Plato and Impossible Ideal Crito Essay

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Crito

When is flight/escape/ rebellion justified against a state (e.g. Edward Snowdan)
If someone has done something rebellious and the state wants to punish the individual for it, at what point is that individual justified in escaping (?)

Stakes are high in Crito // Socrates (S) is going to be put to death // meaning it is a high individual cost for (S)

Crito at the beginning as a friend sets out a series of arguments for why (S) should escape // And using the Socratic Method (S) will destroy these arguments

In the middle of Crito (S) begins to give his idea of what constitutes the good life and of what a good action is – this underpins his argument for staying

2 arguments are….
Negative argument – which demolishes the reasons to flee
Positive argument – which is why staying in prison is the right thing to do

At the end it involves a dialogue with the law, (S) demonstrates why due to the laws I Athens the right thing to do is stay

The End Argument = to flee the state (Athens) by someone who is meant to represent the good in society, would undermine the state/laws and the laws have served him well in the past.

(Shifts between Plato and Socrates)
You enter into a kind of contract with your society that you have lived under the law in the good times, so when the law’s/society go against you, you won’t just flee.

Plato = is concerned with how a state becomes stable and at what point do you put society and the stability of the state at risk for what you think is right (?) (e.g. Situation in Egypt) // this is one of the underlying questions of Crito

(Stephanus Numbers = Numbers at the side of the Text – e.g. Crito, 51 d “ “ (Crito, 51 d) and then put the specific edition in the bibliography)

3 strands within Crito =
E.g. essay question
“Try to persuade Socrates friends to save his life against Socrates will”

1st Strand – you would have to use (S) friend’s arguments and make them stronger against (S) demolition of them.
2nd Strand – (S) style of thought and his character as the good life. What are and what’s ones actions in terms of the good life, and what is it to be good. (Character Values of (S)
3rd Strand – Higher themes // Rebellion // Self-Sacrifice // point at which one should turn against a state that has served you well

Crito, 43 a
“Why have you come so early Crito, or is it not still early”
Why isn’t (S) showing signs of dread (of the future that he cannot control?) (S) Seems to be calm, especially when he has the treat of death hanging over him.
This is because he has already ‘rationalised his fate’ he already knows what he is going to do
He is completely calm – because he has already thought through what he’s going to do (Not escape) he has rationalised his fate and is at peace because of it.
This shows a set of examples and values and cases in relation to (S) character and what we can draw from him – drawn by Plato
Plato = wants us to realise that what (S) is doing is the path to a certain kind of inner peace + higher state of being (positive side)
Think of Counter Arguments at being at peace when you’re to be killed // he of a higher value as he is a good example
“Plato’s dialogue is of one long suicide note” Nietzsche
Means – that he is failing because he is losing his will – real will would be fighting (S) fighting to the bitter end
This has been dramatized man times (e.g. Shawshank Redemption)
(key theme) do people accept their fate or do the escape)
Is (S) when he accepts his fate showing strength, Nietzsche wants us to think is there a kind of cowardice or some bad reason in what (S) is doing should he have fought to the last to save his life
Higher Question
Major Theme – Can the state ever have a claim over our lives so much so that we submit to the state to lay down our lives for the state (e.g. going to war) can a state ask for that (?)
Crito, 43 a
“I’m surprised that the warder was willing to listen to you. He is quite friendly to
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