Notes on Plato's Apology and Crito

The Trial of Socrates

• The professor begins by surveying the class on their opinions of Socrates' guilt or innocence after reading The Apology and The Crito.
• The discussion aims to consider the meaning of Socrates' trial.

Socrates' Conception of Citizenship

• Socrates proposes a new conception of citizenship, contrasting with the traditional Homeric view.
• He advocates for a rational, philosophical citizenship based on independent reason and judgment.
• Socrates states that he has pursued private matters rather than public ones, avoiding political issues.

The Paradox of Private vs. Public Matters

• Citizenship typically requires engagement in the public sphere.
• Socrates' focus on private life raises the question of how citizenship can be devoted solely to private matters.
• His investigations and interrogations in the marketplace were public, challenging the notion of a purely private life.
• He relies on individual reason and judgment rather than public goods like custom and tradition.

Principled Abstinence from Public Life

• Socrates' private life involves a policy of principled abstinence from public life to avoid complicity in public injustice.
• His motto resembles the Hippocratic oath: