Socrates' Defense

'Apology' literally means 'defense', and it is generally recognized that the substance of Socrates' apology, against charges of atheism and of corrupting the youth of Athens, appears in Plato's work that goes by that name. However, less consideration has been given to a post-trial event that is perhaps the greatest evidence of his innocence. Now, his guilty verdict officially entailed a death sentence, but exile was available as an unofficial alternative. And, yet, despite having the resources to escape, Socrates refuses to do so, and dies instead. So, the mystery surrounding his final days is--Why does he refuse to escape? In the Crito, he casually suggests that he is too old to relocate, or that it would be evil of him to disobey the ruling, both unconvincing and well beneath the usual caliber of his argumentation. In the Phaedo, he cites the theory that the Soul survives the death of the Body, so there is nothing to fear from Death. That Socrates actually subscribes to that view is muddied by the fact that it is Plato who is known to endorse it, and the distinction in his writings between the actual, historical Socrates, and the fiction character that serves as Plato's mouthpiece, is often blurred. In contrast, there is a further, possibly more profound reason for his choosing to die--by doing so, he expresses his refusal to acknowledge the validity of the verdict, thereby re-asserting his innocence. Moreover, this willingness to die refutes each of the charges specifically. First, against the atheism charge, it proves his piety. Second, against the charge that he corrupts the youth, it demonstrates that his real example to them is of the courage that it takes to both live and die by principle. So, the real 'Socratic irony' may be that it takes Socrates' dying to prove that he deserve to live, or that it is a deed of this most skilled of arguers that is the most enduring aspect of his legacy.