Socrates Ethos Pathos And Logos

A man being executed for simply having different beliefs from his society is quite shocking in this current time period, though the Trial of Socrates depicts just that. In analyzing the Apology and Crito it is important to applaud and recognize how Plato’s use of rhetorical devices depict the law system of Athens in a negative light. In the Crito, Socrates states that he is choosing to die because he does not want to undermine the laws of Athens by fleeing, since he believes that the laws are just even if his sentence is not. Nevertheless, through using ethos to establish Socrates’ moral authority in the Apology and Crito, Plato leads his reader to draw the opposite conclusion about the Athenian judicial system. Leading the reader to question

Through the use of ethos, pathos, and logos Plato further develops his arguments in order to achieve his goal of forcing the readers to question whether a man like Socrates being sentenced to death reflects the problems inherent to rule by the majority, or are the laws of the Athenian government unjust themselves?

To begin, in the Apology the use of ethos, pathos, and logos is evident throughout the dialogue. When establishing an argument, the use of ethos or appealing to expertise is important due to the fact that spoken information becomes more credible when a source is defined. Socrates establishes his credibility multiple times throughout the trial not only referring to himself as the wisest man on Earth but even goes to the extent in saying “I am that gadfly which God has given the state, and all day long and in all places am always fastening upon

In the Crito, Socrates states that he is choosing to die because he does not want to undermine the laws of Athens by fleeing, since he believes that the laws are just even if his sentence is not. Socrates appeals to his expertise yet again when he claims he received a vision from “the likeness of a woman, fair and comely, clothed in white raiment…”(44). Socrates’ ability to communicate with divine power establishes credibility. When Crito argues for Socrates to flee prison, he uses pathos in order to appeal to Socrates’ emotional side. Crito says “I should say that you were betraying your children..”(45), and in return Socrates states his argument. Plato draws a distinction between the just Athenian Laws, which Socrates must follow by remaining in prison, and the unjust behavior of Socrates' accusers, who sentenced him to death. Although the use of pathos may be effective in some arguments, it clearly does not work when Crito presents it to Socrates. Socrates appeal to Athenian law contributes greatly to logos. Socrates explanation of Athenian Law on page 51 ties his whole argument together to assert that the Athenian Laws are just and must be respected and that his accusers are unjust and should not be respected at