Obviously, the complete story of Socrates will be much longer than the single paragraph I wrote here. But the bigger problem is that nobody really knows what occurred. The victors write history, so most of the histories of Athens sought to make Socrates into a villain. On the other hand, Plato praised Socrates and criticized the Athenian democracy that killed his teacher.
Regarding the Thirty Tyrants (borrowing from Wikipedia): “In Plato’s Apology, Socrates recounts an incident in which the Thirty once ordered him (and four other men) to bring before them Leon of Salamis, a man known for his justice and upright character, for execution. While the other four men obeyed, Socrates refused, not wanting to partake in the guilt of the executioners. By disobeying, Socrates knew he was placing his own life in jeopardy, and claimed it was only the disbanding of the oligarchy soon afterward that saved his life (Apology 32c-d).”
Also, two of Socrates’ disciples were among the Thirty Tyrants, so he did have connections with them. It was not a stretch for his enemies to argue he supported the Thirty, whether it was true or not, which we cannot know.
My opinion: he criticized both sides. He certainly criticized Athens and its leaders and probably did the same to the Thirty Tyrants and Sparta when he found fault with them.
With no reliable history and writing nothing of his own, we have to rely on his students whose writings often conflict. We will not solve this Socratic Problem here (it’s been around for 2400 years), but it sure is fun to discuss.
Umm...(eyes lowered, shuffling feet)...so you’ll forgive Civ and me for hijacking your thread? Yeah, it is a great story. This was high, bloody-handed politics played for keeps with the future of Athens riding on it. That Socrates was even in a position to play it was proof enough that he was far more than a peripatetic party guest. He was reputedly the tutor of Alcibiades, whose own history is too incredible for fiction. They make an interesting and fantastically politically incorrect pair.
I agree with Bill, he’s sorry we hijacked the thread. ;’) ;’) :’D