Should Socrates escape from prison or not
To determine whether Socrates should escape from prison, it is important to focus on the arguments of both Crito and Socrates. The two philosophers were great friends before Socrates was sentenced to death. Crito is of the idea that Socrate should escape while the latter prefers to remain in prison. Analysis of their argument provides an answer to this dilemma.
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Write My Essay For MeCrito offers three strong arguments for why it is logical for Socrates to escape. His first argument is that failure to scape will affect him in two different ways. Firstly, he feels that Socrates will eventually die and hence he will lose him as a friend (Moore 1027). On the other hand, death of Socrates will taint Crito;s reputation. His reputation will be hurt because everyone will think that he failed to get Socrates out of prison while in reality it was his choice to remain in jail. Therefore, it will appear as if he his greed for money and wealth made him sacrifice his best friend. In this argument, Crito suggests that friends should care for one another even in times of need (Plato and Cooper 82). However, it is evident that Crito’s argument is aimed at benefiting him and not necessarily Socrates. A stronger suggestion should analyze the negative and positive impacts to all stakeholders involved both if his friend escapes and if he remains in jail. Secondly, Crito feels that Socrates was refusing to escape because he was not sure of the consequences of the act especially to his friends (Moore 1041). In this regard, Crito believes that such an argument is invalid because his friends were ready for that and it is less risky to deal with any informer. Thirdly, Crito suggests that his friend should escape for the sake of his own children. According to him, it is his responsibility to care for the kinds and to provide parental love (Plato and Cooper 69). Nonetheless, all the arguments presented by Crito are against the morally accepted mode of behavior. Socrates, on the other hand, looks at the matter from a different dimension. Responding to Crito’s opinions, he put into consideration the fact that majority are not always right. He observed that many of his friend’s arguments were based on the opinion of the majority. For instance, he is concerned about what people will conclude if he does not help Socrates to flee. According to Socrates, the opinion of an expert surpasses the opinion of masses. He admits that masses have the power to kill but he notes that living is not the only important thing but living a good life is the key thing. As such, following opinions of the general public is not always the good thing to do; the alternative is sometimes helpful (Moore 1032). As a result, Socrates is determined to die rather than escape and violate his ethical values. Secondly, about harming the people around him, he responded by stating that escaping will do more damage to his soul than to the city. Being responsible for the harm he would cause
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