Summary and Analysis of The Crito

(This is a short essay I wrote a while back. I will re-read the Crito and add things that I most likely missed.)

The Crito is a dialogue written by Plato in which Socrates is met by a friend, Crito. Crito meets Socrates in his prison cell where he is awaiting execution. He has come to persuade Socrates to escape from his cell. There is a brief opportunity for Socrates to make his escape, since Athens was engaging in an annual religious mission/ceremony to a small Aegean island of Delos. The island was sacred to Apollo, one of the Gods in the Greek Pantheon. All executions were halted during this mission, so Socrates had to wait in jail for a month. When Crito arrives, the ship has arrived at Cape Sunium in Attica, which means that it would be arriving in Athens very soon. Crito attempts to persuade Socrates to escape and he presents several arguments to convince him.

Crito’s first argument basically says, “the opinions of many would judge us wrong if we didn’t help you”. Socrates explains that some opinions are right and some are wrong; he then says that it is not just a matter of opinion, but of correct opinion. The truth of the matter is the authority in this case. Socrates creates a dichotomy between true opinion and false opinion.

The second argument Crito poses is an ethical dilemma. If Socrates stays then he is aiding his captors in harming him unjustly which would, in turn, make his actions of staying unjust. Also, he would be abandoning his sons and leaving them fatherless. Socrates replies to this argument by explaining the Law of Athens. Socrates saw the Law as one entity, and if somebody broke one law they’ve broken all laws. Socrates explains that the citizen is bound to the law as a child is bound to his or her parents. Socrates poses a near-metaphysical “social contract” of sort; rather than break the Law and attempt to escape, Socrates wanted to rationally argue his case and hope the Law would treat him justly and let him go. Since the Law stated that Socrates was guilty and must be put to death, he must see this as just and right since, up to now he has seem everything else the Law has done as just and right. Socrates thought that if one was to live in Athens, one ought to adhere to the Law. He believed that if he were to break the Law by escaping, he would be acting unjustly and failing at his duty to uphold the Law. As a citizen of Athens, Socrates saw his duty and his own self as one. His identity as a citizen of Athens defined who he was as a person, and if he was to break the Law of Athens, he would never be welcome in another civilized society for the rest of his life. Socrates believed that if he was to break the Law, he would also be judged harshly in the Underworld, Hates.