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Socrates would methodically disprove anyone he thought was wrong. In his eyes, most of the people he interviewed were blind. It did not matter if one was wealthy and influential or if they were young and impressionable. Socrates could question anyone and turn him or her inside out. Unfortunately, he did so without regard to the individual’s feelings. Because of this unabashed honesty, Socrates ended up being brought to trial. Finally, he angered the people at the top, and he would pay for it. Since he could not be prosecuted solely based on his method, charges of corrupting the youth and of blasphemy were fabricated against him. The humiliation he inflicted was never intentional, but it angered everyone nonetheless. Plato, Socrates’ greatest student, witnessed the trial and narrated it the Apology; the aftermath is noted in the Crito. Socrates seemingly takes on a different stance in each of these stories in regards to obligation to the state. This paper will try to prove just the opposite; Socrates upholds justice in all events. You could in fact call him a patriot. Socrates believes that when a man perceives the government as acting wrong, he is entitled to peaceful dissent. However, if the man protests and still is not exonerated, then the man had better be prepared to take the punishment, even it means certain death. Socrates believes that the government is like a parent to us; through marriage it allows for our births, provides for us, protects us from outside enemies, gives us rules we live by, and so forth. This was especially true of Athenian society, which always placed the government over the people. Therefore, we should be respectful of the government at all times. The Apology is a seemingly misleading title. If your teacher spoke Greek, you too would learn that our word apology is actually derived from the Greek word apologia; meaning “in defense of.” Therefore, Socrates does not beg for forgiveness, rather justifies his profession. The Apology is his chance to “protest” against the authorities and make them listen to his side. Piece by piece, he dissects the charges against him. By doing so, he irritates the jurors. This is why the Apology seems to some proof of Socrates’ disrespect. When the vote came in, Socrates was declared guilty by 280 of the 500 jurors. Socrates is then given the chance to suggest a worthy punishment for himself. Most convicted persons would use this time to plea for their lives and families; Socrates had something else in mind. He says that they should reward him, as they do for the athletes, rather than punish him. The jurors came back and condemn him to death. The jurors were so incensed, even more votes shifted against him this time. Socrates does not break down and plea for his life. He simply thanks the jurors that stood behind him, and asks the others to open their minds more in the future. Socrates tells his audience “ a life without this sort of examination is not worth living.” He knows that he has done nothing wrong, that he lived as justly as possible. He is not afraid of death. In the Crito, Socrates appears to be respectful of the law. Waiting in his cell for his execution, Socrates is napping when his friend Crito comes to visit. Crito has formulated an escape plan for Socrates if he will have it. Crito and the rest of Socrates’ colleagues are deeply grieved at the thought of loosing him. They believe he was falsely accused (which is true.) If necessary, they will risk their own fortunes and lives to free him. Socrates cannot accept Crito’s pleas unless he can give just cause as to why he should flee, and thus break the law. The biggest argument Crito makes is this: he believes it will reflect poorly on they and their colleagues if Socrates does not escape. Socrates knows that it will reflect even worse if he breaks the rules he has always lived by and doled out. As an elitist, Socrates cares not for what others may think of him, he knows the only opinion that is truly significant is his own. He says “I cannot abandon the arguments I used to expound in the past simply because this accident has happened to me.” The state may be wrong, but he was tried though due process and respects the outcome nonetheless. Socrates is old; he has lived a long and moral life. He does not fear death, rather welcomes it as a new venture for his philosophy. Thus, Socrates has followed his own principles to his own death. He was truly patriotic to his government until the very end. Bibliography: Word Count: 856
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