Socrates Vs Plato

In this paper, I will refute Plato’s view on our obligation to obey our society’s laws and uphold the social contract by showing that there are exemptions involving the physical and mental capabilities of the parties present in the agreement. Plato’s view is primarily derived from his teacher, Socrates, and his idea of the ‘social contract’ that is formed between an individual and the society he decides to live in. I use the word ‘decide’ due to the fact that in Crito, Socrates argued that by his choice to remain in Athens from a young age implied that, as a citizen, Socrates chose to comply by the Laws that govern the land. Plato uses the example of a child and their parent, in that the child is mandated to obey his/her parent and to revolt

Furthermore, Socrates stated that, if he were to flee from prison he would have committed an unjust act and he believed that, although he was put in jail unjustly, he should not reciprocate the injustice with further injustice. Likewise, if Socrates were to break out of prison, it would also turn him into an outlaw/fugitive and he would have a difficult time assimilating into a foreign society that would always recognize his rebellious behavior and opposition to the Athenian Laws. In summary, Plato views that individuals within the social contract between their authorities/governments should continue to uphold the validity of the contract; even though the citizen might view the Laws as unjust. It was through the Laws, Plato believes, that the individual was reared, educated, and cultivated into the person they are today. This cultivation of the person is likened to a debt in which the citizen owes to their government that can be repaid through abiding by the society’s legislated

I hold this position due to the fact that within a social contract their might be present individuals that are not capable of agreeing to or forming demands in the contract. For the sake of the argument I will refer to these individuals or parties, which come together in the social contract agreement, as the promisor, promisee, and beneficiary. The promisor is the individual/group who offers a promise that can be either agreed to or refused by the promisee. For example a husband offers his wife a day off by taking their son to a camping excursion. Contrary to the promisor, the promisee is at the receiving end of the bargain. In the example given of the husband and wife, the wife is the promisee and accepts the conditions of the deal. While the beneficiaries are the intended or incidental parties that also benefit from the agreements, such as the son, these individuals are exempt from owing any obligation to the other two