1B. As Socrates takes the stand to defend himself against the Athenian government, he begins to explain why he shouldn't be there and how he ended up on the stand in the first place. He cites a meeting with the oracle Delphi. He explains that he asked the oracle who was the wisest of all men. The oracle responded that no man was wiser than Socrates (note that this will be important later in describing his philosophy). Socrates, knowing that he himself knew nothing and that there must be someone with more knowledge than him, set off on a journey. He spoke to all kinds of people, poets, artisans and even politicians. Everyone seemed to have a lot of knowledge about a lot of things. But Socrates discovered that even with all their knowledge of poetry, politics, and crafts, none of this was true wisdom. When he told these people that they were in fact not wise, they did not like Socrates. At his trial there were two kinds of accusers, the former and the present. His current accusers were Meletus, Anytus and Lycon, representing their respective domains. They claim that he corrupts the youth, that he does not believe in the gods of the state, that he does evil, and that he makes a weaker argument seem stronger. Socrates wanted to answer all these accusations and prove his innocence. On the grounds of corrupting the youth, he calls Meletus to the stand for questioning. He's basically asking if he's a bad influence on young people, then what would be a good influence. Meletus replies that the law is an excellent influence for youth. Socrates asserts that those who influence the law are only men, then Meletus asserts that the entire population of Athens exerts a positive influence on the youth. Socrates us...... middle of paper ...... superior in the Guardian class. Although not superior in every way, women of certain classes held more power than men in this theory. Because certain traits were simply more suited to women than men. Some countered that women were weaker in every sense of the word because they were physically weaker than men, and many believed that they were mentally weaker as well. Plato claimed that they were strengthened in many areas such as the birth and rearing of children. He considered men inferior to women in these particular actions. Plato was a different thinker of his time, he could be considered one of the first true feminists. It's not what we would consider feminism today, but its ideas about women and the state sparked the first sparks of seeking equality for women, even if it was just a any small step in this direction, it would serve as a reference point for thousands of years to come.