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SECTION 1
Introduction
REVIEW QUESTIONS
Born in 428 BCE, Plato came from an aristocratic family and was well educated. His real name
was Aristocles, but he was given the name Plato (meaning broad) by his wrestling coach because
he was a large man with a broad forehead, and he used his language abilities to expound on
multiple subjects. He was a classical Greek philosopher and a student of Socrates whom he
immortalized as the iconic Greek figure still honored today. Plato was also a mathematician, a
writer of philosophical dialogues and founded the Academy of Athens, the first institute of higher
learning in the Western world. This institution established the foundation of the study and
teaching of natural philosophy, science and western philosophy.
Why does Crito not awaken Socrates
immediately?
What news does he bring?
How does Crito try to help Socrates
and how does he justify his views?
Why does Socrates disagree with him?
The Crito, written by Plato in 360 BCE is a dialogue between Socrates and Crito after Socrates
was found guilty and sentenced to death. Crito delivers a message regarding the date when
Socrates will be put to death, and he is amazed at the overall calmness of Socrates in prison.
After Socrates hears the actual date of his death. Crito pleads with him to escape, initially fearing
public condemnation for refusing to help Socrates, but then he appeals to Socrates as a father
abandoning his children and disgracing his friends and followers. Crito supports his arguments
with the idea that Socrates should not have received a guilty verdict, and therefore, he does not
deserve to die. Socrates addresses each point with rational explanations of his reasons for not
escaping.
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Connection to Ethics
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What is the basis of morality? Socrates is quite clear in his explanations for adhering to his
principles while facing his impending death. Crito is relentless in appealing to Socrates to escape
using personal and communal reasons and assuring Socrates that financial and other provisions
would be made to ensure his escape. Socrates explains that he has always been guided by
reason and could not put his principles aside, and he believes that only the opinions of the wise
ones are good and should be followed rather than following a crowd of uninformed and unjust.
He further explains that escaping would be breaking the law whether the guilty verdict was
deserved or not. Socrates believes there are many implications regarding obedience to laws, and
he expands on how they apply to specific aspects of society and politics. He asks Crito what
good would be done by transgressing the law. Socrates concludes by saying wise men have
advised him to ignore Crito's suggestions and follow his own concept of justice and his views on
morality.
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Socrates.
SECTION 2
plato.
The Crito
Crito By Plato
Written 360 B.C.E
Translated by Benjamin Jowett
Persons of the Dialogue
SOCRATES
CRITO
克
Scene
The Prison of Socrates.
Socrates. WHY have you come at this hour, Crito? it must be quite
early.
Crito. Yes, certainly.
Soc. What is the exact time?
Cr. The dawn is breaking.
Soc. I wonder the keeper of the prison would let you in.
Cr. He knows me because I often come, Socrates; moreover. I have
done him a kindness.
Soc. And are you only just come?
Cr. No, I came some time ago.
c
Soc. Then why did you sit and say nothing, instead of awakening me
at once?
1
10
Cr. Why, indeed, Socrates, I myself would rather not have all this
sleeplessness and sorrow. But I have been wondering at your
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Soc. But why, my dear Crito, should we care about the opinion of the
many? Good men, and they are the only persons who are worth
considering, will think of these things truly as they happened.
Cr. But do you see. Socrates, that the opinion of the many must be
regarded, as is evident in your own case, because they can do the very
greatest evil to anyone who has lost their good opinion?
Soc. I only wish, Crito, that they could; for then they could also do the
greatest good, and that would be well. But the truth is, that they can do
neither good nor evil: they cannot make a man wise or make him foolish;
and whatever they do is the result of chance.
Cr. Well, I will not dispute about that; but please to tell me, Socrates,
whether you are not acting out of regard to me and your other friends:
are you not afraid that if you escape hence we may get into trouble with
the informers for having stolen you away, and lose either the whole or a
great part of our property; or that even a worse evil may happen to us?
Now, if this is your fear, be at ease; for in order to save you, we ought
surely to run this or even a greater risk; be persuaded, then, and do as |
say.
that you are justified, Socrates, in betraying your own life when you
might be saved; this is playing into the hands of your enemies and
destroyers; and moreover I should say that you were betraying your
children; for you might bring them up and educate them; instead of
which you go away and leave them, and they will have to take their
chance; and if they do not meet with the usual fate of orphans, there will
be small thanks to you. No man should bring children into the world who
is unwilling to persevere to the end in their nurture and education. But
you are choosing the easier part, as I think, not the better and manlier,
which would rather have become one who professes virtue in all his
actions, like yourself. And, indeed, I am ashamed not only of you, but of
us who are your friends, when I reflect that this entire business of yours
will be attributed to our want of courage. The trial need never have come
on, or might have been brought to another issue; and the end of all,
which is the crowning absurdity, will seem to have been permitted by us,
through cowardice and baseness, who might have saved you, as you
might have saved yourself, if we had been good for anything (for there
was no difficulty in escaping); and we did not see how disgraceful,
Socrates, and also miserable all this will be to us as well as to you. Make
your mind up then, or rather have your mind already made up, for the
time of deliberation is over, and there is only one thing to be done, which
must be done, if at all, this very night, and which any delay will render all
but impossible; I beseech you therefore, Socrates, to be persuaded by
me, and to do as I say.
Soc. Dear Crito, your zeal is invaluable, if a right one; but if wrong, the
greater the zeal the greater the evil; and therefore we ought to consider
whether these things shall be done or not. For I am and always have
been one of those natures who must be guided by reason, whatever the
reason may be which upon reflection appears to me to be the best; and
now that this fortune has come upon me, I cannot put away the reasons
which I have before given: the principles which I have hitherto honored
and revered I still honor, and unless we can find other and better
principles on the instant, I am certain not to agree with you; no, not even
if the power of the multitude could inflict many more imprisonments,
confiscations, deaths, frightening us like children with hobgoblin terrors.
But what will be the fairest way of considering the question? Shall I
Soc. Yes, Crito, that is one fear which you mention, but by no means the
only one.
Cr. Fear not. There are persons who at no great cost are willing to save
you and bring you out of prison; and as for the informers, you may
observe that they are far from being exorbitant in their demands; a little
money will satisfy them. My means, which, as I am sure, are ample, are
at your service, and if you have a scruple about spending all mine, here
are strangers who will give you the use of theirs; and one of them,
Simmias the Theban, has brought a sum of money for this very purpose;
and Cebes and many others are willing to spend their money too. I say,
therefore, do not on that account hesitate about making your escape,
and do not say, as you did in the court, that you will have a difficulty in
knowing what to do with yourself if you escape. For men will love you in
other places to which you may go, and not in Athens only; there are
friends of mine in Thessaly, if you like to go to them, who will value and
protect you, and no Thessalian will give you any trouble. Nor can I think
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Cr. Why do you say this?
peaceful slumbers, and that was the reason why I did not awaken you,
because I wanted you to be out of pain. I have always thought you
happy in the calmness of your temperament; but never did I see the like
of the easy, cheerful way in which you bear this calamity.
Soc. I will tell you. I am to die on the day after the arrival of the ship?
Cr. Yes; that is what the authorities say.
Soc. Why, Crito, when a man has reached my age he ought not to be
repining at the prospect of death.
Soc. But I do not think that the ship will be here until to-morrow; this |
gather from a vision which I had last night, or rather only just now, when
you fortunately allowed me to sleep.
Cr. And yet other old men find themselves in similar misfortunes, and age
does not prevent them from repining.
Cr. And what was the nature of the vision?
Soc. That may be. But you have not told me why you come at this early
hour.
Soc. There came to me the likeness of a woman, fair and comely,
clothed in white raiment, who called to me and said: 0 Socrates- "The
third day hence, to Phthia shalt thou go."
Cr. I come to bring you a message which is sad and painful; not, as |
believe, to yourself but to all of us who are your friends, and saddest of
all to me.
Cr. What a singular dream, Socrates!
Soc. There can be no doubt about the meaning Crito, I think.
Soc. What! I suppose that the ship has come from Delos, on the arrival
of which I am to die?
Cr. No, the ship has not actually arrived, but she will probably be here to-
day, as persons who have come from Sunium tell me that they have left
her there; and therefore to-morrow, Socrates, will be the last day of your
life.
Cr. Yes: the meaning is only too clear. But, O! my beloved Socrates, let
me entreat you once more to take my advice and escape. For if you die I
shall not only lose a friend who can never be replaced, but there is
another evil: people who do not know you and me will believe that I
might have saved you if I had been willing to give money, but that I did
not care. Now, can there be a worse disgrace than this, that I should be
thought to value money more than the life of a friend? For the many will
not be persuaded that I wanted you to escape, and that you refused.
Soc. Very well, Crito; if such is the will of God, I am willing; but my belief
is that there will be a delay of a day.
Who was Socrates?
Who was Plato?
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Writing to Inquiry about Plato
Cr. Yes.
Soc. And the opinions of the wise are good, and the opinions of the
unwise are evil?
Cr. Certainly.
Soc. And what was said about another matter? Was the disciple in
gymnastics supposed to attend to the praise and blame and opinion of
every man, or of one man only- his physician or trainer, whoever that
was?
Cr. Of one man only.
Soc. And he ought to fear the censure and welcome the praise of that
one only, and not of the many?
Cr. That is clear.
Soc. And he ought to live and train, and eat and drink in the way which
seems good to his single master who has understanding, rather than
according to the opinion of all other men put together?
Cr. True.
Soc. And if he disobeys and disregards the opinion and approval of the
one, and regards the opinion of the many who have no understanding,
will he not suffer evil?
return to your old argument about the opinions of men, some of which
are to be regarded, and others, as we were saying, are not to be
regarded? Now were we right in maintaining this before I was
condemned? And has the argument which was once good now proved
to be talk for the sake of talking; in fact an amusement only, and
altogether vanity? That is what I want to consider with your help, Crito:
whether, under my present circumstances, the argument appears to be
in any way different or not; and is to be allowed by me or disallowed.
That argument, which, as I believe, is maintained by many who assume
to be authorities, was to the effect, as I was saying, that the opinions of
some men are to be regarded, and of other men not to be regarded. Now
you, Crito, are a disinterested person who are not going to die to-
morrow- at least, there is no human probability of this, and you are
therefore not liable to be deceived by the circumstances in which you are
placed. Tell me, then, whether I am right in saying that some opinions,
and the opinions of some men only, are to be valued, and other opinions,
and the opinions of other men, are not to be valued. I ask you whether |
was right in maintaining this?
Cr. Certainly he will.
Soc. And what will the evil be, whither tending and what affecting, in the
disobedient person?
Cr. Clearly, affecting the body; that is what is destroyed by the evil.
Soc. Very good; and is not this true, Crito, of other things which we need
not separately enumerate? In the matter of just and unjust, fair and foul,
good and evil, which are the subjects of our present consultation, ought
we to follow the opinion of the many and to fear them; or the opinion of
the one man who has understanding, and whom we ought to fear and
reverence more than all the rest of the world: and whom deserting we
Cr. Certainly.
Soc. The good are to be regarded, and not the bad?
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