Response To Socrates 'Crito'

Crito Prompt
In Crito, a student of Socrates, Crito, makes several arguments as to why Socrates should not drink the hemlock, but flee the city. In one of his responses Socrates explains to Crito that one should not base his decisions on the opinions of the majority. In another response, Socrates asserts that a citizen should follow the laws of the state. The state of Athens is a democracy and, as such, is ruled by the people (Cartwright). As the people are the majority of Athens, the state is comprised of the majority. Some might object that because Athens is ruled by a majority, it would be illogical to follow their laws. Perhaps because the majority are seldom the experts and, as Socrates indicates,it is far more logical to listen to the experts. In this situation, however the majority are the experts. They are the citizens of Athens, the people who chose the manner of government, and to be governed by it. The citizens rule themselves and are the creators, enforcers, and interpreters of

In his second response he discusses the importance of following the laws created by the state. Though he uses different terminology, Socrates is essentially discussing the same group of people. The state of Athens is ruled by a democracy; a government ruled by the people. In the structure of a Democracy the jurors and officials must be Athenian Citizens thirty years or older. Jurors were also required to be under oath during the proceedings (Cartwright). Due to the required age, the participants were experienced citizens in that the had resided in Athens long enough to gain at least a base understanding of its citizens, themselves included, and the inner working of the justice system. These citizens are directly affected by the laws created by their government. Laws are created to benefit the citizens, therefore it is in their best interests to use experts on the people of the state as