Comparison Between Crito and Apology - 1661 Words

Comparison between Crito and Apology For these two articles that we read in Crito and Apology by Plato, we could know Socrates is an enduring person with imagination, because he presents us with a mass of contradictions: Most eloquent men, yet he never wrote a word; ugliest yet most profoundly attractive; ignorant yet wise; wrongfully convicted, yet unwilling to avoid his unjust execution. Behind these conundrums is a contradiction less often explored: Socrates is at once the most Athenian, most local, citizenly, and patriotic of philosophers; and yet the most self-regarding of Athenians. Exploring that contradiction, between  ¡Ã‚ §Socrates the loyal Athenian citizen ¡Ã‚ ¨ and  ¡Ã‚ §Socrates the philosophical critic of Athenian society, ¡Ã‚ ¨ will help†¦show more content†¦He also explains to Crito that the citizen is bound to the laws like a child is bound to a parent, and so to go against the laws would be like striking a parent. Rather than simply break the laws a nd escape, Socrates should try to persuade the laws to let him go. These laws present the citizens duty to them in the form of a kind of social contract. By choosing to live in Athens, a citizen is endorsing the laws, and is willing to follower by them. Therefore, if he was to break from prison now, having so consistently validated the social contract, he would be making himself an outlaw who would not be welcome in any other civilized state for the rest of his life. Furthermore when he dies, he will be harshly judged in the underworld for behaving unjustly toward his citys laws. In this way, Socrates chooses not to attempt escape but he dies as a martyr, not for himself, but for his city and its system of justice. The argument in the Apology is that one should never betray one ¡Ã‚ ¦s own philosophy for any reason, even if the reason is death. Moreover, death should never be a deterrent to a man because no man has true knowledge of death, and  ¡Ã‚ §surely it is the most blamewor thy ignorance to believe that one knows what one does not know ¡Ã‚ ¨ (Plato 32). Socrates believes that we have no cause to fear death, and as stated in a previous quote, for the philosopher death was probably a moreShow MoreRelatedPlato s Apology And Crito983 Words   |  4 Pagesevents that have marked the history of humanity on earth. In the following written works, Plato’s Apology and Crito, The Gospel According to Mark, and Dante’s Inferno, religion and politics are shown to be intertwined, which emphasizes the impact of each individual character in each written work. Also, these written works explain how politics are affected by religion and vice versa. Plato’s Apology and Crito are plays that explain how Socrates, who was considered an honored and the wisest man in allRead MorePlato s Apology And Crito977 Words   |  4 Pagesevents that have marked the history of humanity on earth. In the following written works, Plato’s apology and Crito, The gospel according to Mark and Date’s Inferno, in each of these works religion and politics are intertwined to show the impact of these in each character in each written work. Also, these written works explain how politics are affected by religion and vice versa. In Plato’s Apology and Crito, are two consecutive plays that explain how Socrates, which was considered an honored and theRead MorePlato s Apology And Crito976 Words   |  4 Pagesevents that have marked the history of humanity in earth. In the following written works, Plato’s apology and Crito, The gospel according to Mark and Date’s inferno, in each of these work religion and politics are intertwined to show the impact of these in each character in each written work. Also, these written works explain how politics is affected by religion and vise versa. In Plato’s Apology and Crito are two consecutive plays that explain how Socrates, which was considered an honored and the mostRead MoreMachiavelli And The Apology Of The Prince1718 Words   |  7 Pages Machiavelli writes The Prince centuries after Plato documents Socrates in Crito and The Apology. Despite the different time periods, both Machiavelli and Socrates experience times of turmoil where the concept of democracy was questioned. However, the different time periods cause the views and purposes of Machiavelli’s writing to largely differ from Socrates. Machiavelli writes in a time of turmoil where Italy was a bunch of small, fragmented states and when the Medici’s struggled to regainRead MoreThe Four Texts On Socrates By Plato And Aristophanes Looks At Plato s Works, Euthyphro, Apology, Essay1935 Words   |  8 PagesEmily DePasquale Philosophy 103 Monday,Wednesday,Friday 9A.M. Professor Nichols September 30th, 2016 Journal One: Euthyphro, Apology, Crito I. 1. The Four Texts On Socrates by Plato and Aristophanes looks at Plato’s works, Euthyphro, Apology, and Crito. Plato’s works fall under the genre of philosophical dialogue presented in a context similar to that of dramatic monologues. Although Plato’s works are based in historical context, the works are less historical fiction, and more of a dramaticRead MoreThe Trial of Socrates: an Analysis and Construction of Socrates Defense2369 Words   |  10 Pagesâ€Å"political† affiliation Athenians related themselves with. Some choices were between the Traditionalists, Sophists or an up and coming ideas of Socratics or Platonics. Militarily, during the life of Socrates, Athens was involved in the Peloponnesian Wars, a set of conflicts between Sparta and Athens, in which Athens ultimately loses. Historically, this time became known as the rule of â€Å"The Thirty Tyrants.† In Plato’s Apology it notes that he disobeyed orders given by the Tyra nts, which gave a senseRead MoreSocrates Pursuit of Wisdom Essay1144 Words   |  5 Pagestwo people begin on common ground in a conversation, as Socrates often tries to do, they are far more likely to be able to civilly come to a conclusion about a particular topic, or at least further their original concept. The interesting dialogue between Socrates and Euthyphro demonstrates this Socratic method of questioning in order to gain a succinct definition of a particular idea, such as piety. Though the two men do not come to a conclusion about the topic in the conversation seen in EuthyphroRead MorePlato Essay2296 Words   |  10 Pagesthe volatile state of the Athenian government, it is not surprising that Socrates had much to say on the topic of political philosophy. Central to his political theory was his position on how citizens ought to approach ethics and politics. In the Apology, Socrates conduct demonstrates his belief that citizens must not be complacent when it comes to political virtue. In order to push citizens out of complacency, Socrates used a method called the â€Å"elecnhus† to prod citizens to discover the true definitionRead MoreSocrates And Machiavelli1860 Words   |  8 PagesPolitical Theorists: Moralities and Wisdom Political theorists, Socrates and Machiavelli, each provide their own ideas and philosophies for political structure that are still being discussed today. In Plato’s writings of â€Å"Apology† and â€Å"Crito†, he defines Socrates as man of wisdom and humbleness as he goes through trial and death of a crime he did not commit. Machiavelli’s writing of â€Å"The Prince† was written as a way to advise a Prince on how to achieve the greatest success as a ruler. These twoRead MoreSocrates Vs Machiavelli Essay875 Words   |  4 Pagessteadfast distance from involvement in politics, making a comparison or evaluation of a political system in his persona technically impossible. To claim that Socrates would or would not be supportive of any political system might then seem irresponsible, a presumptuous analysis not fitting for an academic recognizing the false equivale nce between Socrates’ philosophy and Machiavelli’s political ethics