Fall 2015

5 0 I n t e r p r e t a t i o n Volume 42 / Issue 1
Socrates had a radically individualistic virtue seemingly incompatible with
common moral practice. His rhetoric was extremely selective, emphasizing
certain aspects of this virtue, and subtly implying that others did not share it,
according to what he knew about common Athenian morality. His conduct
at the trial was guided by the desire to achieve a great reputation, and to be
envied by the common people. Even though he was ultimately executed, the
focus of the verdict was his virtue, not his guilt.
However, Socrates’s rhetorical achievement only partially reflected his
true nature. Xenophon concludes his work by praising Socrates. He writes,
“When I consider the wisdom and nobility of the man, I cannot help but. . .
praise him” (34). Xenophon praises Socrates not for his “piety” and “justice,”
which Socrates demonstrated at the trial (1, 22), but because of his “wisdom”
and “nobility.” Piety and justice are not the qualities that elicit Xenophon’s
greatest applause, but they are good enough to be demonstrated in Xenophon’s
work (22). What Socrates achieved in court was less than his achievements
during the rest of his life. But as Xenophon notes at the beginning of the
Apology, this made Socrates’s conduct at his trial more important, since he
now deliberated about “his defense and the end of his life” (1). Socrates, as
a philosopher, was initially presented at his trial as an impious corrupter of
the young, but his speech turned him into an outstanding man of virtue.
Socrates’s rhetoric affected the image that people had of him, and was the reason
for his death. Indeed, he was sentenced to death because he provocatively
bragged about his virtue. As he predicted, displaying his opinion about his
virtue, not the indictment itself, was the reason for his execution (9).
Socrates’s rhetoric seems not to be a product of selfish motivation. In the
Memorabilia, Xenophon defines Socratic justice as benefiting others. 37 The
Apology presents Socrates not only demonstrating his compatibility with the
common ethics, but also practicing his own justice. It is true that his rhetoric
would provide him with some consolation before his execution, because it
would be better for him to die with the expectation that his good reputation
would be secured (7, 26). However, more than that, his rhetoric would
benefit others who practiced philosophy after Socrates. Taking advantage of
the audience’s emotional response, Socrates was able to overcome his philosophy’s
negative reputation and secure its future in Athens at the expense of
his own life. His peculiar rhetoric was adopted on the only occasion he could
appeal to the public in his old age.
37
Memorabilia 4.8.11.