Apology 1.

Our classical studies dialogue today was The Apology by Plato. It is the text that follows Euthyphro. We spent most of the dialogue trying to figure out what Socrates was doing in these first couple of pages (until page 5). We agreed that in these first couple of pages Socrates is establishing the backgorund and context of his accusations in order to start his defence. He is making a claim that what he is saying is true and what the rest are saying is untrue. 

More specifically he agreed that these where the things he was doing during his opening.

• -Separating accusations into two. (defense structure).
• -Stating his accusations
• -This is a debate, not a dialogue. 
• -Trying to put everyone on the same page.
• -Making a case that the whole event that they´re going to have is illegitimate. (parragraph 18 b)
• -He is stating that he is not eloquent and is not trying to impress people with facny words. He says that he is only eloquent if eloquent means speaking the truth. 
• -Socrates says that we need to see him as a stranger. 
• -Brings us to a notion of justice. 
• -People were raised on storys and rumors about him, so they are arguing against their conception of him, not really on their experience with them.  Same think kant is telling us.... Why is it so easy for others to set themselves up as guardians? Because we are in nonage. We are unable to use our own understanding so we rely on the understanding of others. 
• -He tells us what a proper teacher is. "what is a good teacher?"

Advices Socrates give:
1. do not speak ornamented, speak the truth, speak what you really know.
2. when you are  really listening to someone, listen to him as if he were a stranger. (because they become blind to what people are really trying to say).
3. What we think we know will be an obstacle to hearing the truth.

Is the truth automatically just?
the first thing for good judgement is that you need the truth, though he gives no standard for justice.
So socrates job is to tell the truth.

Claim socrates makes: he is a human.
He is a human being. The only wisdom he can have is the wisdom a human being can have. So what is human wisdom?