Why Socrates Died: Dispelling the Myths. Socrates because of his intellectual bravery was condemned to die. The Death of Socrates…and the State that Killed Him by anya on July 25, 2017 According to the Oracle at Delphi, Socrates was the wisest of them all. The charges, as far as we can reconstruct them, were vague: impiety, worshipping new gods, corrupting the young. If … The reasons he gave in support of his decisions were many: 1. The philosopher was the victim of intolerance and irrational arguments. Xenophon’s account states that Socrates believed it was the right time for him to die and “he was better off dead”.

He did not want to create an impression that he was afraid of death. It is startling that such accusations led to a death sentence: Athens was a radical democracy that prided itself on freedom of speech, and all that Socrates did was talk. The Suicide of Socrates, 399 BC Printer Friendly Version >>> O n a day in 399 BC the philosopher Socrates stood before a jury of 500 of his fellow Athenians accused of "refusing to recognize the gods recognized by the state" and of "corrupting the youth." He is widely seen as a martyr for free speech and freedom of thought.

In 399BC, Socrates was sentenced to death. The Platonic version of Socrates' trial and death shows him to be a martyr. It is usually considered unwise, however, to publicly attack the political class and humiliate their intellect, capability and righteousness.