The Apology of Socrates: Adapted for the Contemporary Reader

By: Plato

Narrated by: Michael T Downey

Length: 57 mins

Publisher's summary

The Apology of Socrates, by Plato, is the dialogue that presents the speech of legal self-defense, which Socrates presented at his trial for impiety and corruption, in 399 BC.

• Specifically, The Apology of Socrates is a defense against the charges of “corrupting the youth” and “not believing in the same gods as the city, but in other gods which are novel” to Athens.
• The Apology of Socrates is the dialogue that depicts the trial, written by Plato who details the final days of the philosopher great Socrates.
• This book has been carefully adapted into Modern English to allow for best enjoyment.

©2017 James Harris (P)2017 James Harris

I was unaware Socrates was this level of troll....

Good god, this book was freaking hilarious. Slightly depressing knowing how Socrates ended his life shortly after this happened, but the amount of burns he lays down before going out is simply wonderful. This is the second book I have heard from Michael Downey and I think he did head and shoulders better in this one, which is saying something as I did enjoy his last work as well. If your considering this book I would highly recommend giving it a try.

I received this book in return for a fair and honest review.

Democracy murders Socrates.

What is the danger of straight democracy? Mob rule. See what happens to the man of ability under the government of men rather than a government of law. See why a constitutional republic is better than pure democracy. Spoiler alert. They vote to murder Socrates for pestering them with the truth and calling out their ‘fake news’ sensibilities.

A cornerstone of Western thought and a cautionary tale about the democratization of morality and truth.

Narrator did a great job.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Punished for free thought

Truly one of the sadder parts of recorded history. Socrates is persecuted for thinking differently than most, and helping others to do the same. If you are history buff or just someone who enjoys short listens, this is a good pick.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Good!

Fantastic narration for this classic!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. The fact that I was gifted this book had no influence over my opinion of it

Timeless youth

Nothing says the timeless plight of youth and enlightenment like the oldest and most conservative philosopher who shunned subjectivity and believed in a ruling class. Wait, what? Nothing about that sentence makes any sense. And yet here we are.

This contemporary version of The Apology of Socrates has all of the themes of a Summer of Love level of social disruption. Rejection of the state, rejection of the gods of your parents, corrupting the youth, attacking the lazy establishment, certainty of your own enlightenment, wit above decorum, and speaking truth to power. Socrates here is a one man rebellion. A Single revolutionary standing up to one of the most powerful governments in history and winning.

Without question, Socrates wins all rational arguments. However, he does not win his life which is also sadly common to revolutionaries. Established power does indeed have a tendency to be rather powerful.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

👍🏻

This was wonderfully done and well delivered. The narration pace bothered me. I sped it up and it was much better. The narrator did a great job. Even if it was a bit slow.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

Interesting Listen

The Greek mythos was never covered in my formal education, so I was very interested to explore this little piece of history. The explanation and argument that Socrates makes at his trial are both cogent and reasonable...and of course threatening to those who sit in power and hold opposing views. This rendition was accessible to modern ears and very easy to follow.

The narration is well done with a smooth and measured delivery.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Be wary when antagonizing the status quo

I'm not very well versed in ancient philosophers but it is a topic I wish to learn more about. That's why I jumped at the opportunity to get a free copy of this audio book in exchange for my honest review, and I'm glad I did. It was a quick listen with good narration and I'm sure I'll revisit it in the future.

This was a great introduction to Plato's writings and the type of man Socrates might have been. He gave a clever, well reasoned defense and refused to back down or sacrifice his integrity even in the face of death. I think the moral of this story is to be wary when antagonizing the status quo. It can have dire consequences.

I've Been There

Most people in their middle-ages or later who haven't been exposed to the text of The Apology of Socrates have nevertheless experienced what was described by Plato. I find the message somewhat similar to the advice Rudyard Kipling gave his son in his poem "If", and understand well his defense that what Socrates claims he lacks is "wisdom". At the end of a long life, it's easy to feel stupid in the presence of so many people who claim to "get it".

Confronted with a generation with different priorities that accuses him of an offense that can result in losing his life in a show-trial gone bad, he turns the tables on his accusers and takes what he considers the "high road";. Having attempted in his life to "build with worn-out tools", he is on the verge of fighting his last battle, one for his very life.

The result is either a loss or a win for Socrates, depending on your perspective, and that really is the take away message from this. Your perspective defines you. What you're willing to sacrifice your life for (albeit, your 80 year old life) defines you, and that some deaths are easier to tolerate than the life that results from evading your principles for the sake of survival.

I get him, and part of the credit goes to the people who translated the Apology into an English we all speak. It was easy to understand, and follow. Well done.

I received this recording for no cost on the condition that I would provide a review of it. I recommend it to those who require an easy to understand version of the Apology. I recommend it even more to those who'd benefit from confronting the questions Socrates confronted in his self-defense, in the hope that you'll draw enduring lessons from it.

Interesting

I've always enjoyed learning about history and ancient Greece is one of the areas I studies in high school, although that seems like a very long time ago now. Of course you can't learn about ancient Greek history with learning about Socrates, but I've never read the Apology of Socrates so when I got the chance I jumped at it.

I found it really interesting, the style of logic that Socrates used was compelling and convincing for me. The modernization seem to have been done well.

The narration is good, the phrasing of the delivery is well done and the limited character voices were clear.

I received a free copy of this book from the author and/or narrator and/or publisher in exchange for an honest review.

If you found this review helpful would you please take a moment to click yes below.