Socrates and Crito Teaching Morals and Honor Essay

Socrates was a one of the first philosophers and teachers known to Western philosophy. He lived in Athens Greece from 470 – 399 B.C. and is studied to this day because of his insights and understanding of the way people should live. Towards the end of his life, Socrates was accused of a myriad of crimes including criminal meddling and the corruption of the minds of the young. Eventually, Socrates was found guilty of his crimes and shortly after he was condemned to death. During the time of his incarceration, he was visited by a friend known as Crito to discuss the matter of his death in addition to the proposal of escape from prison. Crito initially believed that it would be in Socrates best interest to escape prison and live in exile†¦show more content†¦To this, Socrates countered that Crito should not be worried about what others thought of him. Socrates insisted that he should not listen to the majority, but instead, should listen to the people that were reasonabl e and that this type of person â€Å"will believe that things were done as they were done† (Rachels 34). Crito advised Socrates that it was in fact the fault of the majority for his imprisonment and death; therefore, the majority should be heard. Socrates stated that the majority â€Å"can not make a man wise or foolish, but they inflict things haphazardly† (Rachels 34). Pleading with Socrates on the grounds of reputation was not accepted and generally dismissed. Socrates reasoning was understandable especially at the specific point in time that he was alive and it was relevant for a person that taught justice and honor. The times were quite different from that of today and the reasons that Socrates did not want to escape would probably not exist in present times. Although there are a number of good reasons that prove that it would be in Socrates best interest to have escaped, he did not because overall he did not think it was right. Another example of questioning from Crito was related to his children. Crito pleaded with Socrates to escape because of his children by bringing up the fact that if Socrates were put to death, his children would become orphans. If Socrates escaped, he would be able to educate andShow MoreRelated Crito Essay827 Words   |  4 Pages nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;CRITO Crito, as reported by Plato, is an account by where Crito is attempting to influence Socrates that it is just to escape from prison to avoid certain death by execution. Socrates argument directly relates to the laws of the state and the role of the individual within it. The quot;Critoquot; exhibits the character of Socrates as a good citizen, who being unjustly condemned is willing to give up his life in obedience to the laws of the State. 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