The State of Athens found Socrates guilty of “impiety and corrupting the youth.”1 He was sentenced to death, but in the meanwhile, he was being held in a jail cell. Crito, Socrates' old friend, came to visit him one morning. Crito explained that they have the money and supplies to get Socrates out of his jail cell, and away from Athens to be a fugitive, thus saving Socrates his life. Socrates answered all Crito's options with an argument stating how he cannot escape from his cell, and death, because he would be defying all the laws of the State. If he denies all laws of the State, Socrates believes that if he leaves, then he would be proven guilty, and the charge of death against him would be correct. Socrates believes that if he stays, and …show more content…
dies like the Laws sentenced him to, then he could be proven innocent, and his name cleared.2 If Socrates left the prison he was being kept in, he would be defying all laws that helped educate and grow him as a man. I believe that Socrates made the wrong decision of staying in prison to die, if Socrates really did not believe that the Jury made the right decision to execute him, and then he should have also believed that the laws were wrong, and he could have defied the laws if he liked. If Socrates really believed the laws were unjust for accusing him, and finding him guilty, of those crimes, then he should have escaped the prison when he had the chance. Socrates was given the chance to escape the prison, with his friends' help.
Crito stated to Socrates that they had enough money and resources to help him escape. I believe that Socrates should have taken this opportunity when he had the chance. Crito made it clear to Socrates the pros and cons of staying in prison, or running away, and I personally believe that he should have left. Since Socrates stayed to die, his children did not finish growing up with a father, and all of Socrates students had to learn without him. He was a great help and a good friend to everyone he knew, and that is a clear reason why he should have escaped from prison, and taken his friends and family somewhere far away from Athens. Crito told Socrates that he had friends in other places that would kindly bring Socrates in and hide him. There was really no reason Socrates should have stayed in prison except for the misconception he had of doing wrong. Socrates believed that breaking any law is a crime, no matter what the consequences of committing the crime actually were.² If there is a law set out, Socrates believed nobody should be breaking it, for any reason, which I do not agree …show more content…
with. Socrates did not want to be thought of as a guilty man.
He believed that if he escaped from prison, the whole state of Athens would believe he is guilty, and the charge of sentencing Socrates to his death was a correct judgment by the jury. If Socrates really did not believe he was guilty of what he was being accused of, then he should have left when he had the chance. There is no point obeying laws if you do not believe you are guilty of them, or you really could hurt the society and the state around you. Socrates could have run when he had the chance. It would have been a defiance of the laws of the state of Athens, but if he did not believe he was correctly accused of those crimes against him, he should not believe in the laws in the first place. Socrates should not have cared about what other people in the state of Athens thought of him, and he should have escaped that prison with his family and friends when he had the chance. They thought of Socrates as a great friend and a good father, he should have followed that and spent his last few years on Earth with his family and friends, not his last few days in a prison
cell. Socrates' argument for staying in prison was that he did not want to defy the laws that raised him and helped him grow as a person. If Socrates ran when he had the chance, he would be defying all those laws. He thought if everybody defied the laws set by the state, then the laws would be destroyed and there would be no sense of government in Athens. That would put his whole education into question, because he grew up learning how to live his life based on those laws.³ Socrates also believed that if he left that prison cell, he would be proven guilty. He did not want people to think that he was guilty; he wanted people to see him as a good example of somebody who died under the laws of the state, not trying to defy those laws and run away. He did not want to be a fugitive and a criminal, more than he already were, because then people would treat him in the future like a criminal. Socrates lived his life as proud as he could be, and he did not want to make people think he was a criminal. This is a good counter argument for my belief, but I believe that this is not a just reason to stay, because if Socrates did not believe he was a criminal, he should have left it at that, and if he escaped from prison he could have had time to prove his innocence to people around him. His family and friends did not believe he was guilty, and he running away would not change their decision, and that should be more important to him than any other opinion from somebody he did not know. ³ There are many examples of this idea that happen today. In this country we live in, there are many examples of laws that are broken every day, not because people break laws to feel cool, but because they do not believe this law is going to have any after effect on people around, or themselves for that matter. Every day thousands of under-age kids in Pullman alone go out and party and drink alcohol. Kids don't drink alcohol because it is fun to ignore the laws and be a delinquent, but because they think that alcohol is not going to be any harm on people around them. They do not believe the laws are just for society, so they break them. I am not saying it is okay for anybody to go break laws if they do not believe them, it is just a great example of every day kids that go out and break laws, simply because they do not think the laws are fair and just. There are many examples of people who break laws every day, and do not believe they are criminals because of it. If somebody goes speeding down a back road that nobody is on, only Socrates is going to call them “criminals.” I am not going to deny the fact I have gone over the speed limit before, but I would not put myself and the word criminal in the same sentence for that matter, but Socrates did not agree. Socrates died as an execution by poison from the state of Athens, unjustly he believes, in a prison cell in Athens. His close friend Crito came to tell Socrates that he could help him escape, with the money people donated and the resources from some of his close friends. Socrates denied the opportunity, to Crito's surprise. Socrates believed that he could not break any law that the state of Athens had set for him. He believed that any person who breaks laws is a criminal, and he did not want to be thought of as a criminal. He acknowledged the fact that he was in prison, but he did not believe he was guilty of the charges given against him. I believe that Socrates should have escaped prison when he had the chance, to be with his kids, live his last few years in freedom, and to attempt to prove his innocence to the people around him. Socrates should have lived his last few years and not cared for what people in Athens thought of him, because he would have passed very soon. Socrates always believed in the laws, and because of that, he spent his last days in a prison cell, before he was poisoned and executed, for “impiety and corrupting the youth.”
Crito on the other hand believes civil disobedience is sometimes morally legitimate in certain cases. He states “Your present situation itself shows clearly that the majority can do not just minor harms but very worst things to someone who’s been slandered in front of them” (pg.79) Crito tries to reason with Socrates by telling him how by abiding to these “just” laws is what got him in prison in the first place, and how he is going to be unjustly prosecuted because of it. He goes on by trying to persuade him that by escaping prison it wouldn’t classify as civil disobedience since he wouldn’t be harming anyone. If he stayed in prison it would seem as cowardness and seem irresponsible. Since Socrates has a responsibility towards his family
...dditionally, Socrates believed that escaping would show that the people who tried him and found him guilty that they had in fact done the right thing. This would further their assumptions that he was corrupting the minds of people by running away and disobeying the law. If he had escaped, he may have been invalidated and may not be as important historically as he is today. Whether or not it made an impact on Athens or the rest of the world, Socrates did what he believed was right for himself and for the people. I believe that Socrates did what was honorable at the time. His honor and incite in to the way that people should live has been carried on through history is proof that people still value his ideas and reasoning.
Socrates refuses to disobey the law. He believes in the correctness of the cities laws. He believes it is never right to act unjustly. He thinks that if you do not agree with the laws of the area that you are living at, then to leave and go somewhere else. He argues that the government could be seen as “his parents, also those who brought him up,” (Crito, 51e), since he has lived there his entire life and when you live somewhere for so long you should “persuade us or to do what we say,” (Crito, 52a) or leave. Socrates tells Crito that
When Socrates was sentenced to death, his friend Crito offers to help him escape, but he refuse to escape. He explains to Crito that if he were to escape he would be running away his whole life. He would stay at Athens and comply with the sentence as set by Athens law and die for his cause. Another reason that he gave Crito for not escaping was that he was already death alive and that he was too old to be running away .
Socrates concern that breaking the law would make law ineffectual is a valid one, but Crito would argue a more global perspective on Socrates' escaping: what are the net effects of Socrates accepting his death sentence? It would be a misfortune for all his friends, any people that benefit from his teaching, and he would be leaving his sons prematurely (Crito, 44c). Though Crito doesn't develop this point further, it could be easily extended: no one “be...
In any case of law, when considering truth and justice, one must first look at the validity of the court and the system itself. In Socrates' case, the situation is no different. One may be said to be guilty or innocent of any crime, but guilt or innocence is only as valid as the court it is subjected to. Therefore, in considering whether Socrates is guilty or not, it must be kept in mind the norms and standards of Athens at that time, and the validity of his accusers and the crimes he allegedly committed. Is Socrates guilty or innocent of his accusations?
Socrates was not guilty as charged; he had done nothing wrong, as seen in the Apology. Not even a priest could tell Socrates what he had done wrong religiously, Euthyphro wasn’t even able to give Socrates a precise definition of piety. It is then questioned by Crito why Socrates would remain to face a penalty for a crime he did not commit. In the Crito, it is explained why, although innocent, Socrates must accept the penalties his peers have set upon him. It is his peers that will interpret and enforce the laws, not the law which will enforce it. Even if the enforcers don’t deserve attention and respect because they have no real knowledge to the situation, Socrates had put himself under their judgment by going to the trial. Therefore, Socrates must respect the decisions made by the masses because the decisions are made to represent the laws, which demand each citizen’s respect.
He states that if he were to escape he would not be living honorably which he describes in Plato 's “Apology” as living a unexamined life and to him he would much rather die. Socrates states, “one must not even do wrong when one is wronged, which most people regard as the natural course” (Plato, 268). Socrates even though his sentence maybe biased and not morally right still believes that he must follow what he is condemned to. Through this he implies that even if we are cheated of fairness we must still do what is honorable and not fight it. He explains that the majority of people in his case would justify it to escape because they were sentenced for something that is completely moral. I disagree with Socrates in that if I was in his place, I would gain freedom and face my enemies for they wronged
Socrates lived such a private life that it lead to the most important revelation of his entire life. He would go about his life doing nothing but self-examination. In examining his life so strenuously others would come to him to be taught, or to have their children be taught by Socrates. They would offer him money and he would refuse. They would do whatever they could to learn anything Socrates had to teach. What they did not know is that Socrates was not teaching anyone he was simply going about his usual life and people just happened to learn from it. This was also why Socrates was put on trial. He was brought up on two charges, one of impiety and the other of corrupting the youth. These two charges set the course for the last month of his life.
Socrates believes that since he lived a fulfilling and content life in Athens, that he should be okay with the end result regarding the laws of city. While his choice is a bit submissive, the fact remains that Socrates is being help in prison under false convictions and thus a decision must be made by the reader as to whether or not Socrates could break out and not actually break the laws. Crito mentions that if Socrates is to make no attempt at escaping, he will leave his sons without a father. Socrates acknowledges t...
...uments are completely different. Crito wants Socrates to escape because he doesn’t deserve to die because he did nothing wrong. Socrates argues back that if he escapes he will be breaking the law. Which is the thing that he is trying to uphold. Socrates believes that escaping will go against all the things he has been arguing and teaching the youth.
Though Socrates has been unjustly incarcerated, he refuses to escape due to his implied agreement with the Athenian legal system. This paper serves to argue that Socrates’ line of reasoning to Crito does not properly address actions committed under an unjust legal system.
In the retelling of his trial by his associate, Plato, entitled “The Apology”; Socrates claims in his defense that he only wishes to do good for the polis. I believe that Socrates was innocent of the accusations that were made against him, but he possessed contempt for the court and displayed that in his conceitedness and these actions led to his death.
“Are we to say that we are never intentionally to do wrong, or that in one way we ought not to do wrong, or is doing wrong always evil and dishonorable, as I was just now saying, and as has been already acknowledged by us? (Dover p.49)” Socrates’ standard is that he refuses to see justice as an eye for an eye. He believes that logical arguments and persuasion should be the defense of the accused. Socrates believes that since he cannot convince the people who ruled against him that there is no other option then to pay the sentence that he was
...ns. Why would he do this if he did not see the laws of Athens as just? In order to fulfill the agreement he has made with Athenian law, Socrates must accept the punishment he is given, though he feels that his being punished is Athens wronging him. It would be wrong, by his view, to escape from prison, though he would not be pursued, because he would be breaking his agreement to obey Athenian law. Since he and Crito previously agreed that one must never do wrong, he simply must stay in jail until his death. This is merely one example of the way in which Socrates uses a method of logical dialogue in order to make his point. He appears to be unmatched in his skills of deduction and consistently demonstrates his love of knowledge and truth. Socrates exemplifies all that is philosophy, both as a student and a teacher, because of his constant, active pursuit of wisdom.