Socratic Wisdom: In Defense of Justice and Law

Rhetorical Concern: "However my dear Crito, why should we pay a lot attention to what 'the majority of people' believe? The reasonable individuals, who have more claim to be considered, will believe that the facts are precisely as they are" (906 ).

Personification: "' Think about then, Socrates,' the Laws would most likely continue, 'whether it is likewise real for us to state that what you are trying to do to us is not ideal ...'" (913 ).

Plato's "Crito" is one of the many greatly prominent pieces of literature produced in ancient Greece.

It is a thought-provoking, philosophical discussion relating to the role of the private within society, and how to treat injustice. As part of a series of imaginary dialogues between Socrates and other characters, "Crito" handle the dispute Socrates is presented with, as he waits for execution. Crito, among Socrates' buddies, urges Socrates to get away jail while he still can. Crito offers a number of arguments to justify his escape, consisting of the pity he would withstand from the public for letting his buddy die, and the poor example it would set for the kids of Athens.

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However, Socrates carefully analyzes each of Crito's arguments for escaping, and proves them invalid through logic and deductive reasoning. The passage, "However my dear Crito, why should we pay so much attention to what 'many people' believe? The affordable individuals, who have more claim to be thought about, will believe that the truths are exactly as they are" (906 ), demonstrates the method that Socrates uses to persuade.

Socrates asks a rhetorical concern to expose the silliness of the Crito's concerns. It represents the wisdom and morals of Socrates. Crito's greatest argument is that Socrates would be promoting oppression by accepting his unjust sentence. Nevertheless, Socrates negates this point also, by thinking that he would be harming the Law by escaping death. Socrates, who has actually attempted to live his life as justly and quietly as possible, would be breaking every ethical he ever lived by if he picked to turn versus the law. He concerns the Law higher than his own life. He sees the
Law as a daddy to him; it has raised him, informed him, and enabled him to live a comfy life. No matter how much he disagrees with its ways, he cannot bring himself to disobey it.

Throughout Socrates’ discussions, he often has conversations with himself and the “Law”. Plato personifies the “Law” by giving it human-like qualities and speech; it is suggested that the Law can be hurt, and angry. He does this to distinguish it as a character that has feelings. For example, “’…you will leave this place, when you do, as the victim of a wrong done not by us, the Laws, but by your fellow men. But if you leave in that dishonorable way, returning wrong from wrong, and evil for evil, breaking your agreements with us, and injuring those whom you least ought to injure - yourself, your country, and us ,- then you will face our anger…” (916), demonstrates the authority of the Law. Socrates suggests it is better to die a victim who has lived justly and killed unjustly, than to return the injustice and hurt the Laws. He states, “…it is never right to do a wrong or return a wrong or defend one’s self against injury by retaliation” (911), which exemplifies the belief that injustice cannot be treated with injustice. Socrates mentions an agreement being broken in this passage; this alludes to the belief that there is a social contract between the individual and government. Socrates reasons that when a citizen lives in Athens, he is indirectly supporting the laws and abiding them. The individual has a moral obligation to the government. While it is beneficial to challenge the government under some circumstances, one threatens the foundation of a stable society by breaking its laws. Socrates, who has lived 70 years of Athenian life, is content by living in accordance with this contract. He feels a state simply cannot exist if laws have no power. He firmly believes in the importance of strict laws, as he calls them the most precious achievement of human history. Besides, he reasons that a man of his age, with little life left to live, would lose his reputation by “clinging so greedily to life, at the price of violating the most stringent laws” (915). For all these reasons, “Crito” remains an influential piece that poses big questions and promotes critical thinking.