He could very likely have appealed for leniency. At least he could have saved his life by agreeing to leave Athens. But had he done this he would not have been Socrates. He valued his conscience--and the truth-- higher than life.

Jostein Gaarder
About This Quote

The philosopher Socrates was a philosopher who lived in Athens in Ancient Greece. He is known for his critical thinking and his critical philosophy. Socrates was a teacher who is said to have introduced the concept of Socratic questioning in which the person being questioned must answer in a timely manner or risk being charged with being dishonest. Socrates is also noted for his method of teaching which involved approach questions from an honest source to promote good dialogue between the student and the teacher.

Socrates didn't ask rhetorical questions in order to get a student to agree with him, but rather asked a wide variety of questions that were often difficult to answer. This illustrates how he valued truthfulness above all else and demonstrated that he would not compromise on his principles in order to save himself from death.

Source: Sophies World

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