The End

3 Pages 676 Words

The last days of Socrates, immediately before his execution was going to take place in
Athens. In the dialogue, Socrates’’ friend, Crito, proposes that Socrates escape from
prison. Socrates considers this proposal, trying to decide if escaping would be ““just””
and ““morally justified.”” Eventually, Socrates concludes that the act is considered
““unjust”” and ““morally unjustified.”” Socrates decides to accept his death penalty and
execution. Socrates was a man who would obey truth in all matters. In his refusal to
accept exile from Athens or silence as a penalty, he takes the penalty of death and is
thrown into prison. While Socrates is awaiting his execution, many of his friends,
including Crito, arrive with a foolproof plan for his escape from Athens to live in exile
voluntarily. Socrates calmly debates with each friend over the moral value and
justification of such an act. Crito believed that by helping Socrates to escape, he could go
on to fulfill his personal obligations. Also, if Socrates does not follow the plan, many
people would assume that his friends did not care about him enough to help him escape
or that his friends are not willing to give their time or money in order to help him.
Therefore, Crito goes on to argue that Socrates ought to escape from the prison. After
listening to Crito’’s arguments, Socrates dismisses them as irrelevant to a decision about
what action is truly right. In the arguments that Socrates makes, what other people think
does not matter. The only opinions that should matter are the ones of the individuals that
truly know. According to Socrates, the only opinion that he is willing to consider would
be that of the state. The argument moves from one of a general moral decision to the
morality of his specific case. He basically says avoiding the sentence handed down by the
jury would be disobeying the state, Socrates decides not to es...