8. Truth On Trial

You have brought about my death in the belief that through it you will be delivered from submitting your conduct to criticism, but I say that the result will be just the opposite. . . . If you expect to stop denunciation of your wrong way of life by putting people to death, there is something amiss with your reasoning. This way of escape is neither possible nor creditable. —Socrates, in Plato's Apology[p 214] [p 215] Coming to face the truth It is a characteristic of truth that when we know something to be true we are expected to believe it and, where appropriate, to act accordingly. And so it comes about that when we stand face to face with truth and deliberate what we are going to do with it, it is not the truth that is on trial, it is we ourselves who are being judged by the truth. Socrates long ago made this point when at the conclusion of his trial he addressed those who had voted for his execution. He had devoted his life to searching for the truth and doubtless had irritated many prominent people by exposing their false beliefs and urging them to join with him in seeking the truth. But they regarded such seeking for the truth as subversive of society and of their power. So t...