ENGL 298 B: Intermediate Writing Social Sciences   Autumn 2011, University of Washington

“Consider, Socrates, whether this is not only evil, but shameful, both for you and for us.” (46a)

Crito tries to present Socrates with many different motivating forces for him to leave, jumping lightly from one to the next. Crito attempts to use shame as a reason to convince Socrates to leave the prison, claiming that Socrates and all his followers would look silly if such rich, influential failed in saving their leader. Further, Socrates should feel ashamed because it looks either cowardly or dim to pass up such an open opportunity for self-preservation. This presentation of shame as a potential driving force is important because it compels Socrates to choose between shame and principles. Socrates projected a consistent message during his time as a gadfly, and he obviously chose to stick by his principles until death. I find it important to recognize the idea of shame here because Plato spells out a central conflict in the above passage.

“if we leave here without the city’s permission, are we harming people whom we should least do harm to? (50a)

The philanthropic urge to prevent harm from coming to others is a strong motivator for Socrates. Socrates says that “doing people harm is no different from wrongdoing,” (49c) and both he and Crito agree that wrongs should not be returned with more wrongs. Crito tries to justify leaving by claiming that the city and their ruling harmed Socrates, but Socrates believes he has been harmed by men, not the laws. Socrates tells Crito that running away from Athens would be the affliction of a harm on the city-state. Therefore, if leaving and breaking the laws would harm the legal system, it would be doubly unfair to return a wrong from men with a wrong to Athens. Furthermore, Socrates believes that there is a part of himself that is harmed by committing unjust acts and is nourished by good actions, and to avoid the law by saving his own life, Socrates believes he will be permanently harming that piece of himself.