Socrates's Defense

First he accuses Meletus, the person who brought such charges, of not caring about the youth of Athens and simply wanting to condemn Socrates. Next, Socrates challenges Meletus to explain who might be improving the youth of Athens if he is corrupting them. Socrates lists groups of people (namely the jurymen, the councilmen, the audience), to all of whom Meletus replies in the affirmative. Thus, Socrates brings in the example of horses—that majority cannot improve horses (rather if they have horses and use them, they may corrupt the horses), and it is a singular group of people/ horse breeders who must take it upon themselves to care for the horses. Socrates also argues that if he has indeed corrupted the young, he has done so unwillingly, since no wise man would want to be harmed by the company that they have deliberately made wicked. In this case, he should be faced with instructions not punishment.