Different philosophers talk the philosophy about the right and the wrong. The most outstanding views about these aspects are those of Socrates. He lived by his philosophies to the extent that he had to sacrifice his life to prove a point. Socrates was falsely accused of corrupting the youth using his ideologies with regards to life in general and after a trial, he was rendered guilty as charged. His actions were punishable by law and as a result, he was sentenced to death through execution. His friends and close associates felt that he was not fit to die and one of them, Crito, offered to help him escape the hands of death through execution. Therefore, he visited him in prison and assured him of his guaranteed safety if he would think about his friend and family’s welfare through his presence. He was a staunch philosopher who lived according to what he taught the masses and as a result, he expressed little concern on what those close to him would think of him (Kanayama, 2018). He wished to remain moral and just in all his actions and relations with those he encountered. He never wanted to betray his followers by living contrary to his set guidelines and as such, he chose to die. He believed that death was better than any form of unjust. According to him, escaping from punishment was equal to committing wrong to society as he would be running away from his rightful fate. Based on these assumptions and beliefs, he chose to be executed even when he had the opportunity to start all over. Given his beliefs, Socrates would have been wrong if he would embrace going to exile and not execution which he considered to be his fate.
Socrates was a prominent Greek philosopher who influenced people through his character, real-life and thoughts. These aspects still affect the modern elements of modern philosophy. According to Socrates, one’s way of life should depict his/her level of morality. He stated and thought his followers his beliefs and expected them to be true to themselves. He advocated for ethical and moral lives rather than life itself as he noted that without morality and good living, life was not worth living. Socrates considered it immoral to engage in unjust actions. Based on his principles, he believed that participating in an unfair action was worse than being subjected to the injustice in question. He supported his views by elaborating that one’s soul would automatically get affected once he/she engages in unjust behaviours.
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On the other hand, when one was subjected to these actions, only his body would be affected and as such the soul lives forever. Socrates advocated for the welfare of the soul because he believed that once it got destroyed, then the hope to embark in morality would be lost forever (Kanayama, 2018). His decision to embrace his execution fate is based on his desire to embrace justice and morality. He felt that by accepting the punishment, he would portray courage in living for what he believes in. His teachings and actions were directed towards changing society through the improvement of morality in people from all walks of life. He sought to make the society a better place by influencing and changing the views of the public as a whole and as a result, he sought to lead by example. Ultimately, he ignored and challenged Crito’s exile suggestion based on his morality (Rodrigues & Harding, 2009). Consequently, according to his beliefs, he did the right thing as he chose to remain moral and just even unto his death.
Additionally, Socrates had a high conviction and commitment to the Athenian Law. He believed that the law was meant to be followed and whoever broke it was to face trial and punishment as stated. During his trial, Socrates was rendered guilty by the Athenian jury and as a result, he felt that it was his responsibility to accept his punishment. He held that it was fair and to pay for his mistakes as the contrary would depict his lack of morality and a high level of injustice (Dorion, 2018). Socrates considered the law even with regards to his actions and in the end; he accepted the punishment per this law.
Socrates’ conversation with Crito is crucial. The conversation not only depicts the effects of the impending situation on Socrates but also on Crito. It further illustrates the calmness embraced by Socrates even in the face of his death. The fact that Socrates fails to change his mind about his fate shows the connection between him, his philosophies as well as his stance in the Athenian law. The dialogue depicts that Socrates does not care about the opinions of the majority as he is led by morality and just actions. Therefore, regardless of Crito’s emotional point of view, Socrates is a true definition of steadfast and non-wavered philosophies.
The public moral opinion of the members of the public on his accusation is negative. In this case, the public views Socrates as a trouble maker who seeks to mislead the youths and others in society. They, therefore, seek to attack him using the law. Socrates had the inquisitive character and in most situations, he sought information from the members of the public and in cases where they failed to offer satisfactory answers, they appeared as fools. Markedly, this did not auger well with them as they sought to bring Socrates down to minimize his rhetorical philosophies regarding morality and justice (Livingston, 2009). Thus, they viewed him from the negative point of view and hence they rendered him both guilty and immoral.
In his situation, Socrates faces different risks. For instance, even though he flees and hides in the neighbouring cities, he is bound to face a similar fate. The territories may render him a stranger or enemy, and this may lead to his imprisonment and execution altogether. Besides, he may not practice that which he deems right and this renders his way of life not worth it. The fact that he is used to pointing out moral issues, as well as injustices in his city, can be transferred during his period in exile and in the end, he faces the risk of being subjected to a similar fate (Marchevsky, 2004). Similarly, his escape is detrimental to all people in Athens. The effect is attributed to the information that he has spread across these territories. His escape renders the information unreliable and thus, this marks the end of sharing his views.
Moreover, his escape will affect the mechanisms of applying the Athenian laws as the residents will emulate his example and run away from justice. Socrates primary goal is to promote morality in his city and his escape does not guarantee him this. Leaving his city equates to abandoning his dreams and responsibility to cater for the philosophical needs of the Athenians in both the short and the long-run (Kanayama, 2018). Ultimately, this will be immoral and unjust on his path.
Notably, Socrates’ beliefs and philosophies played a significant role in his decision to ignore exile at the expense of his precious life. His actions lead to the discussion on the true definition of right and wrong in society. His friend Crito offered him a golden opportunity to escape from the woes that faced him but he chose to let the chance getaway courtesy of his beliefs and principles. If he would embrace the opportunity, his actions would not only affect him as an individual but also the residents of Athens. Being a philosopher, he invested most of his time trying to unravel justice and morality in society. He spread the information he arrived at among the youth and the elderly and this created a specific impression about him. The fact that he had many followers meant that his actions were watched by many and any sign of wavering would bring down his overall reputation which would, in turn, deny him the peace of mind. On the path of the Athens residents, they would be misled to think that they would always run away from reality and the law when they committed mistakes. Therefore, even though he knew he never deserved the punishment Socrates accepted it rather than embarking on the unjust action of escaping as he believed that; people were supposed to hold their uprightness and morality even in the face of wrongs.
References
Dorion, L. A. (2018). Plato and Xenophon on the Different Reasons that Socrates Always Obeys the Law. In Plato and Xenophon (pp. 487-509). Brill.
Livingston, J. C. (2009). Anatomy of the sacred: An introduction to religion . Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Marchevsky, M. (2004). Socrates misinterpreted and misapplied: An analysis of the constructed contradiction between the apology and the Crito Macalester Journal of
Philosophy : Vol. 13: Iss.1. Article 4. Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/philo/vol13/iss1/4
Rodrigues, H. P., & Harding, J. S. (2009). Introduction to the study of religion . London, NJ: Routledge.
Kanayama, M. (2018). Why Didn’t Socrates Escape?. In Soul and Mind in Greek Thought. Psychological Issues in Plato and Aristotle (pp. 55-80). Springer, Cham.
