The Apology, written by Plato, outlines what happened during Socrates' trial. Socrates was put on trial because he was accused of being an agent of evil, a corrupter of youth and of not believing in the gods. His accusations were those often used against philosophers. The apology tells the story of Socrates' life and the defense he presented to the jury. Instead of apologizing, Socrates simply stated his defense. It is believed that Socrates knew that he would be found guilty and sentenced to death; therefore, he used his “defense” as an opportunity to confront his accusers. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essaySocrates begins his defense by stating that he is telling the truth and his accusers are not. He claims that his accusers have not spoken a word of truth and that he will only tell the truth. From the beginning Socrates confronts his accusers by declaring that they are lying. Socrates is accused of collecting money to teach others, when in fact he did not. Socrates claims that he does not possess such knowledge that is worth passing on to others. Athenian men, this reputation of mine comes from a certain kind of wisdom that I possess. If you ask me what kind of wisdom, I answer, that wisdom attainable by man, because up to that point I am inclined to believe that I am wise (Apology 35). Knowledge is a huge part of Socrates' defense. Knowledge is believed to play a role in the origin of the accusations against Socrates. When Socrates asked the Oracle of Delphi if this was someone wiser than him, the oracle responded by saying that "there was no wiser man" (Apology 35). Socrates wanted to prove the Oracle wrong, because he knew he had no wisdom, so he began looking for someone wiser than him. This is where the evil that bears his name began. First Socrates turned to a politician who had a reputation for being wise. After speaking with the politician, Socrates began to realize that he, the politician, was actually not wise. Socrates tried to explain to him that he was actually not wise, which led the politician to hate Socrates. Subsequently, Socrates went to a philosopher higher than himself, only to make the same discovery. Man after man, Socrates discovered that men thought to be wise are actually not. All the men that Socrates spoke to and said that they were not wise became angry with Socrates. The beginning of Socrates' defense explains how his accusers are the men he confronts for not being wise. After Socrates confronted these men, they became angry at him because he had just told them that they were not actually wise. These men included Meletus, a poet, Anytus, a craftsman, and Lycon, an orator. These three were Socrates' main accusers. Socrates' accusers accused him of being "an agent of evil and a corrupter of youth, and does not believe in the gods of the state" (Apology 38). The central part of Socrates' defense explains to the jury why these accusations are incorrect and confronts his accusers in an attempt to prove them wrong. Socrates is believed to be an agent of evil and a corrupter of the youth through his belief in non-traditional gods. Socrates has a conversation with Meletus about the betterment of youth. During this conversation Socrates shows that Meletus is lying and actually has no offense against him. To begin with, Meletus claims that Socrates does not believe in traditional gods, but rather in his own gods. Next, Meletus states that Socrates does not believe in any god. This flaw shows that Meleto does not have a clear story and is therefore most likely lying. This confrontation that Socrates had with Meletus shows that Socrates is telling the truth ei.