Response to "Socrates and Sarcasm" by Siearra Papuga

I completely agree with your post about Socrates' sarcastic response to the court during his trial. In addition to what you posted, Socrates offered to the court that his penalty consist of "free, deluxe meals at the Prytaneum, the dining hall of the Olympian and military heroes" (Pojman 34). Personally, I thought this to be a hilarious response on Socrates' part. Although his response was definitely sarcastic, I believe he was partially serious when he said it. He really did believe that he should be rewarded for his selflessness and commitment to enlightening the people. His comment becomes sarcastic when he states that he wants a grand dinner in the heroes' hall as his penalty. Like you stated in your post, although his witty response to the court did not end in his favor (it actually enraged the court more), it did make a big statement. It showed that Socrates would never give up his beliefs for anything, even if it meant saving his own life. It states in Chapter 2 that most people in Socrates' situation usually would bring their families to the court and beg for forgiveness. However, Socrates did not. He remained true to his beliefs, even if it meant leaving his family with no father. In regard to your question, "Should one be punished for spreading his/her beliefs?" I agree with you when I say no, they shouldn't. If Socrates were in charge, he wouldn't have tried to punish the sophists for teaching their students to use rhetoric, even when it meant being immoral. My question is, if a sophist professor were put on trial for his teachings, would he bravely face the court as Socrates did, or would he be one of the many people who just gave up his beliefs and begged for forgiveness?