Silence, Socrates!

Socrates speaks silently at his trial.  Or so says Allen.

What does that mean?

It may help to think about this in terms of Vigilius Haufniensus, a Kierkegaardian pseudonym.  In the book The Concept of Dread, VH points out that all types of writing and speech assume a mood on the part of the producer and of the recipient.

VH points this out because most of us believe unreflectively, that some types of writing and speech, say science (broadly) or philosophy are mood-less.  As a result, we believe the only possible errors in these types of writing and speech are errors of exposition (say, falsity or invalidity) and not errors of modulation (errors of mood).  An error in exposition would be, for example, mistaking a falsehood for a truth or presenting unawares a fallacious argument.

Socrates apologia contains no obvious error of exposition.  But it could be accused of an error of modulation -- although the error is deliberate, not inadvertent.  As Allen says, The Apology is "a highly peculiar masterpiece."  Indeed.  Socrates gives a speech the audience expects to be in one mood -- call it the mood of defense or of plea -- but the mood of the speech is actually challenge.  (The best defense is a good offense?)  This strikes the audience, even if they could not articulate it in these terms, as an error in modulation and a particularly unforgivable one:  after all, they must be asking themselves, who is on trial?  Not us.  Socrates.  And yet, from the moment Socrates positions the old accusers in his story, he has in effect dragged all of Athens into the court.  The jurors and everyone that they know.

Consider an interesting, partial parallel.  A crowd comes to Jesus, dragging a woman taken in adultery.  They intend to use her punishment as a trial for him.  He takes a moment, then invites the person among them without sin to first cast a stone.  Think about how the axis of understanding rotates at that moment, as those there to stone the woman and to test Jesus, are suddenly tested.  They turn to stones.  No one steps forward; no one casts a stone.  They stand, statuary, then disperse.  Jesus looks at the woman and asks where her accusers are -- and then he tells her he does not accuse her.  She has no accusers.  Another 'error' of modulation with remarkable effects.

Of course, things go better for the woman than they do for Socrates.

Socrates' 'error' of modulation makes him all-but-unhearable for the Athenians, because they cannot bear to listen.  Unlike Socrates, self-knowledge is their aversion.