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Socrates….. Madman or Genius? Some tend to think either one or the other. I believe Socrates, by far the most interesting person I’ve ever studied, is neither. When we are first introduced to Socrates, it is in a court room before 501 jurors (pg.20). Yet although his life is on the line, Socrates does not act like a typical victim pleading for his life, he actually does the opposite. Instead of begging for his freedom, he persists to prove his innocence on his own. This is why I believe Socrates is not a genius, or madman, but an unsung hero. Most commonly defined as a person noted for feats of courage, nobility and selflessness, a hero such as Socrates was easily overlooked the day of his execution. Socrates believed that asking questions and finding the truth were more important than thinking yourself wise when in fact you were not (pg. 24, 21b-e). Therefore, he developed a numerous amount of disapproved slanders from those he offended by falsifying their claim to wisdom. Yet, the unselfishness he displayed when he was on trial for this crime was immense. He strived to show the people in the courtroom that he cared more about there knowledge of the truth and of being wise than he did for his own life, even though they wer