Critos Arguments to Socrates

Critos Arguments to SocratesHale, AubrieannIn this paper I testament be analyzing Crito in the aspects of context, main issues, Socratic reversal, athlete/physician analogy and the consequences. The inaugural two are fairly weak. The third, concerning Socrates responsibility to his children is the strongest.Crito presents many reasons to Socrates for wherefore Socrates should escape. The eldest two are fairly weak. The third, concerning Socrates responsibility to his children is the strongest. Critos first melodic phrase is that if Socrates does non escape, wherefore Socrates allow for accordingly in turn be infliction Crito in two ways. One Crito will lose a proficient friend when Socrates dies and Critos reputation will in turn be stomach too. People wont know that Socrates chose to remain in toss out, they will hazard Crito had the opportunity to devil Socrates out al i that he did not do so because he was not willing to spend the money. With that Crito will get a reputation for caring more for money than for a friend. This argument only considers the consequences of Socrates action for Crito. In Critos second argument, he speculates about why Socrates does not want to escape. He says that if Socrates is worried that by escaping he will harm his friends who could get in trouble for trying to helping him escape, then his fears are unfounded. They are willing to risk this or even something worse for him, and it is cheap to fabricate off both the guards along anyone who might tell on them, so at that place will not be frequently risk. While it may be possible to pay wad off, at that place is still the question of whether it is moral. In his third argument Crito mentions Socrates responsibility to his children. As their father, it is Socrates responsibility to see that his children are brought up well and educated, and he cannot do this if he is dead. Crito appeals to what is important to Socrates. He points out that pursuing goodness is h ow Socrates wants to tone down his life, and that a good man would see that his children are bootd for. Crito says that staying in jail is the easy thing to do, merely escaping takes courage, and the right thing to do is to be brave for the sake of his children.In response to Critos arguments Socrates considers first, why the position of the legal age is not the most(prenominal) important opinion, second, what the consequences of escaping would be for the city of Athens, and third whether escaping is an below the belt action such that it would harm Socrates soul. Many of Critos arguments concern the opinion of the mass what will they call back if Crito does not help Socrates escape? What will they think if Socrates is not responsible for his children? Socrates grapples that the opinion of an expert is more important than the opinion of the majority. He gives the example of someone in training. An athlete does not pay attention to the advice of the general public, but to th eir trainer. If they listened to public opinion such as taking steroids, eat whatever they want, train 20 hours a day, they could violate their body. Socrates extends the analogy if they listen to the majority rather than experts they could harm their souls, the part of a person that is damaged by wrong actions and benefited by right ones.Socrates most fundamental principles that the really important thing is not to live but to live well. Therefore, he considers whether it is morally right to pay off the guards and escape. He begins addressing this issue by considering the consequences for the city. He says that the laws and the city could be destroyed if he escaped. Legal judgments could lose their force if they were not abided by private citizens, and a city without laws would not remain intact for very long. Socrates also design he would be harming the condition of his soul by escaping. He survey his soul would be harmed because he assumed that by harming the city he would be also harming his soul. Being responsible for harm to others is something that causes harm to ones soul. He also would have suffered harm to his soul because he broke an agreement. He made a tacit agreement to follow the laws of Athens because he lived under them for seventy years, raised his children under them, and did not try to extend the city to change them.Socrates himself points out that this is an incorrect assumption. He says that Crito overlooks the possibility that his friends would be both willing and capable of bringing his children up. If he were to escape, he does not think it would be in his childrens best interest to raise them there, because there they would be considered foreigners. If he escaped he would ask his friends to take get by of his children in Athens, and there is no reason why they should take care of them if he escapes but not if he dies.Those who were known to have back up him in making his escape would be driven into exile or lose their property a nd be deprived of citizenship. If he should go to one of the neighboring cities, such as Thebes or Megara, he would be regarded as an enemy and all of their patriotic citizens would look at him poorly. In addition, they would argue that anyone who has broken the laws would also be a corrupter of the young and foolish mountain of humanity. If Socrates should go away from well-governed states to Critos friends, his reception there would be no better, for the people would ridicule him for preaching sentiments about justice and virtue but then betraying all that he has taught in order to gain a fine longer life. By refusing to escape, Socrates can depart from this life in innocence, a sufferer and not a doer of evil, and a victim, not of the laws but of men. On the other hand, if he chooses to break the covenants and agreements he has made, the citizens of the state, including his own friends, will despise him.