Following the trial of Socrates in which he was found guilty of poisoning the minds of the youth and sentenced death (as recorded in Apology by Plato), he was sent to prison to await his execution. His friends, wealthy and influential, sought to persuade him to escape the prison, escape the execution, escape the country and save his own skin.

Plato “records” the visit of one such friend, Crito, and the dialogue that ensues. Throughout the conversation, Socrates remains resolute that he cannot correct an injustice by behaving unjustly himself: for while he doesn’t agree with the verdict, he remains a citizen of Athens and as such has agreed to respect their laws and decisions.

Via their dialogue, Socrates seeks to win Crito over to the viewpoint that justice, whether he agrees with it or not, has been served, and for him to fight it would be to commit a crime worthy of the punishment he’s seeking to flee!

SOCRATES: Well then, if one is oneself mistreated, is it right, as the majority say, to mistreat in return, or is it not?
CRITO: It is never right.
SOCRATES: Mistreating people is no different from wrongdoing.
CRITO: That is true. (52)

It is this majority’s viewpoint which Crito uses in attempts to persuade Socrates to flee that gets the old man’s goat initially. In essence, Crito was telling him: “No one would blame you for running away! The majority would understand that you had been unreasonably sentenced. After all, it’s your life we’re talking about, not merely your freedom!” To this Socrates responds: “Why should we care so much for what the majority think? The most reasonable people, to whom one should pay more attention, will believe that things were done as they were done.” (i.e. believe the truth) (47)

Socrates spends the final portion of his defense in speaking in the “what if”, considering what the Athenian rulers might say were he truly to escape from prison and find safety in some foreign country. Basically, he concludes through these considerations that his family would be destroyed, his reputation would be destroyed, and no country would want him for having sacrificed his principles back in his home country. He states quite eloquently: “Virtue and justice are man’s most precious possession.” (56)

I really enjoyed this short dialogue, as it clued me in to the strangeness of Socrates’ trial and sentencing. I actually have zero background in these classics, so I’m coming into them without knowing their ending, which is a great way to read any literature. I’m not sure how or if Socrates will escape his execution, but I guess I’ll find out as I keep plugging away in my journey for the Classics badge in The Strenuous Life.

©2019 E.T.