Apology — Plato

Picture defending yourself at your own trial, with no lawyer, in front of five hundred citizens who will vote directly on whether you live or die — and choosing, instead of begging for mercy, to explain calmly why you were right and they are wrong. That is exactly what Socrates does in Plato's Apology, and it remains the founding text of the idea that a person on trial can refuse to trade their principles for their life.

In two minutes

Plato's Apology records Socrates' defence speech at his trial in Athens on charges of corrupting the youth and impiety, and it is studied as an early model of self-representation, moral argument under legal pressure, and a defendant's calm acceptance of death over compromise.

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