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Socrates Obedience To Authority In Zwolinski's Crito

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In the text “Crito”, Socrates converses to Crito his beliefs about one’s Obedience to Authority. Socrates is incarcerated “for having corrupted the youth and not believing in Athenian Gods” and is “sentenced to death by drinking hemlock” (Zwolinski 109). Since Socrates has a day or two until he must be put to death, Crito believes that he should try to escape his death as soon as possible. Socrates does not believe that it would be right for him to escape because “this is an attempt to destroy the state” (Zwolinski 109). Socrates believes that if one is taken care of by the state and is treated just as the rest of the citizens for his or her whole life, then one should abide by the states rules and regulations. Also, he believes that no one man’s opinion hails greater than …show more content…

Furthermore, Socrates believes that “neither injury, retaliation or warding off evil by evil is ever right” (Zwolinski 114). Crito attempts to persuade Socrates to escape, but Socrates states that “no matter what evil he has suffered, retaliating with more evil” is morally wrong (Zwolinski 114). He believes that if one does not wish to abide by the rules and regulations then one always has the option to get up and leave the state at anytime. Although, Crito believes that Socrates should escape because if Socrates accepts his death then he is “not only betraying his friends, but also his children; for he might bring them up and educate them; instead of which he goes away and leaves them, and they will have to take their chances” (Zwolinski 111). Crito states that this route is a route that only a coward would take and that a real man would persevere to the end of their nurture and education. Socrates goes against Crito’s claim because he believes that one is not doing any justice to friends or family in transgressing in this sort of

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