In the story of Crito, Socrates is in prison and awaiting his execution that he was found guilty by corrupting the youth and also supporting other gods that the city of Athens did not. Throughout his trial, Socrates argued each of the things he was charged for and made it very clear that it was not just for him to be found guilty for these actions. The jury ended up finding Socrates guilty through a very slim vote that was not necessarily fair by any means. As Socrates sat in his cell, one of his very faithful friends, Crito, decided to come talk to him.
He gave Socrates the opportunity to escape prison and live the life of a wanted man instead of facing his execution. As the story of Crito goes on, he asks himself a number of questions deciding on what he was going to do and whether it would be just or unjust for him to escape prison. Socrates eventually decided that he was going to stay in prison and face his execution instead of escaping, for the act of escaping prison would be unjust and breaking the laws of the city. I agree with Socrates’ decision that he made and feel like he did the just thing by facing his execution.
Socrates decided to face his execution throughout a long and thoughtful process to determine whether it would end up being just or unjust for him to escape. Crito tried all that he could to persuade Socrates to escape and that it would be unjust of him to stay and take on his execution. Crito believes it would be unjust for he would be aiding his enemies in his execution for an act that he was accused of unjustly. He also harped on how it would look badly upon his friends and make it seem like they did not try and help him at all while he was in prison.
Crito continued on about how he would live a pleasant life in exile nd that his friends had his back throughout everything. Socrates took on these arguments and ultimately decided that The Law of Athens was a huge factor in that it would be unjust for him to escape. Socrates explained this by saying when he became a citizen to the city of Athens, he agreed to all of the laws that the city provoked in return to being a citizen. Therefore, Socrates thinks that because he has lived his entire life as a citizen in the city of Athens, it would be very unjust to escape prison and go against the laws of the city. Socrates believes that we should keep our just agreements.
Socrates goes on to say he would be breaking his word if he were to escape prison and that it would be harming the city from his actions. This idea of his is what ultimately made Socrates come up with the decision to face his execution by how unjust it would be to go against and break the laws of the city. Tam sure Socrates went through a very hard time in deciding on what to do with the execution considering all the opportunities and thoughts that he had during this time. I mean how hard do you think it would be to willingly put yourself out there to be executed for actions that were wrongly accused of you and not propose much of a fight?
Socrates had many people ready for his escape and money would not have been an issue at all. He very easily could have lived a wealthy lifestyle apart from the world and not have to worry about a thing other than being an outlaw to the city. If he were to escape, Socrates could have had the chance to go back and father his sons and not make his friends feel badly upon him if he were executed. It is mind boggling how easily he could have had it by escaping, but he still remained to stay and face on his execution.
Normally if this would have happened to just about any other person, it would definitely be a no brainer on trying to escape. I am sure it would be very easy to escape considering that you are not guilty for the action you were charged for along with all the things that you have waiting on the outside. I definitely stand with the decision that Socrates made and completely agree that it would be unjust for him to escape prison. If I were in the shoes of Socrates, I would have done the exact same thing and faced the execution. I personally think it would be very cowardly to escape your death and go against what the city expects of you.
I really like how Socrates points out how important it is for everyone to follow the laws of the city and in return we gain our citizenship and all of the benefits that go along with that. I ultimately believe that we owe more to our count intry than we do to our family and friends. If you think about it, our country has provided us our whole lives. I know parents look out for their children and raise them for who they are to become, but parents would not even be here if it was not for our country. Our country has provided so much for us and all it asks in return is for us to obey the laws that it stands by.
So I agree completely when Socrates thinks about how unjust it would be to escape prison just for himself along with his family and friends. It would be so selfish to wrong the city and cheat death. I know it would be hard to take on what Socrates did because of his innocence, but it would be the right thing to do to not be a coward and cheat your way out of the execution. I would hate to live a life in exile where your country looks at you and considers you a complete outlaw. It would be such a cowardly thing to do, considering how much the country has provided for you.
I understand that it is unjust for the country to wrongly accuse someone, but there is no way about going around it because the person had agreed to all of the laws of the land including how the jury system works. I would much rather end my life knowing that I had done not a thing wrong. If Socrates had escaped prison, he would finally give his country something to truly be against him for. It would be nice knowing that you had truly done everything right as a person and lived a very just life. Socrates has displayed very courageous actions and I stand by them completely.
Overall, Socrates is faced with a very difficult decision that has a massive impact on the rest of his life. I believe that Socrates has made the absolute most just decision with everything he could have done. It still remains remarkable to me that he had turned down such an easy and pleasant life of exile to take on his execution that he is innocent for. Although it seems like such a hard thing to pass on, I know I would have done the exact same thing after some deep thought about how it would impact myself along with the rest of the community. I fully stand behind Socrates’ decision by staying in prison and taking on his execution.
