The Apology of Socrates

Socrates, a pivotal figure in the history of Western philosophy, was the first to introduce inductive reasoning, to form universal concepts, to require precise definitions, and to study the principles of ethics. In the spring of 399 BCE, when Socrates was seventy years old, he was accused of impiety and corrupting the youth of Athens. His defence speech, as reproduced in Plato?’s most celebrated work, The Apology, stands throughout the ages as a beacon of moral integrity, democracy and justice.