Subject Guides: Philosophy: PHIL 233: The Trial &amp; Execution of Socrates

Evaluating What You Read

SIFT: Stop, Investigate the source, Find trusted coverage, and Trace claims back to the original context.

RADAR Framework: Rationale, Authority, Date, Accuracy, Relevance

Challenges

The Socratic Problem:

"Each age, each intellectual turn, produces a Socrates of its own... even among those who knew him in life, there was profound disagreement about what his actual views and methods were." - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

"Plato's and Xenophon's portraits, inconsistent as they are with Aristophanes', are also inconsistent with each other. This is the root of ‘the Socratic problem’, the question whether we can ever capture the personality and philosophy of the historical Socrates or whether we must limit ourselves to the interpretation of one or another of his literary representations." - The Oxford Dictionary of the Classical World

Time:

So much info
Understanding scholarly communication: academic discourse over the centuries

Background Info: Encyclopedias, Handbooks, Biographical Info

Who's Who in the Classical World Also available in print: DE 7 W44 2000 Focusing exclusively on real people, this is a dictionary of ancient biography, covering Greek and Roman history and politics, literature, philosophy, science, and art. Shorter entries provide lucid factual accounts, while the longer entries are short essays covering major historical and cultural themes in antiquity, centred round individuals as varied as Herodotus, Socrates, Plato, Alexander the Great, and Augustus.
The People of Plato The People of Plato is the first study since 1823 devoted exclusively to the identification of, and relationships among, the individuals represented in the complete Platonic corpus. It provides details of their lives, and it enables one to consider the persons of Plato's works, and those of other Socratics, within a nexus of important political, social, and familial relationships. Debra Nails makes a broad spectrum of scholarship accessible to the non-specialist. She distinguishes what can be stated confidently from what remains controversial and--with full references to ancient and contemporary sources--advances our knowledge of the men and women of the Socratic milieu. Bringing the results of modern epigraphical and papyrological research to bear on long-standing questions, The People of Plato is a fascinating resource and valuable research tool for the field of ancient Greek philosophy and for literary, political, and historical studies more generally. In discrete sections, Nails discusses systems of Athenian affiliation, significant historical episodes that link lives and careers of the late fifth century, and their implications for the dramatic dates of the dialogues. The volume includes a rich array of maps, stemmata, and diagrams, plus a glossary, chronology, plan of the agora in 399 B.C.E., bibliography, and indices.
Call Number: B 393 N42 2002
A pictorial history of the world's great trials, from Socrates to Eichmann Available online through Hathi Trust. Includes encyclopedia-type articles and images.
The Cambridge Companion to Socrates Also available in print: B 317 C35 2011 The Cambridge Companion to Socrates is a collection of essays providing a comprehensive guide to Socrates, the most famous Greek philosopher. Because Socrates himself wrote nothing, our evidence comes from the writings of his friends (above all Plato), his enemies, and later writers. Socrates is thus a literary figure as well as a historical person. Both aspects of Socrates' legacy are covered in this volume. Socrates' character is full of paradox, and so are his philosophical views. These paradoxes have led to deep differences in scholar's interpretation of Socrates and his thought. Mirroring this wide range of thought about Socrates, this volume's contributors are unusually diverse in their background and perspective. The essays in this volume were authored by classical philologists, philosophers, and historians from Germany, Francophone Canada, Britain, and the United States, and they represent a range of interpretive and philosophical traditions.
A Companion to Socrates Written by an outstanding international team of scholars, this Companion explores the profound influence of Socrates on the history of Western philosophy. Discusses the life of Socrates and key philosophical doctrines associated with him Covers the whole range of Socratic studies from the ancient world to contemporary European philosophy Examines Socrates' place in the larger philosophical traditions of the Hellenistic world, the Roman Empire, the Arabic world, the Renaissance, and contemporary Europe Addresses interdisciplinary subjects such as Socrates and Nietzsche, Socrates and psychoanalysis, and representations of Socrates in art Helps readers to understand the meaning and significance of Socrates across the ages
Routledge philosophy guidebook to Plato and the trial of Socrates

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy This link opens in a new window When complete, the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy will cover all areas of philosophy.
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Search Tools

UA Library Search Tips

Interdisciplinary:

Library Catalogue - search for books and ebooks at the UofA and NEOS partner libraries.
Example Searches:

Crito justice
Socrates trial
Socrates drama

EBSCO Discovery (aka "Find Articles")
Example searches:

Socrates and impiety
Socrates and trial and (guilt* or innocen*)

Philosophy

PhilPapers: Philosophical Research Online This link opens in a new window An online research hub in philosophy that combines the following four services: 1) An index of philosophy literature in multiple languages. 2) An open access aggregator that indexes content found on over 1K open access archives and 3K personal pages maintained by professional philosophers. 3) An OA archive that hosts the largest collection of open access philosophical material on the web. 4) A structured bibliography covering all subjects in philosophy.
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Philosopher's Index This link opens in a new window Indexes articles from anthologies and books written in English, Spanish, German, Italian, and French in international journals published since 1940.
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Topics include all major fields of philosophy, including Aesthetics, Epistemology, Ethics, Logic (including mathematics), Metaphysics (including philosophy of mind, existentialism, and phenomenology), Political philosophy (including philosophy of law), Social philosophy, and the Philosophy of Education, History, Language, Science and Religion.

Classics

Humanities International Complete This link opens in a new window Also known as: |American Humanities Index|Humanities International Index| Provides cover-to-cover indexing and abstracting for over 1,700 journals as well as books and other reference sources in the humanities. Includes full text of hundreds of journals, books and other published sources from around the world. Humanities International Index was formerly titled American Humanities Index.
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L'Annee philologique This link opens in a new window Also known as: |Database of Classical Bibliography|Année philologique| Bibliography of classical literature and modern scholarship on classical literature. Published by the Société Internationale de Bibliographie Classique.
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Religion

ATLA Religion Database This link opens in a new window Published by the American Theological Library Association, this database provides international coverage of topics such as Biblical studies, world religions, Church history, and religious perspectives on social issues.
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For additional information, go to the Lois Hole Campus Alberta Digital Library information site.

Legal Info

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Primary Sources

In Philosophy, primary sources can include:

Philosophical texts, treatises, meditations
Personal narratives, diaries, memoirs, correspondence, letters
Speeches

Bibliography / Suggested Readings

Why Socrates Died: Dispelling the Myths Socrates' trial and death together form an iconic moment in Western civilization. In 399 BCE, the great philosopher stood before an Athenian jury on serious charges: impiety and "subverting the young men of the city." The picture we have of it--created by his immediate followers, Plato and Xenophon, and perpetuated in countless works of literature and art ever since--is of a noble man putting his lips to the poisonous cup of hemlock, sentenced to death in a fit of folly by an ancient Athenian democracy already fighting for its own life. But an icon, an image, is not reality, and time has transmuted so many of the facts into historical fable.Aware of these myths, Robin Waterfield has examined the actual Greek sources and presents here a new Socrates, in which he separates the legend from the man himself. As Waterfield recounts the story, the charges of impiety and corrupting the youth of Athens were already enough for a death sentence, but the prosecutors accused him of more. They asserted that Socrates was not just an atheist and the guru of a weird sect but also an elitist who surrounded himself with politically undesirable characters and had mentored those responsible for defeat in the Peloponnesian War. Their claims were not without substance, for Plato and Xenophon, among Socrates' closest companions, had idolized him as students, while Alcibiades, the hawkish and notoriously self-serving general, had brought Athens to the brink of military disaster. In fact, as Waterfield perceptively shows through an engrossing historical narrative, there was a great deal of truth, from an Athenian perspective, in these charges.The trial was, in part, a response to troubled times--Athens was reeling from a catastrophic war and undergoing turbulent social changes--and Socrates' companions were unfortunately direct representatives of these troubles. Their words and actions, judiciously sifted and placed in proper context, not only serve to portray Socrates as a flesh-and-blood historical figure but also provide a good lens through which to explore both the trial and the general history of the period.Ultimately, the study of these events and principal figures allows us to finally strip away the veneer that has for so long denied us glimpses of the real Socrates. Why Socrates Died is an illuminating, authoritative account of not only one of the defining periods of Western civilization but also of one of its most defining figures.
Call Number: B 316 W38 2009
Free Speech and Democracy in Ancient Athens Free speech in the ancient democracy was not a protected right but an expression of the freedom from hierarchy, awe, reverence and shame. That freedom was challenged by the consequences of the rejection of shame (aidos) which had served as a cohesive force within the polity. Through readings of Socrates's trial, Greek tragedy and comedy, Thucydides's History, and Plato's Protagoras, this volume explores the paradoxical connections between free speech, democracy, shame, and Socratic philosophy and Thucydidean history.
The Law in Classical Athens
Call Number: JC 75 L3 M13 1978
Athenian Law and Society Athenian Law and Society focuses upon the intersection of law and society in classical Athens, in relation to topics like politics, class, ability, masculinity, femininity, gender studies, economics, citizenship, slavery, crime, and violence. The book explores the circumstances and broader context which led to the establishment of the laws of Athens, and how these laws influenced the lives and action of Athenian citizens, by examining a wide range of sources from classical and late antique history and literature. Kapparis also explores later literature on Athenian law from the Renaissance up to the 20th and 21st centuries, examining the long-lasting impact of the world's first democracy. Athenian Law and Society is a study of the intersection between law and society in classical Athens that has a wide range of applications to study of the Athenian polis, as well as law, democracy, and politics in both classical and more modern settings.
Interpreting Plato Socratically : Socrates and Justice Chapter 5: Legal Obligation in Plato's Crito
The Socratic way of life: Xenophon's Memorabilia Part 1 Socrates’s Innocence of the Injustices for Which He Was Executed: Chapter One Socrates Was Not Guilty of Impiety or Disbelief as Regards the Gods of Athens Chapter Two Socrates Was Not Guilty of Corrupting the Young Part 2 Socrates’s Active Justice, as Benefiter of Others: Chapter Three How Socrates Benefited through His Piety and His Self-Mastery Chapter Four How Socrates Benefited in Regard to Family and Friends Chapter Five How Socrates Benefited Those Reaching for the Noble/Beautiful (Kalon) Chapter Six Socrates as Beneficial Tutor Xenophon’s Conclusion
Political Dissent in Democratic Athens: Intellectual Critics of Popular Rule How and why did the Western tradition of political theorizing arise in Athens during the late fifth and fourth centuries B.C.' By interweaving intellectual history with political philosophy and literary analysis, Josiah Ober argues that the tradition originated in a high-stakes debate about democracy. Since elite Greek intellectuals tended to assume that ordinary men were incapable of ruling themselves, the longevity and resilience of Athenian popular rule presented a problem: how to explain the apparent success of a regime "irrationally" based on the inherent wisdom and practical efficacy of decisions made by non-elite citizens? The problem became acute after two oligarchic coups d' tat in the late fifth century B.C. The generosity and statesmanship that democrats showed after regaining political power contrasted starkly with the oligarchs' violence and corruption. Since it was no longer self-evident that "better men" meant "better government," critics of democracy sought new arguments to explain the relationship among politics, ethics, and morality. Ober offers fresh readings of the political works of Thucydides, Plato, and Aristotle, among others, by placing them in the context of a competitive community of dissident writers. These thinkers struggled against both democratic ideology and intellectual rivals to articulate the best and most influential criticism of popular rule. The competitive Athenian environment stimulated a century of brilliant literary and conceptual innovation. Through Ober's re-creation of an ancient intellectual milieu, early Western political thought emerges not just as a "footnote to Plato," but as a dissident commentary on the first Western democracy.
Call Number: DF 275 O33 1998
The Trials of Socrates: Six Classic Texts Also available in print: B 312 E5 T75 2002 Lampooned in 406 B.C.E. in a blistering Aristophanic satire, Socrates was tried in 399 B.C.E. on a charge of corrupting the youth, convicted by a jury of about five hundred of his peers, and condemned to death. Glimpsed today through the extant writings of his contemporaries and near-contemporaries, he remains for us as compelling, enigmatic, and elusive a figure as Jesus or Buddha. Although present-day (like ancient Greek) opinion on the real Socrates diverges widely, six classic texts that any informed judgment of him must take into account appear together, for the first time, in this volume. Those of Plato and Xenophon appear in new, previously unpublished translations that combine accuracy, accessibility, and readability; that of Aristophanes' Clouds offers these same qualities in an unbowdlerized translation that captures brilliantly the bite of Aristophanes' wit. An Introduction to each text and judicious footnotes provide crucial background information and important cross-references.

Old School: Bibliographies

Don't hesitate to ask for help finding the chapters, books, articles, etc. that are listed in bibliographies.

Plato and Socrates: a comprehensive bibliography, 1958-1973 This valuable work of reference provides a comprehensive bibliography on all scholarly work that was published on Plato and Socrates during the years 1958-73. It thus forms an important addition to Harold Cherniss's bibliography, which covered the years 1950-7. The author has sought to include all materials primarily concerned with Socrates and Plato, together with other works which make a contribution to our understanding of the two philosophers. The bibliography is arranged by topic and there are cross-references at the end of each section. The works in each category are arranged chronologically and then alphabetically (by author) within each year. An effort has been made to distinguish when a book has had more than one edition and when an article has been reprinted. Additionally the author has listed reviews of books and dissertations as these have come to his attention.
Socrates: An Annotated Bibliography
Call Number: B 317 Z9 N325 1988