Plato Paper

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In “Euthyphro,” Socrates is accused of corrupting the youth and spreading atheist ideology. Throughout “Apology,” Socrates presents a simple and logical defense to the court, but despite his efforts, is found guilty and sentenced to death. In “Crito,” Socrates and his friends are all convinced that he has been wrongly convicted, yet they respond very differently to the obvious injustice. Crito responds as most people would. Because Socrates’ death sentence was unfairly given, Crito feels justified in plotting an escape plan. Surprisingly, Socrates is morally opposed to fighting against the courts structure even when it has wronged him.
Socrates explains his opposition to a rescue through a dialogue between himself and the state. In this dialogue it is first established that a city cannot function unless its courts have power and its laws are upheld. From this point it is suggested that if individuals (such as Socrates) choose when and when not to obey the legal system, the city no longer has power and therefore will be destroyed. At this point Socrates has shown that if he cheats his death sentence then he will be harming the city. But why is this bad? If the city wrongs Socrates, why is he not justified in wronging it?
In the metaphorical dialogue between Socrates and the State, the State reminds Socrates of all the services it has provided for him throughout his life. This essentially establishes that, in a way, the city has raised Socrates. Building off this point, Socrates suggests that when an individual has been cared for and raised up by someone or something, he is not on equal footing with them. Just as it does not make sense for a child to punish their parent when they feel they have been wronged, Socrates feels it not right for a person to harm their city even when it treats them unfairly.
This argument Socrates presents is actually quite compelling. Everything he said regarding citizens undermining the legal system is very true. If every

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