Plato's Suicide Essay

Socrates could easily be viewed as suicidal due the portrayal put forth in Plato’s Five Dialogues. First, there is the Apology. Numerous times Socrates was given the opportunity to defend himself in a manner that would be persuading to the jury, but he seemed to have sullied each and every chance. A compelling argument for why his actions were not the crimes he was accused of committing was given, yet he did so with harsh logic and never with an appeal to emotions. He believes such appeals, for instance, bringing his family to court, would be beneath him while acknowledging it would have aided his case with, “you will more readily convict a man who preforms these pitiful dramatics in court… than a man who keeps quiet” (Plato 39). Socrates also

Plato describes suicide in a manner that could be regarded as being unusual. He does not state it is wrong from the individual’s standpoint as it is irrational to harm one’s self. Nor does he take a stance on it from the viewpoint of society: that it is the wrong thing to do because others will be harmed from such an action, both emotionally and from the lack of community contribution, or that society could collapse in the event of a more permissible attitude on suicide. Rather, Plato relates suicide using gods in the position of masters and the humans as their slaves. It is wrong for a slave to go against the wishes of their master and consequently, it is wrong for one to kill them self if the gods have not indicated it is time for the person to die. This is a different fundamental principal than what is currently used to judge whether suicide is justifiable or not, which tends to draw upon more of the individual or societal standpoint, but using the logic of either arrives to the same conclusion. Suicide for a cause, suicide due to an illness, whether terminal or chronic, and suicide because of depression, would all be viewed similarly by Plato and by people today. Thus, if there was the question of what Plato would have to say in regards to whether to kill oneself is right or not, the answer is most likely exists as the currently held