Alleged Hypocrisy of Socrates It Term Paper

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In the Crito, Socrates discusses the differentiation between the injustice of laws and human beings, and his ability to still obey the law despite flawed human action (Rafferty, 2001). "But, Socrates, obey us, your nurturers, and do not regard children or living or anything else as more important than justice...If you depart now, you will depart having been done injustice not by us laws, but by human beings" (54b-c)

Even though the actions of the men who sentenced him to death were unjust, Socrates realized that the law was still worthy of high regard (Rafferty, 2001). "And even he who has been done injustice, then, must not do injustice in return, as the many suppose, since one must in no way do injustice" (49b). While he may have felt that the court's decision was unjust, he could not take it upon himself to now do injustice for the sake of revenge.

Socrates believed he was an asset to the city and a service to the gods (30a) (Rafferty, 2001). He refused to go against the god that placed him there, ordering him to live and philosophize, examining himself and those around him (28e).

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Socrates, while arrogant before the court, was very humble before the gods. Thus, he accepted what the gods sent his way. In this case, it was the laws of the city he luved in. Therefore, while he obeyed the laws, he did so only because the gods had placed him in a situation that required him to do so.

It is important, in defense of Socrates, to examine the view that a citizen who has agreed to abide by a court's decisions must accept its punishments, so long as they do not involve committing injustice. Socrates does not view dying as committing an injustice, and so accepts the jury's sentence (85-7).

Socrates ultimately insists that one should never betray what he believes is just. This is what the gods believe, he argues, and that the beliefs of the gods should have precedence over laws. However, since the gods placed him in a situation where he was in the hands of the law, he willingly accepted his fate......

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