Final answer:
In Plato's 'Apology of Socrates,' Plato presents a re-staging of Socrates' defense during his trial. Socrates used the Socratic method to question and engage with his accusers and the Athenians, defending his way of life as a philosopher.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Plato's 'Apology of Socrates,' Plato presents a re-staging of Socrates' defense during his trial. Socrates was accused of corrupting the youth and undermining the gods of the city. His defense was a defense of the philosophical life he lived. Plato's motives for writing this were to showcase Socrates' commitment to truth, goodness, and wisdom and to immortalize Socrates as a martyr to philosophy.
Socrates' self-defense strategy in the speech was to question and engage with his accusers and the Athenians, using the Socratic method, which involved asking questions to expose inconsistencies and falsehoods in their beliefs. His objectives were to defend his way of life as a philosopher, to challenge the charges against him, and to encourage the Athenians to reflect on their own commitment to truth and wisdom.