Plato - Crito
From The Inferno
Crito
Contents |
[edit] Author's Notes/Introduction
[edit] Arguments for escaping jail
- Crito's arguments for getting Socrates out of jail: 1) everybody would think that he is a bad friend if he doesn't do it, 2) it is not just for Socrates to die
[edit] To counter the first argument
- People are rarely knowledgeable at everything - to know what to eat and drink in order to become an athlete, you consult the trainer. Therefore, to know the best thing to do, one must consult the expert, not the majority
- "We should not then think so much of the majority will say about us, but what he will say who understands justice and injustice, the one, that is, and the truth itself" (48a)
[edit] To counter the second argument
- One must never do wrong
- When one has a contract with somebody, one should always fulfill it
- The law is a contract between the city and the individual
- Socrates agreed to abide by it by not leaving Athens, and in exchange he must submit himself to the ruling of the jury ‘’’(this is one of the first ideas of the social contract)’’’
- Therefore, he cannot leave
