Plato, The Apology
Summary
Socrates was brought before the court to defend himself against charges of corrupting the youths and teaching them strange theology. In his defense, he spoke logically, disproving all of his charges and showing how many of them did not even make sense. He explained why he went around questioning everyone: namely, to find someone who was wiser than himself. He eventually concluded that he was the wisest, but only because he did not pretend to have knowledge like everyone else did. He emphasized the value of goodness over everything, including life itself. In a humorous statement, he said that since he only sought the good of all, his just punishment should be a state-provided income. He said that he could have avoided the death sentence if he thought it were most important to do so. He concluded with the thought that perhaps death did not hold evil after all, but that it was better than life.