Rogers 1

Larson Rogers
Philosophy 201
Professor Charles Siewert
September 22, 2011
An Examination of Socrates Arg!ments in Crito
"n Crito, Socrates asserts that #the most important thing isnt li$ing, b!t li$ing well%
&'(b)* Claiming also that #li$ing well an+ li$ing ,!stly are the same,- Socrates ma.es it clear that
the entire +isc!ssion is an attempt to +isco$er which is the correct action/ is it ,!st to flee with the
assistance of his frien+, Crito, or wo!l+ it be more ,!st to swallow hemloc., thereby obeying the
law of Athens* 0e is not concerne+ abo!t +ying if that is, in fact, the correct action* Rather,
Socrates is foc!se+ on ma.ing the +ecision that is ,!st, on acting in a manner consistent with
morality, e$en if that +ecision is physically harmf!l* 1he +isc!ssion between Socrates an+ Crito,
therefore, is a treatise on ,!stice, on whether it is more ,!st for Socrates to preser$e his life, or to
obey the Law*
2ear the beginning of the the +isc!ssion Socrates ma.es it 3!ite clear that any arg!ment
that Crito presents m!st be base+ p!rely on reason, beca!se he will be #pers!a+e+ by nothing
within 4himself5 except the arg!ment that on rational reflection seems best- &Crito '6b)*
Socrates will not allow himself to be affecte+ by any appeals to patho, an+, while he will
consi+er any reasons place+ before him by Crito, he will in the en+ choose whiche$er arg!ment
seems the strongest* 0e also ma.es it clear that he #cant now reflec the arg!ments 4he5 state+
before ,!st beca!se this misfort!ne has befallen 4him5,- he m!st contin!e to #respect an+ $al!e
the same ones as 4he5 +i+ before- &Crito '6 b7c)* Socrates ass!res Crito that he will neither go
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against any moral concl!sions at which he has pre$io!sly arri$e+, nor will he consi+er any
arg!ment that is not base+ entirely in reason*
1he first reason to escape that Crito presents before Socrates is that, if Socrates were to
+ie, Crito #wont ,!st s!ffer a single misfort!ne- &Crito ''b)* 2ot only will Crito #lose a frien+
the li.e of whom 4hell5 ne$er fin+ again, b!t, in a++ition, many people***will thin. that- Crito
himself was a poor frien+, beca!se he apparently was !nwilling to !se his money an+ his
infl!ence to sa$e the life of his companion* Socrates instantly fin+s iss!e with this, an+ as.s,
#8hy sho!l+ we care so m!ch abo!t what the ma,ority thin.9- &Crito ''c)* Socrates has
absol!tely no faith in the correctness of the ma,ority opinion, for relati$ely few members of the
pop!lace are informe+ eno!gh abo!t the iss!es s!rro!n+ing Socrates trial to form a legitimate
opinion* :!st as a man #primarily engage+ in physical training***4pays5 attention to the praise or
blame or opinion***of the man whos a +octor or a trainer,- so too m!st he an+ Crito ignore the
opinions of the ma,ority, an+ hee+ only the wor+s of #the one man,- if there is s!ch a man, who
!n+erstan+s #cases of ,!st an+ !n,!st things, shamef!l an+ fine ones, goo+ an+ ba+ ones- &Crito
';b7+)* "n fact, if they were to ignore the opinion of that man, they wo!l+ in fact #serio!sly
+amage an+ maim that part of 4them5 which***is ma+e better by whats ,!st b!t is +estroye+ by
whats !n,!st- &Crito ';+)* :!st as life wo!l+ barely be worth li$ing if the bo+y were somehow
in,!re+ beyon+ recognition, so too wo!l+ existence be pointless if they were to cripple that part
of them #thats maime+ by whats !n,!st an+ benefite+ by whats ,!st,- for that part #to which
,!stice an+ in,!stice pertain- is far #more $al!able- than the physical bo+y &Crito ';e 7 '()*
1herefore, it is necessary in nearly all cases to ignore the ma,ority opinion, gi$ing cre+ence
instea+ to #what the person who !n+erstan+s ,!st an+ !n,!st things will say- &Crito ')*
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As it has alrea+y been note+, Socrates hol+s that #the most important thing isnt li$ing,
b!t li$ing well,- an+ that #li$ing well***an+ li$ing ,!stly are the same- &Crito '(b)* 1h!s li$ing
well +eman+s that ones actions be ,!st, #so one sho!l+ ne$er +o in,!stice- &Crito '<b)* "n fact,
#one m!st neither +o in,!stice in ret!rn nor wrong any man, no matter what one has s!ffere+ at
his han+s- &Crito '<c), for +oing wrong is synonymo!s with +oing in,!stice* 0e then goes on to
state that one sho!l+ #+o the things one has agree+ with someone to +o, pro$i+e+ they are ,!st,-
rather than cheat &Crito '<e)* 1his being establishe+, Socrates remin+s Crito that he, in fact, has
ma+e a sort of agreement with the laws of Athens* At any point, if an Athenian #is +issatisfie+
with the 4the Laws5 an+ wishes to lea$e,- he may ta.e !p #his property an+ go where$er he
wishes- &Crito =1+)* Socrates, howe$er, by contin!ing to li$e in Athens from his birth !ntil his
ol+ age, ne$er lea$ing the city, #except once to go to the "sthm!s,- an+ e$en pro+!cing chil+ren
in Athens, has gi$en #the strongest e$i+ence that 4he5 was satisfie+ with 4the Laws5 an+ with the
city- &Crito =2b7c)* 1h!s he has agree+ #by his action to +o whate$er 4the Laws5 comman+-
&Crito =1e)* 1he personifie+ Laws assert that>
8hoe$er +oes not obey commits a threefol+ in,!stice> he +isobeys !s as his
parents/ he +isobeys !s as those who bro!ght him !p/ an+, after ha$ing agree+ to
obey !s, he neither obeys nor pers!a+es !s, if were +oing something that isnt
right* &Crito =1e)
Athens is his mother, Athens e+!cate+ him, an+ Athens is his master by agreement* :!st as it is
#impio!s to $iolate the will of 4ones5 mother or father,- so too is it !n,!st to #$iolate that of yo!r
fatherlan+- &Crito =1c)* E$en so, if, as is clearly the case in this sit!ation, the Laws somehow
commit an in,!stice against an in+i$i+!al, that in+i$i+!al has a chance to con$ince the Assembly,
the people of Athens, the enactors of the Laws, to amen+ their $er+ic* "f these men +o not change
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their !n,!st +ecision, the blame lies with them, not with the Laws themsel$es* 1he Laws were
written to fa$or ,!stice* "f, after the legal process is complete+, the final +ecision is !n,!st, the
fa!lt is with man, not with the Laws* "f Socrates were to flee, wo!l+ he not be !n+ermining the
integrity of the $ery Laws that allow for Athens to exist as it +oes9 0is only +efense, in that case,
wo!l+ be to say that #the city treate+ 4him5 !n,!stly, an+ +i+ not ,!+ge 4his5 laws!it correctly-
&Crito =0c)* 1his +efense, howe$er, is entirely in$ali+, for as has alrea+y been establishe+,
re$enge is !n,!st, as is ref!sing to be go$erne+ by the Laws after agreeing to +o s* 1he city, the
men of Athens, treate+ him !n,!stly, not the Law* A++itionally, Socrates co!l+ ha$e propose+
exile as an alternate penalty at his trial, b!t instea+ ass!re+ the ,!rors that, rather than sentencing
him to +eath, they sho!l+ be rewar+ing him with free meals for his labors* "t is illogical for him
he choose illegal exile now, gi$en that he +i+ co!l+ ha$e chosen it legally a few +ays earlier*
1h!s Socrates s!bmits to the Laws of Athens, to the r!les that he has agree+ to follow* 0e
!n+erstan+s that his sentence is entirely !n,!st, b!t he also !n+erstan+s that he #has been treate+
!n,!stly not by 4the5 Laws, b!t by men- &Crito ='b7c)* ?y fleeing, he wo!l+ be wronging the
Laws themsel$es, +isregar+ing their a!thority* "n a++ition, he wo!l+ #also confirm 4his5 ,!rors in
their opinion, so that they will thin. they ,!+ge+ 4his5 laws!it correctly* @or anyone who
!n+ermines laws might $ery well be consi+ere+ a corr!ptor of yo!ng an+ ignorant people-
&Crito =Ab7c)* 0e wo!l+ $ali+ate the !n,!st +ecision of the ,!rors, thereby f!rther +amaging the
cre+ibility of the Laws* 0e +oes not s!bmit to the ma,ority opinion that he corr!pts the min+s of
the yo!ng, b!t instea+ s!bmits so that none of his actions can legitimately be calle+ !n,!st* 0e
acts in accor+ with ,!stice so that the city that he lo$es can contin!e to exis*
?eca!se #the most important thing isnt li$ing, b!t li$ing well% &'(b), Socrates choice to
stay an+ +ie is completely ,!stifie+* 0e cannot say that he +i+ not .now what he was agreeing to
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by staying in Athens, beca!se he has clearly gi$en the matter a great +eal of tho!ght* 0e cannot
exact re$enge for the in,!stice that has been committe+ against him, beca!se that reprisal wo!l+
itself be !n,!st* An illegal life of exile wo!l+ not be worth li$ing, for his !n,!st flight wo!l+
+estroy that part of himself #to which ,!stice an+ in,!stice pertain- &Crito ';e7'()* Socrates
wo!l+ fail to li$e ,!stly as a res!lt of any action other than staying to +ie, an+ wo!l+
conse3!ently fail to li$e well* "f fleeing from +eath wo!l+ res!lt in a life lac.ing its most
important 3!ality, wo!l+ res!lt in a life not worth li$ing, then it ma.es absol!tely no sense to flee
from +eath* 1h!s Socrates +etermines that his is the only ,!st +ecision* 0e m!st obey the Laws,
he m!st +i*