Why was Socrates killed?Socrates, the greatest philosopher of all time, was actually the most hated man in Athens.
He was accused of cruelty and corruption of youth.
The popular court, the Eliea, condemned him to death: and Socrates, one of the most brilliant minds in history, died drinking hemlock. But why all this? Socrates apparently wasn’t doing anything dangerous. He simply asked questions, spoke to anyone: with nobles, with common citizens, with young people.
But his questions, in their frankness, in their simplicity demolished the certainties of his interlocutors, forcing them to confront the emptiness of their own certainties, with the incoherence of their reasoning. He taught us to doubt. Socrates was a character who was too uncomfortable with the doubts he inculcated. He had the audacity to expose corrupt politicians and false teachers who advocated false truths and false knowledge.
For this he was sentenced to death. He was a threat to the status quo, a danger that needed to be eliminated. During the trial, Socrates did not want to repent or beg for mercy. He also refused to be assisted by a speaker. Intelligence is inconvenient, this is what the trial against Socrates teaches us. The masses want illusions and not truths; they want to be flattered and live happily in ignorance. Smart men are embarrassing. They are prohibited, ostracized, despised, because they disturb the sleep of the masses, question authority, reveal the deceptions of the institutions.
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