What is the purpose of the ‘speech of the laws’, in Plato’s Crito? How is it related to Crito’s political opinions and preferences as expressed in this dialogue?
PH207
Patrick McKeon
11339276
Amos Edelheit
What is the purpose of the ‘speech of the laws’, in Plato’s Crito? How is it related to Crito’s political opinions and preferences as expressed in this dialogue?
Introduction
In the following essay I will be discussing the purpose of the speech of laws in Plato’s Crito. I will also be discussing its relation to Crito’s political opinions and preferences as expressed in the dialogue. I will be focussing on the purpose of the speech of laws. In my discussion on their purpose I will be explaining the relevant sections of the dialogue before explaining the purpose of the law’s arguments in these sections.
The Effect of the Laws on the Escape of Socrates
In his attempt to convince Crito that he should not escape Socrates uses the Speech of Laws. He describes the laws as sentient beings capable of reason. This fulfils a number of purposes in itself. He speaks of the laws as if they were in the position of his parents. The order imposed by them forced his parents to nurture and teach him in the ways of gymnastics and music. Also, much like one’s parents the authority of the laws should not be disobeyed outright, but rather convinced of their wrongdoing. The laws are to be considered right and just until proven to be otherwise. With this line of reasoning Socrates gets past the circumstances of his own imprisonment and impending execution as he himself failed to convince the court of his lack of any wrongdoing.
The laws firstly set aside any chance that Socrates could be escaping simply due to the virtue of a will to live. Any self-preservation motivational factor such as this would fail to yield a cast-iron will to destroy the laws. This observation of the laws is also true in the respect that had Socrates wished to preserve his life without breaking any laws then he would have behaved in a manner more befitting a court during his trial.
The laws move on to their judgement of what Crito suggests; the escape of
Patrick McKeon
11339276
Amos Edelheit
What is the purpose of the ‘speech of the laws’, in Plato’s Crito? How is it related to Crito’s political opinions and preferences as expressed in this dialogue?
Introduction
In the following essay I will be discussing the purpose of the speech of laws in Plato’s Crito. I will also be discussing its relation to Crito’s political opinions and preferences as expressed in the dialogue. I will be focussing on the purpose of the speech of laws. In my discussion on their purpose I will be explaining the relevant sections of the dialogue before explaining the purpose of the law’s arguments in these sections.
The Effect of the Laws on the Escape of Socrates
In his attempt to convince Crito that he should not escape Socrates uses the Speech of Laws. He describes the laws as sentient beings capable of reason. This fulfils a number of purposes in itself. He speaks of the laws as if they were in the position of his parents. The order imposed by them forced his parents to nurture and teach him in the ways of gymnastics and music. Also, much like one’s parents the authority of the laws should not be disobeyed outright, but rather convinced of their wrongdoing. The laws are to be considered right and just until proven to be otherwise. With this line of reasoning Socrates gets past the circumstances of his own imprisonment and impending execution as he himself failed to convince the court of his lack of any wrongdoing.
The laws firstly set aside any chance that Socrates could be escaping simply due to the virtue of a will to live. Any self-preservation motivational factor such as this would fail to yield a cast-iron will to destroy the laws. This observation of the laws is also true in the respect that had Socrates wished to preserve his life without breaking any laws then he would have behaved in a manner more befitting a court during his trial.
The laws move on to their judgement of what Crito suggests; the escape of
References: Allen, R.E., Socrates and Legal Obligation, (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, 1980) E. Hamilton and H. Cairns [eds.], The Collected Dialogues of Plato (Princeton 1978) Kraut, Richard, Socrates and the State. (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University, 1984) Stokes, Michael C, Dialectic in Action: An Examination of Plato 's Crito, (Swansea: Classical Press of Wales, 2005) Weiss, Rosslyn, Socrates Dissatisfied: An Analysis of Plato 's 'Crito ' (Oxford University Press, 1998) Woozley, A.D., Law and Obedience: The Arguments of Plato 's Crito, (London: Duckworth, 1979)