Socrates' Death - Assignment Example

Socrates’ DeathThe ancient Greek philosopher Socrates reportedly was sentenced to death by the Athens Republic because of his practice of questioning the commonly held assumptions of his day. In his calm acceptance of the death penalty, Socrates seems much more concerned about the welfare of men who will be left living without an example of how to properly examine whether what they know as truth is actually truthful or merely the platitudes of a dominant leadership. These ideas are expressed in Plato’s book Crito as Socrates talks with his old friend, the title character, about why he will not accept any attempts at rescue.

It was expected and commonly practiced that the friends and family of assist with the rescue of political prisoners such as Socrates. In this version of the story, Socrates is sitting in his jail cell awaiting his execution when his old friend Crito arrives to help him escape. To Crito’s horror, Socrates refuses arguing that he cannot escape because citizens must always obey the law. He tells Crito, “What we ought to consider is not so much what people in general will say about us but how we stand with the expert in right and wrong, the one authority, who represents the actual truth” (Crito).

Rather than being worried about what is expected, common or ‘understood’, Socrates suggests one should act in accordance with the higher authority of individual understanding and the system under which one opts to associate.Socrates interprets the Law as existing as a single body instead of individual statutes, so to break one law would be equal to breaking all of the laws. Citizens who expect to enjoy the benefits of a particular society, as Socrates has enjoyed the benefits of Athens for more than 70 years, must expect to work within the bounds of the laws of that society.

If Socrates is to escape his execution, he must do so by persuading those who uphold the law to change their minds. If he were to simply escape and thus break the law, he would be unable to live anywhere else because he has already proven that he is unable to abide by the social contract established between the individual citizen and the state. This agreement is implied when the individual opts to live within the boundaries of the state and takes advantage of its protections. “Do you imagine that a city can continue to exist and not be turned upside down, if the legal judgments which are pronounced in it have no force but are nullified and destroyed by private persons?

” (Crito), he asks. After following the laws of his higher truth, Socrates must follow the laws of the land, which have given him a death sentence that he must now face. In drinking the hemlock, Socrates is able to prove to history, if not to the jurors, that he has consistently acted in ways that he deems to be in the right, in support of the laws and in the best interests of the people. Finally, in accepting his punishment, he is able to prove the depth of his convictions and continue to stand for those ideals he has purported to stand for so far.

His logical argument in defense of his own actions suggests a mind attempting to discover higher truths even when that flies in the face of his society’s customs and beliefs, but his calm acceptance of the death penalty expresses a deeper concern for the welfare of men living without an example of moral and just action. Socrates allows his own sacrifice to the altar of knowledge as a means of providing this example. As a result, I think he made the right decision for him even though it was a hard decision for his friend to accept.

Works CitedPlato. Crito. Trans. Benjamin Jowett. (360 BC). September 17, 2009