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Section 27

SOCRATES. You are unbelievable, Meletus, and I think you do not even believe yourself. It seems to me, men of Athens, that this man is highly insolent and unrestrained, and that he wrote this indictment simply out of youthfulness and rashness. He seems to be testing me by posing a riddle: "Will the wise Socrates realize that I am joking and contradicting myself, or will I deceive him and the rest of the listeners?" For he appears to contradict himself in the indictment, as if he were saying: "Socrates acts unjustly by not believing in gods, but by believing in gods." But this is the conduct of a joker. Consider with me, gentlemen, how he appears to say this. And you, Meletus, answer us. You others, please remember my request not to make a disturbance if I conduct the argument in my usual manner. Is there any human being, Meletus, who believes that human matters exist, but does not believe in humans?

MELETUS. ...

SOCRATES. Let him answer, gentlemen, and not cause disturbance after disturbance! Is there anyone who does not believe in horses, but believes in equine matters? Or does not believe there are flute-players, but believes in flute-playing matters? There is no one, best of men. If you are not willing to answer, I will tell you and these men. But answer at least the next question: is there anyone who believes spiritual matters exist, but does not believe in spirits?

MELETUS. There is not.

SOCRATES. How helpful that you finally answered under compulsion by these men! Now, you say in your indictment that I believe in and teach spiritual things, whether new or old; at any rate, I believe in spiritual things according to your own statement, which you swore to in the indictment. But if I believe in spiritual things, there is a strong necessity that I must also believe in spirits. Is this not so? It is. I assume you agree, since you do not answer. And do we not believe that spirits are either gods or the children of gods? Do you say yes or no?

MELETUS. Yes.

SOCRATES. Then if I believe in spirits, as you say, and if spirits are a kind of god, this is what I mean when I say you are joking and posing a riddle: you state that I do not believe in gods, but then again that I do believe in gods, since I believe in spirits. On the other hand, if spirits are the bastard children of gods—whether by nymphs or some other mothers as they say—what human being could believe that the children of gods exist, but that gods do not? It would be as absurd as believing in the children of horses and asses—mules—but not believing that horses and asses exist. No, Meletus, there is no way you wrote this indictment except to test us, or because you were at a loss as to what true injustice you could charge me with. You could never persuade any human being with even a little intelligence that the same person could believe in spiritual and divine things, and then again that this same person could believe there are no spirits, no gods, and no heroes.