Hard decisions come around in everyone’s life every once in a while. These decisions can mean everything to you and even be considered life and death situations. Imagine yourself in the shoes of a philosopher named Socrates who has to face a big decision of whether or not to escape jail after being sentenced to be executed. For him it was an easy decision to make and he backed it up with all the ideas he had in his conversation with Crito. Socrates did the right thing by not escaping from jail because if he had escaped he would be contradicting everything he ever believed and said, and that would be the worst possible thing for Socrates.
Socrates was one of the few men who refused to escape jail while he knew that he was going to be punished by means of death. This was a very noble thing of him to do and it was the correct decision. During his last days, Crito tried to convince Socrates to escape. Then the two men had a discussion about what was right and wrong. Socrates gave very strong convincing statements to back up his side. The initial argument they both agreed on was doing unjust actions are not good and people should not act unjustly. Acting unjustly does harm to people’s soul and that is unacceptable for Socrates. It does not make sense for him to live with a soul that is corrupted.
Socrates is a very convincing speaker and philosopher because of all the good arguments he brings forth to the table revolving around his idea of living life justly. A big reason he did the right thing by not escaping is because and unjust act should not be done to repay an unjust act. He says “If we ought never to act unjustly at all, ought we to repay injustice with injustice, as the multitude thinks we may?” to help solidify his argument...
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...life; it was to not escape jail. This was the right decision even though it was to cost him his life. This was a price he was willing to pay to show that he really believed in what he was saying, all the laws of Athens and the contract, and the main thing is that he was able to maintain a just soul. For Socrates all of that was much more important than living life, because his main philosophy was to live life justly otherwise you are not living life. There were some arguments made by Crito to push Socrates to escape, but he argued with Crito and showed that those arguments were not as important as was his reputation on the line. Socrates did the right thing by living a just life and taking on the poison at the end instead of just escaping and going against everything he ever believed in.
Works Cited
Plato, Euthyphro, Apology, Crito. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1948.
In life, people are taught many different ways to do things. Based on their learning, they form diverse perspectives and make knowledgeable decisions with the information given at the time. Some of the decisions can be influenced by values, morals, beliefs, religion, experiences, families and the world in which one lives. All of these factors can support and influence an individual’s principles. In Plato’s Crito, a dialogue is captured between Crito and Socrates about his escape from prison. In his writings, Crito discusses his reasons and thoughts why Socrates should escape his fate. On the flip side, Socrates provides just as many reasons he should stay in prison even though it was unjust.
When he is questioned why he doesn’t want to attempt to escape his death, he states that he feels it is unjust to escape. Socrates did what he believed his job was, which was to enlighten the youth to the unjust ways of society. While the way he was punished for it was unjust, Socrates stated that he has lived a happy life, and if he can’t rightly persuade the Laws of Athens to change its mind and let him go, then he can accept 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 .
During this essay the trail of Socrates found in the Apology of Plato will be reviewed. What will be looked at during this review is how well Socrates rebuts the charges made against him. We will also talk about if Socrates made the right decision to not escape prison with Crito. Socrates was a very intelligent man; this is why this review is so critical.
In Plato’s Crito, Socrates demonstrates his belief that character/soul is of the highest value. Socrates is in prison, wrongfully accused, and Crito is trying to convince Socrates to escape instead of being executed. Crito, being a cultural relativist, stresses the importance of public opinion in his argument for Socrates escape. Socrates attempts to explain the difference between reason and emotion. Socrates believes rational analysis is the only way to seek ethical insight, and that public opinion should be rejected because some opinions are valued more than others are. Using the analogy of an athlete and trainer, Socrates compares the trainer to one’s conscience. If the athlete listens to incorrect advice from others, he can injure, or corrupt, his body. Similarly, if an individual listens to the wrong moral authority, his character/soul would become
Contrary to this widely accepted myth, I will try to demonstrate that Socrates' argument was erroneous, which made his decision less rational. In fact, had he decided to escape, his behavior would not have represented an unjust act. Although his argumentation and dialogue with Crito seem more like a moral sermon, his ...
In Plato’s “Crito”, Socrates, who is convicted of spreading false beliefs to the youth in Athens is in an argument with his friend, Crito. Crito tries to convince Socrates of the reality of his sentence and that it would only make sense for him to escape. He gives many reasons of why escaping is necessary and moral. Crito states,
In Plato’s Crito, the title character arrives to help Socrates break out of incarceration, but Socrates refuses. Crito made his most compelling argument by stating “I think you are betraying your sons by going away and leaving them, when you could bring them up and educate them” (45b-c). Crito later amended his argument by adding, “You seem to me to choose the easiest path, whereas one should choose the path a good and courageous man would choose, particularly when
Socrates had a few reasons for accepting his punishments and not escaping the death sentence that he was handed. In hopes to convince Socrates to escape prison, his friend Crito visited him in prison before he was put to death. Crito initially began pleading with Socrates to escape because he did not want to lose a friend and he was afraid that people would think that he...
“To stand up for what you believe in is more important than to be scared of imprisonment or death.” – Socrates The Apology
Socrates argues in the Crito that he shouldn't escape his death sentence because it isn't just. Crito is distressed by Socrates reasoning and wishes to convince him to escape since Crito and friends can provide the ransom the warden demands. If not for himself, Socrates should escape for the sake of his friends, sons, and those who benefit from his teaching. Socrates and Crito's argument proceeds from this point.
(37) The problem is that many of the citizens of Athens who wanted Socrates dead, lacked that emotional intelligence and thought highly of themselves. So of course they become defensive when Socrates sheds light on the idea that they may be wrong. As someone who cared most about the improvement of the soul, Socrates would have made a constructive role model to the criminals of Athens, as he would go on saying, “virtue is not given by money, but that from virtue comes money and every other good of man…”(35) Socrates was able to benefit everyone alike as he had human wisdom- something that all the Athenians could relate
I have to side with Crito when it comes to leaving Socrates’s friends and family behind just because Socrates is too proud to break the laws. Socrates sounds like he does not want to put forth the effort to leave Athens and try to live in exile just to stay alive a little longer. While it is moral to obey laws at all costs, I feel that the moral “rules” should be disregarded when you are served unjustly by those same laws. Socrates is content with the life he has lived and has no intentions in breaking the laws now, which he has so justly followed throughout his whole life. The whole meaning in Crito, is defined quite clearly. Socrates believes in the always obeying the laws no matter the circumstance, even if that means sitting in a prison until you are to be executed unjustly.
...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.
Socrates was a wise man who realized that life was not something that could be easily understood. He knew that questioning life would lead to a stronger conception of life and reality. When he stated that “the unexamined life is not worth living” (Plato 45), he truly meant that without questioning life, one would not be truly living. Actions would have no understanding of being right or wrong. For Socrates, a man who believed that life should be based on what was right, there would be no greater wrongdoing.