In Crito, Plato portrays Crito as Athens’ common man. Though wealthier and more educated than most, Crito’s intellect is used as a tool to exemplify how Socrates’ dedication to the polis differs from the majority of Athens’ population. Socrates maintains that “not living, but living well is to be regarded as most important” and therefore escaping from prison is not an option because it would be violating this principle (48b4-5). Socrates justifies this to Crito by refuting his arguments for escape and showing that fleeing would result in disobedience to the fatherland, violation of the social contract and his inability to continue to teach philosophy which would ultimately cause him to betray the polis he has striven to enhance.
Crito presents Socrates with five arguments in an effort to persuade him into escaping from prison. At first Crito attempts to convince Socrates by assuring him that “my money is available to you, and
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Next Crito draws attention to the fact that Socrates is betraying his own principles by allowing the men who wish to ruin him carry out this injustice. To this Socrates presents the counterargument that in fleeing he too would be performing injustice in the form of revenge. In his mind “no human being should do injustice in return or do evil, whatever he suffers from others,” (49c10-11) and in seeking retaliation on the men who caused his incarceration by fleeing he would be betraying the laws laid out by society and therefore committing injustice. Crito presents his third argument by claiming that in not helping Socrates escaping his fate, Crito and his companions would be viewed as conducting the whole affair “with a certain lack of manliness” (45e3). To this Socrates states that Crito need