About this ebook
Plato’s Apology records the trial of Socrates in Athens, where he is accused of impiety and corrupting the youth. Socrates defends himself by rejecting the charge, insisting that he has encouraged critical inquiry and the pursuit of wisdom rather than corruption. Citing the Delphic oracle’s declaration that he is the wisest because he knows his own ignorance, Socrates highlights the essence of true wisdom. He argues that moral integrity and philosophy should be valued above fear of death. Accepting his sentence, he proclaims that no true harm can befall a good man, even in the face of death.
About the author
Plato was born around 428 BCE in Athens and became a disciple of Socrates, deepening philosophical thought with his central idea of Forms, which sought truth beyond the sensory world. He founded the Academy, the first higher learning institution in the West, where philosophy, mathematics, and politics were taught, laying the foundation of Western intellectual tradition. In works such as The Republic and The Symposium, he explored justice, the soul, love, and the ideal state, profoundly shaping political philosophy and ethics. His influence extended to later thinkers like Aristotle, forming the roots of Western philosophy. He died around 348 BCE, yet his ideas continue to live on across philosophy and the humanities.
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