Weave wait unravel weave wait survive weave unravel wait weave wait hope trust weave

Don’t get me wrong - I’m devastated for Socrates and it demonstrates how Athens didn’t value its best advisers (and why Plato is so disappointed in democracy), but even Socrates himself says that he was in a polis where they all follow the rule of law, even when it ruled against him.

Aristophanes was prosecuted by Cleon for embarrassing the city in a play, and he was not silenced - he went through the law process and continued to produce plays that criticised Cleon repeatedly

The democracy was based on isonomia and isegoria. But that was not that they could speak with impunity. If you were accused of slander or libel you would be prosecuted in the courts. If you misled the assembly, you’d be held accountable. Satire was politically protected

And no Socrates said himself that by Athenian law he was found guilty and refused to run away.

The pod episode is a great way for me to introduce the topic - I’ll be sharing it with my Year 12s (their coursework is causes of the civil war) and then they can deep dive into reading. Ordering Jon’s books for the school library first thing in September!