The Trial of Socrates: Fact, Fiction, Reality & Myth
Dr. Christopher M. Bellitto is Professor of History at Kean University in New Jersey, where he teaches courses in ancient and medieval history. A specialist in church history and reform, he is the author of ten books, including his latest: Ageless Wisdom: Lifetime Lessons from the Bible. His current project is a history of humility as the lost virtue, supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Public Scholar Grant. Dr. Bellitto also serves as series Editor in Chief of Brill’s Companions to the Christian Tradition and Academic Editor at Large for Paulist Press. He is a former Fulbright Specialist at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, and was Visiting Scholar at Princeton Theological Seminary 2021-2022.
Overview
Of all the great “trials of the century” in history, the first–and maybe most influential–was the one that sentenced a grumpy philosopher to death. But we can’t understand the trial of Socrates without understanding the context. Athens had recently lost a long war to its bitter rival, Sparta, and was looking to take its anger out on someone. But Socrates wasn’t having it: he turned the accusations around and put Athens on trial. Was it a case of free speech, or Athenian vengeance on the most annoying person in the city—and what are its implications for whistleblowers today?
Recommended Reading:
The Hemlock Cup: Socrates, Athens, and the Search for the Good Life, by Bettany Hughes
Plato: The Trial and Death of Socrates, 3rd ed.; translated by G.M.A. Grube and revised by John M. Cooper
The Last Days of Socrates, by Plato; translated by Harold Tarrant and Hugh Tredennick
Discussion Questions:
- What do you think is the legacy of Socrates for today?
- How would you have voted?
- What do you think of Socrates’ decision to flip the narrative and put Athens on trial?
- Do you think Socrates’ advanced age had anything to do with his decision to put his life on the line?