CRITO Crito, as reported by Plato, is an account by where Crito is attempting to influence Socrates that it is just to escape from prison to avoid certain death by execution. Socrates' argument directly relates to the laws of the state and the role of the individual within it. The "Crito" exhibits the character of Socrates as a good citizen, who being unjustly condemned is willing to give up his life in obedience to the laws of the State. This report will discuss the major elements
In Plato’s works Apology and Crito there is an attempt by Socrates to defend himself in court and defend his choice to receive the death penalty when found guilty. Although he makes very valid and strong arguments throughout one can only wonder why such a wise person would choose death over life. The following essay will analyze three quotes from Apology and Crito, find the correlation between them, and reveal any flaws that may exsist inside these arguments made by Socrates. In Plato’s Apology
The Purpose of the Law & Morality In the dialogue “Crito”, the ancient Greek philosopher Plato depicted a conversation that demonstrated Socrates belief that it is better to suffer from an injustice than to commit an injustice against authorities. This is a central argument in the dialogue that when examined carefully reveals that Socrates strongly believed that experts of authority should be respected and feared above all others (11), as well as the belief that committing an injustice can adversely
the Crito shows Socrates’ views on his obligations to the government and in Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” we see a different set of obligations depicted by King. Socrates strongly believed that his life was to be dedicated to the government under no other circumstances but on the other hand, Martin Luther King respected his obligations as a citizen but did not hesitate to react when the system was unfair and corrupt. In order to give a little hindsight, I will discuss the dialogues
through this that Socrates also identifies the solution to this problem, stating that, “what we ought to worry about is not so much what people in general will say about us but what the experts… the single authority and with him the truth itself.” (Crito 48a). In conclusion, It is Socrates’ * belief that, “There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance.” (Diogenes Laertius). This condition, according so Socrates, can be remedied through the constant quest for knowledge, and by looking to
proper moral consideration as reason. This explains why he does not respond accordingly with the reasoning of the guard, Tiresias the prophet, Antigone, her sister Ismene, or even his own son Haemon. Throughout the whole play, Creon emphasizes the importance of practical judgement over a sick, illogical mind, when in fact it is him who has the sick, illogical mind. He too exhibits pride in his argument. To Antigone and most of the Athenians, possessing a wise and logical mind means acknowledging human
Machiavelli’s “The Prince” provides guidelines for how the leader of a state should conduct himself, and the actions he should take to consolidate and maintain power. While Socrates does not explicitly discuss what he believes a good leader should do and how he should act in either “Apology” or ”Crito”, he presents his opinion on how men in general should conduct themselves, and how a government should be run. Based on the accounts given, Socrates would vehemently disagree with Machiavelli’s concept
sentence was merited. The laws continue to argue that if Socrates were to leave, he could never lecture on justice, virtue, and the importance of law in society if he were to break the laws so blatantly. Additionally, if Socrates were to go through with plan set forth by Crito and run to Thessaly, a loosely governed state, he would not be able to discuss on matters of importance but instead would be relegated to speak on his escape from the city state, which again, would be subject to reproach from his
Socrates and Niccolo Machiavelli are two very well-known and continually studied Western philosophers who have had a large degree of influence on intellectual thought and political organization since their times. In the works Apology and Crito, the Greek philosopher and Socrates contemporary Plato lays out Socrates’ philosophical beliefs of finding the truth, seeking wisdom, and acquiring knowledge for the betterment of the soul. In The Prince by Machiavelli, he lays out his guidelines for how a
influence touches us even today” (May 6) and we can learn a great deal about him from one of his students, Plato. It is in Plato’s report of Socrates’ trial a work entitled, Apology, and a friend’s visit to his jail cell while he is awaiting his death in Crito, that we discover a man like no other. Socrates was a man following a path he felt that the gods had wanted him to follow and made no excuses for his life and they way he lived it. The passage I have chosen from Plato’s Apology is the main passage