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Paper short abstract

This is a comparison between the defense speech of Socrates in the year 399 B.C. in front of the court of the Athenians and the speech of Nelson Mandela in his defense in front of a court in Pretoria (Rivonia Trial, 1964).

Paper long abstract

This is a comparison between the defense speech of Socrates in the year 399 B.C. in front of the court of the Athenians and the speech of Nelson Mandela in his defense in front of a court in Pretoria (Rivonia Trial, 1964).

The study discusses the similarities as well as the salient differences between the two speeches. In fact, the theme of a "mythic consciousness" as it is expressed so openly by Socrates and the African leader, is the universal topic in both discourses. This is the backdrop for a debate at a time, where extremism and nationalism are constant companions of globalization and the emergence of a universal, emancipated citizen. That we are sharing the same values, is in our view the fundamental aspect of this debate.