The trial of Socrates is a pivotal event in world history. Before Socrates, philosophy had put society on trial. Now society was striking back. The Trial of Socrates first presents the case for the prosecution based on Aristophanes' comedy Clouds, which mocks Socrates as a preacher of atheism and moral corruption. The case for the defense is drawn from five of Plato's dialogues, which explore the permanent tensions between intellectual...