Born to a stonemason in 469 BCE, you are Socrates, a renowned Greek philosopher. After democratic exiles came back to Athens to overthrow Spartan tyrants ruling the city, you came under great scrutiny by them for both religious impiety and corrupting the youth of Athens. At the marketplace, it is a common site to see you, with a few Athenian aristocrats (such as Plato, Xenophon, and Aristophanes) following, confronting the "most intelligent" people in town. In terms of religion, everyone else in Athens believes that, though the gods are imperfect, as represented in the works of Sophocles and Homer, they still deserve to be worshipped. You, on the other hand, believe that the Greek gods are perfect and are perpetually benevolent, so there is no clear reason to praise them. Also, since childhood, you have always had a voice or influence in your head that has helped guide you in tough situations. Later, this force will be called a daimon. The first question the Athenian jurors ask is very simple; Do you or do you not correctly believe in the Olympian Gods? Being the honest and truthful man that you are, you reply to the jury by telling them about your daimon. The fact that there is another being outside the Gods is unnerving to the jurors, so you have to make a quick decision. [[ You can either make some sort of compromise between your daimon and the gods->Compromise]], or [[ignore the jury->Ignore]]
You lie to the jury that you have seen the error of your ways and are ready to accept the traditional Greek gods, and view them as everyone else sees them. The jurors decide your test loyalty should be a sacrifice to the Olympian gods, as you told them you've never sacrificed before. They lead you out of the city to an altar, with a goat on the stand, and the jurors hand you a knife. Knife in hand, [[you can continue with the sacrifice and kill the goat->Complete Sacrifice]], [[or you can drop the knife and surrender, knowing that this lie has gone on for too long->Confess Sins]]:: Compromise
You inform the Athenian jury that you would be willing to make some sort of compromise between your daimon and the rest of the city's belief, so long as you get to live. The jury, however, suspects that you are lying just to survive, which they will take into account for your final sentence. Despite this, you tell the jury that you are committed to making a change, so they decide to listen. You have two choices; [[you can either lie and say that you've changed your faith->Change Religion]], [[or stick to your own beliefs and disregard the jury->Ignore]]By sticking to your beliefs, the jury is heavily considering executing you. The Athenians would rather not have rebellion, especially after they just were released from the Spartan clamp on their city. They also have expressed their suspicion of a new and unknown deity. Knowing you have lost this part of the argument, you begin your defense speech about your "corruption the youth." [[You can explain that it was the nobles's choice to follow you->Not your fault]], though they will not be pleased if you try to shift the blame on them, [[or you could simply say that you had "no wisdom to teach, "->Had no wisdom]] Knowing they will not appreciate it, you shift the blame on your "students," saying that it was their choice in following you and listening to what you said. After hearing this, the Athenian jury decides to question Plato, one of your most esteemed students, about the things you taught them. To get back at you, Plato tells the jury that you forced the group of nobleman, everyday, to listen to your radical teachings. Knowing this exchange of lies between you and Plato will go back and forth, you conclude that there is only one logical option. [[You to have give up the trial, knowing that the jury will not accpet your religious views, and they probably will not believe that the Athenian nobles followed you on their own terms->Give Up]]. You explain to the jury that, in the past, your acquaintance, Chaerephon, went to the Oracle at Delphi and asked it if there was anyone wiser than you, and it responded simply, "No." You were confused, as you believed you had no special intelligence or wisdom, so you went around the city and talked to the supposed "wise" people in the town. Even in explaining this to the jury still decide to execute you, though they give you one final wish. There are three realistic choices for you. [[You can ask for a retrial->Start]], [[ask to be exiled instead of executed->Ask for exile]], [[or you can demand "food for life" because of your devotion to the city->Death sentence]]After long consideration, the Athenian jury grants you your wish, and you are exiled from the city. Your students advise you to live the rest of your life in Corinth, as it is not a terribly long boat ride. They try to organize the move, but you reject. Instead, you wander around Greece, becoming a kind of legendary person. Stories of your life surface in different city-states, with some people claiming to have seen you. Because you left the city so suddenly, some of your students go searching for you, while others stay back. As the constant movement is too much on your body, you only live a few more months, and die at the age of 71.You know the jury won't actually listen to your request, but you make the claim because of your integrity. Your whole life, you've been an honest and true person, and you didn't want to lie to cheat death, knowing there would be guilt in the coming years. The Athenian jurors decide to execute you by hemlock poisoning. You lived to be 70 years old, and your "apprentices" go on to do great things. Xenophon and Plato both become great philosophers, and Arisotphanes becomes a renowned Greek playwright. Plato would build a school and mentor the young Aristotle, who would in turn tutor Alexander the Great. In giving up during your trial, the jury tells you that they will give you one last request, out of respect (which they do for all convicts) for you. There are three realistic choices that you can make. [[You can ask for a retrial->Start]], [[ask to be exiled instead of executed->Ask for exile]], [[or you can demand "food for life" because of your devotion to the city->Death sentence]]The Trial of Socrates
By: WJ
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[[Bibliography]] Ambury, James M. "Socrates (469-399 B.C.E.)." Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Accessed February 5, 2018. http://www.iep.utm.edu/socrates/.
Chambre, Henri, Armand Maurer, Avrum Stroll, David T. McLellan, Albert William Levi, Richard Wolin, and Kurt von Frits. "Western Philosophy." Encyclopædia Britannica. Last modified June 16, 2017. Accessed February 6, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Western-philosophy.
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Nardo, Don. A Travel Guide to Ancient Athens. Travel Guide 5. Farmington Hills, Michigan/United States: Lucent Books, 2003.
After killing the goat as a sacrifice to the gods, the jury believes that you have done enough and leave you alone. At your house, you sit on your bed and think through everything that just happened. You have tried your entire life to be an honest person, someone to trust, yet in the heat of the moment, you willingly lied in front of the most important people of Athens. You live the rest of your life feeling miserable and guilty, and soon commit suicide just to get rid of the pain. By dropping the knife and refusing to continue the lie, the jury is furious. You are brought back to the assembly, where the jury can inform everyone of what occured at the altar. In their final statement, the jury restates the original claim, but with an addition: "''Socrates does criminal wrong by not recognizing the gods that the city recognizes, and furthermore by introducing new divinities; and he also does criminal wrong by corrupting the youth; and he also does criminal wrong by lying to the Athenian jury.''" They quickly sentence you to death by hemlock poisoning, but you make peace with yourself, knowing that you stayed a virtuous man until the end.
↶↷The Trial of Socrates
By: WJ
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