FREE ESSAY ON SOCRATES WANTS TO REMAIN

SOCRATES WANTS TO REMAIN

David M. Gervon
9/26/00
CONCEPTS OF HUMAN NATURE
T H 1:00
REC M 9:00
SOCRATES WANTS TO REMAIN
There are many instances in Plato's the Crito where Socrates gives reasons for himself to
stay in Athens and face his death. Arguments range from that of him being too old to run,
to the common response two wrongs don't make a right. The reason I intend to argue
against is one Socrates expresses in regards to his obligations to the city he has lived
in all his life, and thus the rules that he has subsequently followed throughout that
time. In Athens just like any other city, one follows the rules that the respective city
has laid down because he/she believes in those laws, or does not and keeps silent. In the
stand Socrates takes, he argues that since he has lived in Athens all his life, he is
required to stand his ground and take what's thrown his way, even if that punishment is
death, do you think you have the right to retaliation against your country and its laws?
(Crito,53) 
Socrates was a master of words. It is easy to say that his intellect allowed him to make
anyone see all sides of an argument. Even Crito at times is confused about his decision
to free his friend, think that he is making the right decision, or do you think it
possible for a city not to be destroyed if the verdicts of its courts have no force but
are nullified and set at naught by private individuals.(Crito,52) Socrates words are very
convincing, but what he is not thinking about is the fact that this whole predicament was
not meant to be. Socrates was supposed to be in all likelihood banished from Athens by
the courts. Nobody suspected that Socrates would advocate for his own death. In regards
to his situation, if he were to leave, the towns people would not have thought badly
about his decision to keep is life.
Crito and friends attempts were very valiant; they just tried to hard to save an ignorant
soul. Socrates was just too stubborn to go elsewhere and would look death in the face
without despair, one must obey the commands of one's city and country,(Crito,53) in order
to stay in Athens and make his point. In this, I have to disagree with what Socrates has
to say. I know that he is searching for the truth, and what he says is correct in terms
of obeying the courts ruling, taking the judicial standpoint that is. I however can't see
leaving a family, children, and a loving wife behind. A families bond should be stronger
than stone, it's the strongest bond known to man. So for him to look so little upon his
family is not looking into the truth of the matter at all. In addition, I live in the
United States because not only I like the laws, but also because this is the place where
I was born. Like Socrates, I've lived in one place all my life, and though I do not think
every law is relevant, would protect my life when faced with the same accusations
Socrates was. 
There are many laws that I do not agree with here in the US. One set of laws I disagree
with that go together are the laws that you can be drafted go to war at the age of 18,
and the other that you are not allowed to purchase or drink alcohol until the age of 21.
I would think that if a society were going to allow its children to step into the line of
fire, one would see that children of that age surly mature enough to drink. It makes
sense to me that if a country is allowing a teenager to handle an AK-47 assault rifle and
put the responsibility of killing on ones shoulders, then he or she is old enough to
drink when he/she wants to. I am and always will be a proud American citizen yet I don't
approve with all that goes along with it. 
Unlike Socrates, I would not put my city, state, or country before my own well being and
safety. I especially would not make my decisions inflict any type harm upon my family or
friends, whether that being physical or mental. 
Therefore, in finial conjunction with what Socrates is saying, and the excuses he is
making, I have to disagree strongly with what he's doing. He made a very narrow minded
decision that puzzled many. He took his patriotism too far and used it as grounds to face
his death, which I cannot agree with. He also left behind a loving wife and his children.
One can say that his walking into his own death was a teaching instrument he hoped would
convey one point or another. I however see his death and countless excuses as a means to
leave life without a fight. Honor thy city, well what about thy family and friends!
Socrates was a coward to think his actions were at all acceptable, and to think that his
death could be used as a teaching device.