(Paper #3)

To my fellow jurors in this Athenian court!

We stand at a precipice for our polis. Among us, there are those of us who have used war and ruin and scandal to undermine our most valued traditions, our Athenian democracy. They have conspired with our enemies, leading them to victory over us. I say that it was not democracy that failed us, not our spirit that lost the war against Sparta, but trickery and deceit within our own ranks that cost us, and can continue to inflict us with misery and defeat. And who among these traitors and cowards so blatantly stands before us, continuing to rot our state from within with proclaiming himself the singular pillar of virtue and righteousness, the sole visionary of Athens' future? None other than Socrates himself!

It is no secret to anyone that the list of crimes and offenses committed by Socrates is long and extensive, and yet, he is still tolerated. We have tolerated him despite his insistence in conspiring with Sparta, despite his love affair with that criminal and traitor Alcibiades! But it is not concerning those heinous acts that I stand before you today—no, there will be plenty of discussion concerning the cult of traitors later. Instead, I address Socrates' words themselves! This man seeks to replace our democratic government with that his idealized vision of rule by "intellectual" tyrants, and his followers have had the audacity to propose just that at this democratic Assembly!

In examining the texts of Socrates' dialogues, his attentions become abundantly clear: he believes that the Athenian democracy is another form of an "imperfect society" and would dare to compare it to that of Sparta or rule by tyrants! That equality of political opportunity within the citizenry, something that has defined Athenian life for centuries, is "flagrantly corrupt" and wasteful of a people's resources, even as his followers participate in democracy at this Assembly! He has even claimed that the democratic character, while "versatile", lacks principle—his philosophical principle no doubt! That we followers of democracy, we Athenians, desire what is "unnecessary" in his eyes, while failing to meet the requirements of his own lofty pursuits!

But even more disturbing than his opposition to democracy is what he would have us replace it with, and what his followers have attempted to accomplish in this Assembly! For a man to have complaints about certain aspects of government is not abnormal, but that does not even begin to describe Socrates! He and his followers would have us be ruled, not by ourselves, but by tyrants! Tyrants, trained in Socrates' precious philosophy, not chosen by the people they would rule over, but by his cult of intellectuals. Nor would these "philosopher kings", as he has called them, be answerable to their actions—no, the Socratic belief of infallibility tells him and his allies that such a system of responsibility and accountability is, again, "unnecessary" and "lacking in principle". And in selecting this tyrant, he would destroy the traditions of what it means to be an Athenian. Would any of you consent to being ruled over by a woman, and not even a woman you would see fit to rule you, but one chosen by men with their heads in the clouds? I for one would not! Socrates speaks of things like "self-control" and "shame", when he himself is creating a beast that will only end in tyrannical rule in Athens in the place of democracy! He would have us destroy our system of citizenship, render the Assembly impotent, and have power concentrated in a few "wise men" of his choosing, in the name of philosophical justice!

I don't need to tell you, good jurors of the Assembly, of what this means. The fact that any of us are standing here, and have any say in our government, is a testament to our democracy. You must put aside whatever your personal feelings are for this man, and do was is right for Athens! Convict Socrates for his crimes—his opposition to the Gods, his corrupting of our youth, but above all, for his and his followers intent to destroy our way of life!

- Representative of the Radical Democrats