Apology, 30c: “Be sure that if you kill the sort of man that I say I am, you will not harm
me more than yourselves.”
In the Apology, Socrates is defending himself against Meletus and ultimately, the city of
Athens for a number of different accusations. Following his monologue stating the reasons
in which he is innocent, Socrates is still not acquitted of his crimes and faces the death
penalty. It is here where Socrates uses this quote: “Be sure that if you kill the sort of man
that I say I am, you will not harm me more than yourselves.”. In saying this, Socrates
means a number of things.
Firstly, Socrates believes that he is an innocent man and that he truly is not corrupting the
Athenian youth. Even after a persuasive attempt to prove his innocence, Socrates believes
that even before stepping into trial, the mind of the jury was already made up. Therefore,
putting Socrates to death would be killing an innocent man, something that the jury would
have to have on their conscience for the rest of their lives. In a way, he believes that he
may have been convicted of his crimes, but the jury was convicted of something far worse
– injustice.
Secondly, and most importantly, Socrates believed that ridding the city of Socrates ability
to philosophize would be detrimental to the Athenian society. Socrates believes that his
actions are both justice and pious, stating that “there is no greater blessing for the city than
his service to God.” (30b) By removing his knowledge, Socrates believes that the city will