Book contents
- Frontmatter
- PREFACE
- Contents
- CHAPTER I SPECULATIVE PHILOSOPHY IN GREECE, BEFORE AND IN THE TIME OF SOKRATES
- CHAPTER II GENERAL REMARKS ON THE EARLIER PHILOSOPHERS—GROWTH OF DIALECTIC—ZENO AND GORGIAS
- CHAPTER III LTFE OF PLATO
- CHAPTER IV PLATONIC CANON, AS RECOGNISED BY THRASYLLUS
- CHAPTER V PLATONIC CANON AS APPRECIATED AND MODIFIED BY MODERN CRITICS
- CHAPTER VI PLATONIC COMPOSITIONS GENERALLY
- CHAPTER VII APOLOGY OP SOKRATES
- CHAPTER VIII KRITON
- CHAPTER IX EUTHYPHRON
- CHAPTER X ALKIBIADES I. AND II.
- CHAPTER XI HIPPIAS MAJOR—HIPPIAS MINOR
- CHAPTER XII HIPPARCHUS—MINOS
- CHAPTER XIII THEAGES
- CHAPTER XIV ERASTÆ OR ANTERASTÆ—RIVALES
- CHAPTER XV ION
- CHAPTER XVI LACHES
- CHAPTER XVII CHARMIDES
- CHAPTER XVIII LYSIS
- CHAPTER XIX EUTHYDEMUS
CHAPTER VII - APOLOGY OP SOKRATES
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 October 2010
- Frontmatter
- PREFACE
- Contents
- CHAPTER I SPECULATIVE PHILOSOPHY IN GREECE, BEFORE AND IN THE TIME OF SOKRATES
- CHAPTER II GENERAL REMARKS ON THE EARLIER PHILOSOPHERS—GROWTH OF DIALECTIC—ZENO AND GORGIAS
- CHAPTER III LTFE OF PLATO
- CHAPTER IV PLATONIC CANON, AS RECOGNISED BY THRASYLLUS
- CHAPTER V PLATONIC CANON AS APPRECIATED AND MODIFIED BY MODERN CRITICS
- CHAPTER VI PLATONIC COMPOSITIONS GENERALLY
- CHAPTER VII APOLOGY OP SOKRATES
- CHAPTER VIII KRITON
- CHAPTER IX EUTHYPHRON
- CHAPTER X ALKIBIADES I. AND II.
- CHAPTER XI HIPPIAS MAJOR—HIPPIAS MINOR
- CHAPTER XII HIPPARCHUS—MINOS
- CHAPTER XIII THEAGES
- CHAPTER XIV ERASTÆ OR ANTERASTÆ—RIVALES
- CHAPTER XV ION
- CHAPTER XVI LACHES
- CHAPTER XVII CHARMIDES
- CHAPTER XVIII LYSIS
- CHAPTER XIX EUTHYDEMUS
Summary
Adopting the order of precedence above described, for the review of the Platonic compositions, and taking the point of departure from Sokrates or the Sokratic point of view, I begin with the memorable composition called the Apology.
The Apology is the real defence delivered by Sokrates before the Dikasts, reported by Plato, without intentional transformation
I agree with Schleiermacher—with the more recent investigations of Ueberweg—and with what (until recent times) seems to have been the common opinion,—that this is in substance the real defence pronounced by Sokrates; reported, and of course drest up, yet not intentionally transformed, by Plato. If such be the case, it is likely to have been put together shortly after the trial, and may thus be ranked among the earliest of the Platonic compositions: for I have already intimated my belief that Plato composed no dialogues under the name of Sokrates, during the lifetime of Sokrates.
Even if it be Plato's own composition, it comes naturally first in the review of his dialogues
Such, in my judgment, is the most probable hypothesis respecting the Apology. But even if we discard this hypothesis; if we treat the Apology as a pure product of the Platonic imagination (like the dialogues), and therefore not necessarily connected in point of time with the event to which it refers—still there are good reasons for putting it first in the order of review. For it would then be Plato's own exposition, given more explicitly and solemnly than anywhere else, of the Sokratic point of view and life-purpose.
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- Plato and the Other Companions of Sokrates , pp. 281 - 296Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2010First published in: 1865