(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

Crito

            In Plato's Crito, Socrates has been sentenced to death by the court of Athens and is being held until his execution. The Crito is the recorded account of the conversation between Socrates and his friend Crito, in which Crito is trying to convince Socrates that he should save his life and escape, while Socrates argues that he must stay and accept his punishment.
             One of the arguments concerning the point of view that it is morally right for Socrates to escape from prison and save his own life is the following: 1.) Socrates is a parent. 2.) A parent has a responsibility to provide and care for his or her child. 3.) If a parent neglects this responsibility than the parent is putting the child's safety in jeopardy. 4.) It is morally wrong for a person to put another person's safety into jeopardy. 5.) If a parent is not present in his or her child's life it is the same as the parent neglecting his or her responsibility to provide and care for the child. 6.) If Socrates does not escape from prison and is executed he will be dead. 7.) If Socrates is dead he will not be present in his children's lives. 7.) Therefore it is morally right for Socrates to escape from prison.
             Directly opposing this argument is the argument of why it is morally wrong for Socrates to escape from prison. 1.) It is morally wrong for a person to choose to do evil over good. 2.) The laws are set up to tell people how to act justly and to maintain peace and order within a society. 3.) It is morally right to maintain order and peace. 4.) Every citizen is morally required to follow the law to maintain order and peace within the city. 5.) Socrates is a citizen of the city of Athens. 6.) Socrates was convicted and sentenced to be executed according to the Athenian procedures of the law. 7.) Accepting the punishments given out by the law is the same as following the law. 8.) Breaking the law is choosing to do evil over good.


Essays Related to Crito

1. Socrates in Crito

... Socrates is isolated to prison. He is confronted by a scheming friend, as he awaits execution. Plato's composite of this encounter is detailed in Crito. In this, Socrates reconciles the imperative; to face his unjustly decreed execution, despite Socrates" previous insistence of his innocence. He reasons so by asserting ... as concern about his reputation. A reputation based upon the judgment he may receive from the public following Socrates" execution. A judgment that Crito did not do what it took to save his friend from this terminal situation. Socrates dispatches this argument handily...

  • Word Count: 2254
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Grade Level: High School

2. Socrates vs Crito

... 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 volu! ntarily. Socrates calmly debates with each friend over the moral value and ... know you and me will believe that I might have saved you if I had been willing to give money, but that I did not care." -Crito (Plato 569) Crito believed that by helping Socrates to escape, he could go on to fulfill his personal obligations. Also, if Socrates does not follow th...

  • Word Count: 1118
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

3. The Apology vs the Crito

... teaching of philosophy (Plato p15). By saying this, Socrates claims that he will break the law in order to continue his virtuous ways. In the Crito, Socrates appears to completely contradict his prior argument from the Apology. Socrates is faced with the option of remaining in prison to face his death, ... For Socrates, it is not merely living, but the principle of living virtuously, that defines his behavior. In other words, the argument between Socrates and Crito is not whether or not Socrates should escape, but whether it would be the virtuous thing for Socrates to escape. Socrates has...

  • Word Count: 1565
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

4. Socrates in the Crito

... violate that agreement. If Socrates were to escape from prison he would be violating a just agreement; therefore, to escape from prison would be wrong (Crito handout). If escaping from prison is wrong, then Socrates knows he must not escape from prison. The juries decision in the trial was for Socrates to ... of child bearing or education, by not leaving Athens during his lifetime, by raising his children in Athens, and by not proposing exile as a counterpenalty (Crito handout). Other arguments of the laws that I found particularly powerful were that Socrates would have been though of as...

  • Word Count: 2592
  • Approx Pages: 10
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

5. Antigone Versus Socrates in the Crito

... , he insists on staying with his views, so that he would not be called a liar. Antigone's predicament coincides in many ways with Socrates' ethical dilemma in Plato's "Apology- and the "Crito."" Socrates has argued that one must obey one's superior, someone who is relevantly wiser than oneself, the god in ethical matters, in any situation in which one's only reason not ... he has received conflicting orders, then, the principles defended in his argument require him to obey only the god's command. They positively forbid him to obey the court. In the Crito, Socrates must choose between obe...

  • Word Count: 1730
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Grade Level: High School

6. Crito

... to death. During his time in prison, before his execution, Socrates" dear friend made many attempts to convince him to escape. In Crito, Plato gives a vivid account of Crito's last attempt to persuade his old friend. As much persuasion one man can give, Socrates was able to do the right thing while ... and majority of people consider. What's most important is whether escaping is the right thing to do. Socrates defense brings out the subject of immorality. Crito accuses Socrates of acting immoral because he is letting the enemy do wrong. Socrates is allowing the government to wrongfully ...

  • Word Count: 948
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

7. Crito

... challenge the very foundation that they were built upon. Once the laws were practically begging Crito to betray them, offering a golden ticket out of Greece. They seemed to be bendable, because in Crito's eyes, Socrates deserved to walk away from his alleged crimes. It was assumed by Crito that the laws would forgive Socrates. The laws end as being as justified and powerful ... would have been completely defeated. Seeming cruel on the surface, the Laws were actually reasonable. The laws also ended as being clear, well-defined principles to base our actions upon. Crito realized that help...

  • Word Count: 333
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Grade Level: High School

8. Aristotle and virtue

... also claims that in order to be virtuous you must love yourself. On these terms I will argue that the kind of friendship that Socrates and Crito have is not a virtuous one. Friendship is very important in Aristotle's moral and social philosophy. This because of the fact that becoming virtuous ... don't think that his perceptions of friendship would incorporate Socrates and Critos' relationship as being the ultimate virtuous friendship he speaks of. For example, Crito thinks he is trying to save Socrates, but doesn't his lack of respect for the laws lead to the very instability which cau...

  • Word Count: 2150
  • Approx Pages: 9
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Socrates

... for a slightly different version of the Social Contract Theory, largely popularized the idea. However, Socrates first introduced the idea in Plato's dialogue the Crito, sections 50a-54d. The Social Contract Theory basically states that every citizen of a state is said to implicitly agree to a "contract", whereby he ... theory or not. "The only passage I meet with in antiquity where the obligation of obedience is ascribed to a promise is in Plato's Crito, where Socrates refuses to escape from prison because he had tacitly promised to obey the laws." (Hume, 1748) Philosophers such as Lock...

  • Word Count: 2786
  • Approx Pages: 11
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question