Essay/Term paper: Socrates and maintaining a harmony what is right and expression of opinions

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Philosophy

Socrates and Maintaining a Harmony What is Right and Expression of Opinions


Socrates has thoroughly justified his own decision to obey the opinions of the
majority and serve out the sentence that his own city has deemed appropriate
for his crimes. At the beginning of this piece, Socrates has presented a
period of questions and answers through dialogue with Crito. Throughout the
dialogue Socrates is explaining his reasoning for not running from the
government. Crito does not understand the madness of Socrates, Crito will do
whatever it takes to help his friend to flee, instead of being exiled by the
government. AI do not think that what you are doing is right, to give up your
life when you can save it, and to hasten your fate as your enemies would hasten
it, and indeed have hastened it in their wish to destroy you.@(Crito p.58c)

Throughout the begining of the dialog, Crito is expressing his feelings of why
he believes Socrates should flee from the city. Crito makes many valid points
on why he disagrees with Socrates decision to bare this misfortune. Crito
offers to do on not fleeingbeing majorints expressing to Socrates, that a man
as courageous as Socrates and who has lived his life through virtue . AYou seem
to me to choose the easiest path, whereas one should choose the path a good and
courageous man would choose, particularly when one claims throughout one's life
to care for virtue.@(Crito p.59d) Through the dialogue the questions and
answers within Socrates and Crito establish to major themes in which hold true
throughout the work. The first being that a person must decide whether the
society in which one lives has a just reasoning behind it's own standards of
right and wrong. The second being, that a person must have pride in the life
that he or she leads. In establishing basic questions of these two concepts,
Socrates has precluded his own circumstance and attempted to prove to his
companion Crito, that the choice that he has made is just. AI am the kind of
man who listens only to the argument that on reflection seems best to me. I
cannot, now that this fate has come upon me, discard the arguments I used; they
seen to me much the same.@(Crito p.59b) The introduction of this work has
also provided the concept that it is our society or majority that has dictated
what is considered virtuous action. According to Socrates we have been given
every opportunity to reject our society and renounce what it has stood for and
against. ANot one of our laws raises any obstacle or forbids him, if he is not
satisfied with us or the city, if one of you wants to go and live in a colony or
wants to go anywhere else, and keep his property.@ (Crito p.63d) Socrates
states; that making a conscious choice or effort to remain under the influence
of a society is an unconscious agreement with that society to live your life by
it's standards and virtues.

Socrates states after establishing his own agreement with his city's virtues
that he believes in the validity of the decision imposed upon himself. He
states that his decision is justified by the fact that the laws and governing
agents of the society must command a certain degree of respect. Any person who
would unjustly disobey these laws creates a deliberate attempt to destroy them,
as well as, the society which has imposed them. For example; AHowever, that
whoever of you remains when he sees how we conduct our trials and manage the
city in other ways, has in fact come to an agreement with us to obey our
instructions.@ (Crito p.63e) If the decisions of the city's governing agents
are not thoroughly respected as just and cohesive parts of society, the very
structure by which the society stands is subject to collapse. If a person is
found to be in violation of what his or her society stands for and does not
accept the consequences for his or her actions, then there can not be a system
of law in place to create order. A You must either persuade it or obey its
orders, and endure in silence whatever it instructs you to endure, whether
blows or bonds, and if it leads you into war or be wounded or killed you must
obey.@(Crito p.63b) The society in which a person lives creates a mutual
relationship in which every person in that society is indebted to, if he or she
willingly accepts that society for their own.

Following along these basic concepts, Socrates then adapts them to his own
circumstances Crito, his companion , has presented to Socrates . The option to
escape from his captors and renounce their decision on his fate. Socrates view
in Crito's suggestion to escape is one in which Crito begins to understand.
Socrates suggests. AI mean the majority of men. For us, however, since our
argument leads to this, the only valid consideration is whether we should be
acting rightly in giving with the escape, or whether in truth we shall do wrong
in doing all this.@ (Crito p.61c) Socrates has concluded that if he were to
follow Crito's advice he would be committing several wrong actions against a
society in which he calls his own. The first of these being his own forebears.

To disobey your own society, according to Socrates, is to betray what you were
taught to be right by the virtues of your own parents. And what they held to
be true, your fore fathers brought you into a society that they believed to be
profound and just. AIs your wisdom such as not to realize that your country is
to be honored more then your mother, your father, and all your ancestors, that
is more to be revered and more sacred, and that it counts for more among the
gods and sensible men, that you must worship it, yield to it and placate it's
anger@.(Crito p.63b) To renounce these virtues would be a disgrace. ADo you
think you have the right to retaliation against your country and it's law? That
if we undertake to destroy you and think it right to do so you can undertake to
destroy us@(Critop. p.63b), you who truly cares for virtue. This would be a
disgrace against your own families legacy and the dreams that they hold for you,
and your future. Society, in the day of Socrates has only requested for two
things in return for the fulfillment and prophesizing of morally correct virtue
The choice has been made very clear, to either persuade society that it has
acted unjustly, or to do as society has asked without hindrance or complaint.
The person who has disobeyed according to Socrates has done neither one. @We
say that the one who disobeys does wrong in three ways, first, because in us he
disobeys his parents, also those who brought him up, and in spite of his
agreement, he neither obeys us nor, if we do something wrong does he try to
persuade us to do better@. (Crito p.63e) This person only serves to justify
their own decisions, actions, and foregoes the utterances of those who gave them
the life they have renounced.

Socrates then states that by remaining a member of your society, you have in
fact accepted the society as your own. He uses himself as the only example and
states that by living in his own city and choosing that city to raise a family.
Socrates states, ADid you choose us and agree to be a citizen under us. Also,
you have had children in this city, thus showing that it was congenial to you.
Then your trial you could have assessed your penalty at exile if you wished, and
you are now attempting to do against the cit's wishes what you could have done
with her consent. He has in fact been satisfied by the same values that his
city has held dear. To disobey his society in its decision against himself
would be to renounce what his city has accomplished both for himself and its
other residents. Socrates needs and must hold his head up with pride in knowing
that he was not hypocritical in his decision. The agreement that he made
within his city to obey the laws to live as a good citizen makes the thought of
exile shameful and therefore unacceptable. ANot being sentenced to death, and
fleeing , Awill also strengthen the conviction of the jury that they passed the
right sentence on you, for anyone who destroys the laws could easily be thought
to corrupt the young and the ignorant.@ 64)

Upon establishing the basic concept of right and wrong at the introduction to
the piece Socrates has created an argument that he can not consider to be
unjust. Running away from the decision that his own society has made would be
an affirmation of his own guilt in the of his family and peers. Even though he
may have been wrongly imprisoned and sentenced to death, he holds very little
value in the belief that two wrongs can achieve a justifiable pardon in society
He has firmly stood before his own value system and society's beliefs, and has
presented his own opinions on how he believes has been right in his actions,
These affirmations of his own conviction to a law abiding community have led
him to an unshaking belief that to ruin all of the work that he has
accomplished. He would consequently made himself a traitor and guilty in all
prolonging eyes.

Socrates has very carefully and thoughtfully consented to what his own city has
deemed to be righteous and justified. His thoughts on his destiny are
completely unselfish, as his only wish is to preserve the society around him
which has accepted him and his family for so many years. He has indignantly
renounced the idea of self preservation and any attempt to escape because of the
potential harm and damage that it ultimately will cause. The disgrace of
thought as he being guilty would force all that he has forged to hide in exile
from the wrath of the society which he has protected.

Socrates has succeeded in justifying his actions by showing how devastating his
disobedience could possibly be. In considering all of the points that he has
made in the defense of his decision. Socrates can maintain his own pride, and
sense of right and wrong. He has shown others, such as Crito . There is a
certain satisfaction in maintaining ones own innocence while not accepting a
hollow victory for one may possibly last for many society's yet to come.

By maintaining a harmony between what is right and the expression of a persons
own opinions he has made possible the ultimate truth, the belief in what has
worked and staying within the boundaries of decent and god fearing society.
The laws of the society in which Socrates lived condemned him to die for his
own conviction and the reasons for Socrates to remain and accept the
punishments of that society have proved to be wise and justified.