He realizes also that while his interlocutors mistakenly believe that they know, he himself never makes such an error about his own capacity. He knows that he does not know and the others do not know that about themselves. It takes Socratic inquiry to raise their consciousness about themselves. Socrates confirms through examining others that he has human wisdom and the others do not- at least not until undergone his trial by fire. Socrates claims that if the choice he has to make in order to survive is give up philosophy, he would rather die.
Death is, all things considered, preferable to a life without philosophy.
Life is not by itself an unadulterated good. Life is good only if the kind of life one leads is a worthwhile one. Socrates offers to the newer, younger accusers additional arguments to rebut the charges of impiety and corruption. Further, even it were true that Socrates' philosophizing effected the youth's corruption, since he would not have done so intentionally, ie. As noted above, Socrates seems to hold that death is preferable to a life lived without philosophy.