Crito

12 Pages 2996 Words

ike having an unhealthy body.
In this area of the dialogue I agree with Socrates. He makes some very good points when it comes to disregarding the opinion of the many. Think about where our society would be if we listened to the majority. Many people would be dead because they listened to their friends when they were sick instead of asking the opinion of the expert, the doctor.
Another reason why Socrates refuses to escape is because of his contract with the city of Athens. When you are born, you take an oath to abide by the cities rules and regulations. Socrates believes that if he were to escape he would be breaking that oath, and therefore doing wrong. “We are never intentionally to do wrong. Doing wrong is always and evil and a dishonor to him who acts unjustly. (Doing wrong injures or disorders one’s own soul.) We must injure no one, not even return an injury another has done to us.” This is an example of Socrates the good citizen, and not the philosopher.
That Socrates never left the city shows his willingness to abide by its laws and customs. This implies a bond between Athens and Socrates. Socrates believes that since he has benefited from the laws of Athens his whole life, it would be unjust to turn ones back on the laws.
When Socrates makes this point, I have to agree with him. When we are born into our society we are also expected to follow all the laws of our nation, so in a way we are taking that same oath Socrates did. When we get in trouble with the law we are allowed to appeal to a higher court, and they can either overturn, or uphold the decision. If they uphold the decision we could go to jail and serve our time. Socrates went through the same process, and so he has decided not to undermine the state, and serve out his punishment, like a good citizen.
After reading Crito, I have learned that Socrates is not just a philosopher, but also a man of principle. Socrates was a man that felt so s...