The Apology is one of those rare works that
gracefully bridges the divide between philosophy
and literature. The work is less concerned with
asserting any particular philosophical doctrines
than it is with creating a portrait of the ideal
philosopher. On trial, with his life at stake,
Socrates maintains his cool and unwaveringly
defends his way of life as unassailably just. This
speech has served as inspiration and justification
for philosophical thinkers ever since. It is also
valuable in that it links three major themes in
Socratic thought: Socratic irony, the
elenchus (the Socratic mode of inquiry), and
the higher ethical concerns that dominate Socrates'
life.
The Delphic oracle, which proclaimed that Socrates
was the wisest of men because he knows that he
knows nothing, can be posited as the source of
Socratic irony. This oracle has led Socrates to
assume his highly ironic stance of confessing his
own ignorance, and yet showing his interlocutors to
be even more ignorant than he; great wisdom turns
out, contrary to expectation, to reside in a humble
acknowledgment of ignorance. With wisdom of this
kind, Socrates does not take himself too seriously.
Indeed, his wisdom is deeply humbling, as it casts
all pretensions to human knowledge into question.
With a smile, Socrates accepts that he is better
off the less he thinks he knows, and passes this
wisdom along with appropriate wit.
This irony, then, deeply informs the
elenchus, Socrates' preferred mode of
inquiry. It is important to note that almost all
written accounts of Socrates are dialogues (The
Apology is an exception)--Socrates never
lectures on his beliefs in a one-sided manner.
This supports the idea that Socrates has no
knowledge of his own to put forward. His method of
inquiry consists of identifying what his
interlocutor thinks he knows, and then slowly
dissecting those claims of knowledge. The
Apology, however, is presented almost
exclusively in the form of a monologue, because
Socrates is not discussing and dismantling any one
particular claim so much as he is laying out the
method behind these dismantlings. As such, it is
an invaluable commentary on the other dialogues.
The elenchus acts to disabuse Socrates'
interlocutors of their pretensions and thereby
deepens their wisdom. For Socrates, wisdom and
virtue are closely connected, so his efforts serve
to improve society as a whole. In Socrates' view,
if we are all wise, none of us will ever do wrong,
and our self-knowledge will lead to healthier, more
fulfilling lives. Thus, the philosopher, according
to Socrates, does not merely follow abstract
intellectual pursuits for the sake of amusement,
but is engaged in activities of the highest moral
value.
