Study Questions Crito by Plato Due on Monday night by 8 pm Carefully consider the following points and thought questions.  Make notes for yourself.  Written responses to this section will be considered extra credit.  Please post your thoughts on the bulletin board if you choose to do the extra credit. This dialog takes place after the Apology, which details the trial and conviction (by vote of the citizens of Athens assembled) of Socrates for charges of heresy and, perhaps, general rabble-rousing. A subsequent and final dialog details how Socrates drank the poisoned hemlock and died. While reading the Crito, it may be helpful to ask yourself: Given that Socrates has been condemned to die by majority vote, how does one explain his view that, on the one hand the opinions of the many are of little weight when compared to that of the wise and good; but on the other hand he should abide by the majority’s judgment? Suppose Socrates were young. Would his arguments apply with the same force? One way to read the dialog is to see a turning point in Crito’s initial concession: Crito concedes that it is always wrong to do an evil thing whatever the provocation. As Socrates notes, this opinion has never been held, and never will be held, by any considerable number of persons; and those who are agreed and those who are not agreed upon this point have no common ground, and can only despise one another when they see how widely they differ. Assuming Socrates is correct about this, does the rest of his argument have any application to the majority of us who do believe in doing a lesser evil to forestall a greater one? And if not, why would Socrates make an argument that a wise philosopher like him must know is inapplicable to most? In some sense, three characters contribute to the argument in Crito: Socrates, Crito, and the personification of the Law, whom Socrates introduces as an imaginary character. Consider the effect of this personification of The Law upon the argument. Discuss briefly what we mean by "the rule of law." What distinguishes law from other bases for governance?  Discuss also how we invoke the law in our own arguments about right and wrong. What do we imply by phrases such as "the law says" or "show respect for the law"? Are these references to a code of statutes or to something similar to the personification that Socrates creates? Note that Socrates bases his decision to accept execution on the premise that "one ought to fulfill all one's agreements, provided they are right". What might be examples of wrong agreements? forced agreements? Do we really have freedom to enter into such agreements with regard to the law? What evidence does Socrates offer that shows he entered into an agreement with The Law by his own free choice? Is there similar evidence of an obligation to obey the law in your own lives? Consider how Socrates might have viewed his situation if extenuating circumstances had been involved -- for example, if his sentence had been imposed by a tyrant rather than in a trial, or if the trial jury had been influenced by prejudice against him. To what extent does the argument that Socrates presents rest on the assumption that the law is just? How would he test the justice of a law? Consider this question in relation to the Socratic concept of a "good" man. Should a good man obey a bad law? What is the basis for his goodness if he disobeys? Writing Assignment  Please discuss the following questions and post on bulletin board.   Use your best writing style, and the techniques we have studied in class to get your point across and make yourself understood. What does Socrates mean by the following claims: (1) Virtue is knowledge (2) No one does evil willingly What about the idea one should care for one's soul more than one's body? In what senses do you think that is true? Do you agree that one should fear vice (doing evil) more than death? Can you think of an example where dying would be preferable to doing something else? What are some of the reasons that Crito gives Socrates for escaping? How does Socrates refute Crito's plea to do what's right to most people? Why does Socrates believe that one must never harm someone, even if that person harmed you first? In what sense did Socrates have an agreement with the state? If someone has a problem with the state, what choices do they have? Why would Socrates consider escaping a form of injustice even if the trial was flawed? In what circumstances is Socrates willing and unwilling to obey the laws of the State? What differences in circumstance or principle motivate Socrates to act differently? Why won't Socrates disobey the law when it is leading to an injustice (his death)? What do Socrates' actions and arguments tell us about his moral priorities--his conception of "living rightly"? How could Socrates death be serving the Athenian people? What was the Oracle's message about Socrates? What was Socrates' response to this news? What was "wisdom" for Socrates? In what way did Socrates think that he was doing the people of Athens a public service? Why doesn't Socrates fear death? What does Socrates think the possibilities are for what death might be like? Do these arguments comfort you? Compare the setting of Plato's Apology to the setting of the Crito. Where does each dialogue take place, how many people are present, and what is the significance of these dramatic details? Some readers think Socrates went along with his execution because he was already old. Would things have been different if he were younger? What made Socrates so attached to Athens, but even more devoted to his way of life that he was willing to die rather than give it up? Is Socrates a martyr either for the Laws of Athens or the cause of philosophy? Crito claims that by suffering an unjust punishment Socrates will play into the hands of his accusers. Why does Socrates counter that his escape would corroborate the jury’s verdict to convict him? Why does Socrates tell Crito that "whatever he suffers from others", one would still not be justified to escape the punishment of the laws and the community of the city?  Does Socrates' argument that it is wrong to harm even those who do one harm make sense?   http://www.utexas.edu/courses/hilde/Phl_304/Meaningquestions1.html http://jurisp06.umlaw.net/category/discussion-questions/