Socrates as portrayed in The Clouds and The Apology
...ument and the Worse Argument are arguing, the Better says I will win the argument by speaking what is just and fair. But the Worse, the one that ends up teaching Pheidippides, says he will refute it Page 2 with hot air. Also in the story the Worse Argument makes another statement that undoubtedly portrays him as a corrupter of youth. He says that he, “has a logical way to contradict established laws and morals, … and he can take cases that are worse, but nevertheless win them.” And when Pheidippides returns from the school he is obviously a different person. He ends up beating his father Strepsiades, and arguing that it is the right thing to do. He also comments that he could prove beating your mother is all right. These signs show that Pheidippides had been corrupted by the thinkery. Even Strepsiades sees that Socrates has screwed him. He had given up his gods for Socrates. Because he wanted to cheat his creditors the school taught him a lesson. In this story Socrates school is obviously corrupting the youth by teaching them the worse argument. But in the Apology he is portrayed extremely different. In the Apology Socrates is being accused of taking money, believing in no gods, and corrupting the youth. Basically being a bad influence towards the youth and everyone else. But Socrates easily proves all these accusations wrong showing that he is actually not a bad influence at all. Socrates first starts out proving that he does not take money for teaching. He starts this argument by acknowledging the teachers that go around and get young men to leave their own citizens, who are taught for nothing, and to come with them. He also acknowledges that he has no money to begin with, so where is al the money he takes for teaching. Next, he is charged by mellitus as being a doer of evil, a corrupter of youth, and does not Page 3 believe in the gods of the state. Socrates first proves to Meletus that he is not a corrupter of youth. Socrates asks Meletus a bunch of questions concerning this subject. And in the part he gets Meletus to say, “everyone is an improver of youth except Socrates.” That he is the only man that corrupts the youth. Socrates then asks him, “if the trainers of horses is the only one that does them good and everyone else injures them.” Meletus responds with, “yes certainly.” Socrates proves in this part that Meletus never had a thought about the youth. Socrates then goes onto the accusation that he does not believe in gods, but rather believes in new divinities and spiritual agencies, which is what is corrupts the youth. Socrates goes to explain that man has never believed in flute playing and not flute players, or believed in horsemanship and not horses. So how can he believe in spiritual and divine agencies and not in spirits or demigods? Meletus responds by saying, “he can not.” Socrates explains to Meletus that these spirits and demigods are either the gods or the sons o...