out the Questions                                                  Each of the three sessions has a set of 10 study questions.  They can be found at these links.   Read the questions before you begin the reading.  Do not write out the answers to the questions until after you have completed the reading.

Day 1 Questions               Day 2 Questions               Day 3 Questions

 D. Read the Apology and Add in Appropriate Margin Gloss                      Now read the translation you have, keeping the questions in mind.  As you read, there are several things you should mark in the margins or on the main text of your copy.

     (1) underline key quotes - this can include anything you think is really important or that has personal resonance with you.

     (2) put a question mark (?) next to any passages you did not understand.  Be sure to ask about these in class when the class opens up for discussion.

     (3) mark any vocabulary you don't understand and look it up.  Write in the definition (in a simplified way) right next to the word so that you can understand it when you read it again.

     (4) create additional marks and place them in the margins - :)  or :(  can be used for things you like or dislike (or happy/unhappy moments in the narrative).  Use exclamation points (!) for anything surprising.  Write brief summaries of important parts in the margins.

E. Answer the Questions                                                                     Once you have read and marked up your copy, answer the questions.  If there is a question you don't recall, then go back and hunt for it.  Do not answer the questions on the paper as you do the reading. 

F. Bring Your Copy (Marked Up) and the Questions to Class                       I will inspect your copy of the Apology to see if (a) you *have* it and (b) you have made margin gloss.  I will give a quiz and then collect the Questions.  Each day's worth of Questions is worth 20 points.

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Plato's Apology FAQ's

Question: So, is this Plato's Apology or Socrates' Apology?

Answer:  It's Socrates' speech (an apology) as written by Plato, who was there at the time Socrates gave the speech, but wrote the Apology a few years later.  We do not know if he used notes or memory or both.  To the best of our knowledge, Socrates never wrote anything down.  Plato was one of many who followed him around - and he sure wrote stuff down, but he did so on his own.  In some of the other things Plato wrote, scholars are not sure if it's Plato's ideas being said by Socrates or if it's genuinely what Socrates thought and said.  In the Apology, however, most scholars believe Plato is doing the best he can to accurately portray Socrates' speech, particularly as the speech was witnessed by over 500 people.

Question:  Why is Socrates Apologizing?
 
Answer: He's not.  In fact, he's really not apologizing.  He's quite happily unapologetic throughout the speech.

Question: Well, Doh!  Why did Plato call it an Apology then if nobody is apologizing?
 
Answer:  The term "Apology" here means "making a legal case."  Socrates is making the case why he should not be put on trial (much less found guilty or condemned to death).   

Question: Why don't we just all get one translation so there's none of this confusion over sections and different renditions of the text?

Answer: Well, I really like the Tredennick version I use in class more than the other versions (I like the Clark College one, but it has errors in it - like the comma missing in the first sentence - and even then it's still sometimes awkward).  I can't afford photocopies of the Tredennick and I don't know if it's legal to scan it in for classroom use purposes (I doubt it).

Question: What's the point of doing all this stuff?

Answer: Good question.