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Conceptual Reconstruction: The Dialogue Of The Crito, By Plato

1421 Words6 Pages

Brian Diaz
Professor Siddiqui
Philosophy 1
20 January 2018 Second Paper: Conceptual Reconstruction (Crito, Meno, Phaedo)
The dialogue of the Crito, by Plato, recounts the last days of Socrates ' life. In the dialogue Socrates ' old friend, Crito, proposes that Socrates escape from Athenian prison. Crito is a wealthy man from outside of town, a student of Socrates, and an old friend. Crito has an escape plan in place to break out Socrates. Socrates decides that if he were to escape it would not be morally justified. Socrates discusses why he has a duty to stay and face his charges, as well as why the action of fleeing would be unethical. To Socrates, breaking one law would be an injustice to all laws and would cause great harm to the …show more content…

Crito 's main point is that Socrates should flee Athens because he was sentenced to an unfair trial. Socrates is already of old age, therefore if he were to escape there would not be many years of his life left to enjoy. Crito 's first argument is that Socrates ' death will be a great loss to him. Socrates is a friend and mentor that cannot be easily replaced for Crito. Crito does not refer to Socrates’ wealth, but he means that Socrates is a man of integrity and reflectiveness. Socrates is one of a kind, and Crito does not want to lose him. Crito 's next argument is what people will think. Crito was worried that people would think that he did not care for Socrates if he did not break him out of jail. Crito did not want to be seen as someone who valued wealth more than valuing the opportunity to bribe the jailer and save Socrates. The most interesting argument is that Crito tells Socrates that it is morally wrong for him to stay and allow himself to be executed. Crito gives three different reasons for this statement. One is that Socrates will be doing what his enemies intended for him to do. Next, Socrates is failing to raise and educate his children if he agrees …show more content…

In conclusion, it is shown that the ethics of Socrates and Plato can be understood by examining the works of the Crito, Meno and Phaedo. Plato 's philosophical concept in these three dialogues is mostly about denying what the self wants, either normal things like food and earthly desires or trying to gain knowledge, and instead, choosing what is just and right. This is Plato’s concept of a good life. From this quest for knowledge, virtue is obtained, and this is the main goal of philosophy in Socrates ' mind. Laws must be made in accordance with wisdom by those who practice philosophy, and must seek to benefit the city as a whole. Ethics, virtue, justice and morality all stem from what Socrates calls the examined life, in which philosophy is used as a means to gain wisdom and knowledge which act as the basis for these values. Philosophy then, is not just an occupation, but rather an integral part of life, and a necessary component of what it means to

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