Socrates and Civil Obecience or Disobedience - 1538 Words

Essay: A Discussion on whether or not I believe that Socrates’ views in the Crito contradict his views expressed in the Apology. My position: I am in disagreement with this statement and my analysis, based on contextual evidence, is as follows: Although I could argue the question posited above from either position, as many have done before and, as many will continue to do after me, I do not believe that Socrates waivers in his beliefs between the two accounts according to Plato. The contradiction, it seems, focuses on whether or not Socrates is a proponent of civil (dis)obedience, and the apparent conflict between the two works revolves around passages from the Apology, that seem to be in opposition to his stated†¦show more content†¦To further bolster his position, Socrates does not fail to point out to the jury that these other men are applauded for doing such â€Å"service† to the city of Athens when he states, â€Å"Each of these men can go to any city and persuade the young, who can keep company with any one of their own fellow citizens they want without paying†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.pay them a fee, and be grateful to them besides† (Apology 19e-20a). Since there does not seem to be a legal problem with them, and they have not been accused of these crimes, Socrates should not even be standing trial on what is clearly trumped up charges, and â€Å"attempting to have a man executed unjustly†(Apology 30d). A side from what seems to be Socrates overt contempt for the rulings of the courts, as stated in the above mentioned examples, there are numerous other examples in the Apology defending my belief that Socrates views, compliance of Athenian law, are consistent throughout both works in question. In a passage located in (19a) of the Apology, Socrates not only refutes the charges against him regarding his proported atheism but summarily solidifies his position as one who clearly is concerned with obeying the law. In this passage he states, â€Å"Even so, let the matter proceed as the god may wish, but I must obey the law and make my defense.† In yet another example, Socrates describes a situation in the past where he served as a member of the council, where his