Exclusive: Prosecutor Anytus explains how his team pulled off its big win in the Socrates Trial
Our senior correspondent brings you the interview you’ll only read in Tablet.
Tablet: Anytus, congratulations on your victory in the Socrates case. This must be a very proud moment for you.
Anytus: Thank-you. And yes, this is a proud moment. Not just for me, but for everyone in Athens. By winning this case, we’ve made it clearer than ever that we Athenians will not let our democratic values be undermined by radical extremists like Socrates. It’s a signal that the dangerous ideas which Socrates stood for, and which he sought to spread, will never be welcome in our democracy.
T: You just used the term “radical extremist” to describe Socrates, much like you did during the trial. Would you explain what your definition of a radical extremist is?
A: In my definition as an Athenian, a radical extremist is anyone who seeks to spread ideas which undermine our Democratic system.
T: And you’d say that Socrates fit that definition?
A: He was the embodiment of it. Socrates encouraged his students to question democracy itself. He’d say that the democracy in Athens lacked virtue, and questioned the legitimacy of democratic outcomes. In short, Socrates tried to convince Athens’ youth that their own democratic system might sometimes pose a threat to them. He suggested that there might even be a need for undemocratic checks on democratic power. You don’t get more radical or extremist than that.
T: Anytus, let’s talk about the lead-up to the trial. How did Socrates came to your attention, and why were the charges brought against him?
A: Well, if you want to go all the way back, I guess I first heard of Socrates during the Peloponnesian war. He was a Hoplite for the Athenian side, and was considered to be something of a war hero, I think for his actions at the battle of Delium. But I didn’t really ever really have any opinion of the man until that whole business with the generals. Socrates was the one who tried to block the vote to determine the guilt of the six generals who failed to rescue the survivors of the battle of Arginusae. Claimed it was unconstitutional to take it to a vote, or some nonsense like that. The truth of the matter was that Socrates was against democracy, and was secretly a spartan sympathizer.
T: And the charges came as a result?
A: No, the charges came later, of course. At the time, Socrates was still a war hero who’d fought for Athens. I guess between being a soldier and seeing those generals facing the consequences of their actions, something broke in Socrates’ head, and he was radicalized. But it wasn’t until his radicalization had become apparent and he had started trying to turn Athens’ youth against our democracy — a form of government sanctioned by the Goddess Athena — that charges of corruption and impiety were brought against Socrates.
T: That seems like it should have been an airtight case, but there were times in the trial when it seemed like Socrates had the rhetorical upper hand. Could you explain why?
A: I think it’s a mistake to say that there were points during the trial when Socrates had a better point to make than us. It must be remembered that every moment when we let socrates Speak, that was a strategic concession on our part to show the jury how dangerous this man’s ideas could be. But we always reminded the jury that this man was standing trial for corrupting the youths, and the jury realized that they had an obligation to prevent that from happening in the future. So in the end, the strategy paid off.
T: So the trial’s events all proceeded as part of a master plan by the prosecution, then?
A: Completely. Our strategy in the trial was to let Socrates say enough that there wouldn’t be anyone to say he hadn’t gotten a fair hearing, and then to use his own words against him. Socrates never even attempted to deny the allegations he faced; instead, he tried defend himself by saying that, in spite of what the law said, he hadn’t done anything wrong. It was almost sad to watch. For a man who was said to be the wisest in all of Greece, Socrates couldn’t see that there was no hope of him walking away after he’d confessed to his wrongdoing.
T: Some people have said Socrates made some very good points. What are your thoughts on that?
A: It’s hilarious. Socrates was blatantly corrupt, and his ideas were a ploy to generate support for Spartan rule over Athens. We all know that Spartans are the enemy, and that their monarchy is inferior to Athenian democracy. Any ideas which are intended to generate greater support for a more Spartan system of government in Athens are pernicious, and Athenians have every right to deny those ideas a hearing in our midst. It’s a simple matter of self-preservation.
T: Would you say that your victory has settled the issues Socrates raised?
A: I would. Socrates sought to undo all the progress that’s been made since Athens discovered democracy, and to do so he used vile rhetorical tactics to smear and slander our current democratic system as flawed. To a few disillusioned youths, Socrates’ ideas of checks and balances seemed attractive. For the majority of Athenians, though, Socrates is — excuse me, was — a crazy relic, a man on the wrong side of history who clung to old aristocratic traditions which have no place in Athens today. History will remember his trial and sentencing as one of the great victories of Democracy, and the Athenians of the future will denounce Socrates as a backwards and twisted old fool.
T: Of course. Anytus, thanks so much for your time, and on behalf of everyone at Tablet, thank-you for protecting the people of Athens from radical extremist views like Socrates. It’s good to know that we have people like you defending us against tyranny.
A: You’re welcome.
[end of interview]