Socrates - Term Paper Example

Socrates Following his judgment, Socrates was condemned to die for his part in the corruption of Athenian youths. Crito, one of his students, paid him a visit in prison to convince him on the merits of escaping. However, he refused, contending that laws were to be obeyed. He also argued that sans laws, he would not be who he was. Laws, in other words, had an authority of a paternal nature over him. He also decided that he had an implied contract with Athens. Finally, he also argued that staying in prison was better since he could not find any happiness easily in any other part of Greece. Therefore, he decided to take up his punishment and not attempt to escape. One argument that Socrates used in accepting his punishment was his contention that Athenian laws had a parental authority over the inhabitants of Athens. Sans these laws, Socrates as a man would not have been who he was and would not even have been born. "In the first place did we not bring you into existence? Your father married your mother by our aid and begot you" (Plato 53). It is through these laws that he was raised and trained for Greek life. Socrates claims that these laws, which possess the charges educations, were right to command their fathers to train their sons in gymnastics and music. He continues his argument by establishing that Athenian laws have a parental authority over Athenian citizens. Socrates claims, “since you were brought into the world and nurtured and educated by us, can you deny that you are a slave and child as your fathers were?” (Plato 53). Crito poses an ethical dilemma in one of his arguments that sought to convince Socrates to escape. He contends that if he stays, he will be helping his persecutors in unjustly harming hi, which would make his staying an unjust one. In addition, he was also abandoning his children to a fatherless future (Plato 51). Socrates argues against this by explaining to Crito the Athenian law and the way he viewed it as one entity. He contended that breaking of one of these laws amounted to breaking all laws; he explains that Athenian citizens are bound to law just as a child is bound to his father. He poses an almost metaphysical sort of social contract that, instead of breaking the law and escaping, he should argue his case rationally and hope he would be treated justly before the court. Socrates contends that he had been found guilty and was to be put to death. It was essential to see it as right and just because he had seen what the law had done until that point and it had been right and just. It was his belief that if he broke the law, it would be unjust, and he would have failed in his duty. Socrates identity as an Athenian defined his personality, and he would never be welcomed in any other civilized society if he broke Athenian law. It was Socrates belief that if he should break the law of Athens, then the underworld would judge him harshly, losing his soul. This dialogue with Crito comes across like an ancient and Athenian propaganda for the city-state of Athens. Socrates assumes the position that he is the custodian of the law and the city of Athens. Socrates claims that he is not on talks that are equal footing with Athenian law, and he does not have the right to work against it through saving his own life and running away. In this dialogue, Socrates claims, “Is your wisdom such as not to realize that your country is to be honored more than your mother, your father, and all your ancestors, which it is more to be revered and sacred. It counts for more among the gods and sensible men that you must worship it, yield to it, and placate its anger more than your father’s?” (Plato 54). Therefore, practically, the argument put across by Socrates is that Athens is a sacred city that citizens must always obey and that the citizens must never leave it. In his dialogue with Crito, Crito attempts to convince him to go into exile, which Socrates refuses. He contends that he is too old and is not resentful of death, believing that he has no right to undo Athens’ decision to take his life. Crito goes on to raise reasonable objections like Socrates having young children and that others will think ill of his friends for not rescuing him. In addition, those who sentenced Socrates are not particularly worried if he escapes as long as he stays away from Athens. While Socrates believes that he has been wrongly sentenced, he believes that it is not right to break the law and that one should not repay a wrong using another wrong. This, however, seems wrong since he seems to be upholding an unjust law. Socrates also contends that citizens of Athens are not on an equal footing with the city-state and must accept passively and quietly the punishment that is doled out by the city-state’s lawmakers, whether it is just or not. Citizens must do this since they are practically a property of the city-state, just as a child would be enabled to request of his father, but must accept and keep quiet if his father refuses his request. This point is one of those that can be said to be contradictory somehow because it is instructing the citizens to suffer in a democracy and be quiet. If this were to be applied in the current day, the Court of Appeal would be non-existent, and the law would never be changed. To sum up the dialogue with Crito, Socrates appeals to him stating that he does not intend to be rescue, leaving him speechless. Socrates finalizes this dialogue by claiming, “Let it be then, Crito, and let us act in this way since this is the way the god is leading us” (Plato 57). In Socrates dialogue with Meno, Socrates makes a conversation about the nature of virtue, using it to justify why he should accept his judgment. The two of them discuss whether virtue is teachable or not, or whether virtue is an inherent knowledge that all people have and need to remember simply. The two discuss back and forth in their attempt to define virtue, and Socrates seems more interested in posturing rather than the pursuit of knowledge. Socrates, in this dialogue, also seems to make various jumps in logic that are illogical. For example, he contends of virtue, “And if there were teachers of it, it could be taught, but if there were not, it was not teachable?” (Plato 91). Meno is in agreement with him and leads the questioning in the witness style. In the dialogue, they make a leap to contend that virtue needs to be a whole that is not fragmented. They view it from the objective of the Greek whereby concepts are considered as solid objects that seem to lead to thinking in terms of either black or white. Therefore, virtue is not a puzzle that possesses many parts and can be taught in piece-meal by various tutors. It is one thing that needs to be mastered as a whole. In this view, Socrates definition of virtue to support his acceptance of fate is a bit too narrow. Because he defines virtue in this manner, claiming that subjects require teachers in order to be teachable, a lack of tutors is the reason the Socrates late claims that, “virtue can certainly not be taught” (Plato 87). He also agrees with the view held by Theognis, “a bad man will never be made well by teaching (Plato 88). This is in contradiction to what Socrates believed earlier that people could be taught to hold virtue in esteem. Socrates believed that the life of a philosopher was one of virtue; it was possible to re-awaken others into a virtuous life by appealing to their conscience. Therefore, he believed that the people of Athens were not living the good life, and he did believe he could teach them to life the good and virtuous life. It is because of this that he did not want to escape since he would be in contradiction of his teachings. He attributes intuition or good opinion to the gods, calling it inspiration from the divine (Plato 91). Socrates is also seemingly referencing the Theory of Forums by Plato towards the end since he claims that a man who has the ability to teach virtue can be “as far as concerns virtue, there also was the only reality that was true in comparison, as it was, with shadows” (Plato 92). He refers to this Theory of Forms in contention, there are ideas or forms that are the highest reality form and that all that is perceived with one’s senses is not as real since they are like a cave wall’s shadows and are reflective of a distorted version of the truth. Nevertheless, for this reason, he decides to accept his fate since he believes that the reasons for escaping are a distortion of virtue. Meno, at the end, is drawn towards Socrates’ point of view that virtue must be followed in its purest form since it is a gift but that virtue is not clearly defined in itself and cannot be taught. Socrates appeals to Meno to convince his friends on what he has learnt, and should he be successful, he may “also confer a benefit to the Athenians” (Plato 92). I agree with Socrates’ point of view, especially that Athenian laws have parental authority over the people of Athens. This is does not take into consideration the fact that the laws in Athens were actually created by the Athenians themselves. It is also true that Socrates had entered into a social contract with Athens, and he must abide by their laws if he wishes to remain there. Attempting to break the law would result in losing his soul, especially since no other civilized society would accept him. It is also clear that, despite the fact that we do not know how he corrupted the youth and in whose eyes Socrates corrupted the youth, Socrates believes that these laws have been right in the past, and he must abide by them now. This is because these laws had been to his benefit in the past; therefore, he needed to accept the ruling now, even if it was unjust. Work Cited Plato. Five dialogues / Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Meno, Phaedo. Indianapolis : Hackett Pub. Co., 2008. Print. Read More