Socrates on Self-Defense

However, there was a problem with his reasoning in that, given Thucydides account of origin the Peloponnesian War, there is some good evidence that the war was caused, in part, by Athens perpetuating aggression on her neighbors, thus breaking a peace treaty with Sparta. Therefore, it appears the war may have been unjust and that Socrates may have fought on the unjust side of the war.

As a philosopher, Socrates philosophized; which pretty much means he spent his time coming up with reasons to justify his beliefs and behaviors. When attacked, a philosopher wants to defend himself against the attack so he is not harmed, but when he also believes in non-violence, he is faced with a dilemma. To justify defending against the attack and possibly killing the attacker, the philosopher reasons that the attacker is better off dead than having to spend a lifetime feeling guilty about committing an injustice. For the rest of us, self-defense is simple—if you attack us, we will defend ourselves—and if you die in the process, too bad.