Uncover the betrayal at the heart of Socrates’ death: in 399 BC, Athens puts its most famous questioner on trial for impiety and for “corrupting the youth.” Join us as we track the case from the public square to the courtroom to a quiet prison cell, asking one unsettling question all the way through: who broke faith first—Socrates, the city, or the people who claimed to defend it?​

In this episode, we follow the evidence that survives from antiquity—especially Plato’s Apology and Crito, alongside other ancient testimony—to reconstruct what Athens said it was punishing, and what it may have been trying to protect. We explore how Socrates’ method of relentless questioning could look like civic medicine to admirers and civic sabotage to anxious leaders, particularly in a democracy still raw from recent political violence and instability.​

Then the investigation tightens around the most uncomfortable part of the story: the people closest to Socrates. We examine why the shadows of notorious former associates—especially figures tied to anti-democratic upheaval—could make a philosopher feel like a threat even if no conspiracy can be proved. We also look at the religious charge, including Socrates’ claim of a “divine sign” (daimonion), and why that detail could be framed as spiritual innovation—or as convenient legal cover for a more political fear.​

Finally, we return to the moment that turns a trial into a legend: Crito’s escape plan, Socrates’ refusal, and the argument that a life built inside the laws can’t be saved by breaking them—no matter how unjust the verdict feels. With hemlock waiting, the episode asks whether this was the ultimate act of loyalty… or the most devastating betrayal of his own survival.​

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