Socrates\' Decision-Defense Before We Begin Our Discussion

SOCRATES' DECISION-defense

Before we begin our discussion on Socrates' decision and take a position on this issue, we must bear in mind that philosophy doesn't offer any clear-cut answers to perplexing questions or situations. For this reason, we need to closely study various writings and philosophies and strive to interpret them in our way.

The reason Socrates' decision is still embroiled in controversy is because many fail to see consistency between what he preached and how he behaved in the end. Critics maintain that if Socrates always believed in doing the right thing, how could he possibly obey a wrong order? Fair enough. In an attempt to unearth the reasons on which Socrates must have based his decision, some critics frustratingly declared that Socrates was a "law unto himself" -- Colaiaco, 223 and thus his decision need not be questioned.

However this approach is flawed and raises even more misunderstandings and confusion. For this reason, we have decided to defend Socrates' decision in this paper by studying whatever relevant primary material was available to us. By primary material, we refer to ancient texts such as Plato's plays and eastern philosophical writings. This helps in developing original interpretations, which are not influenced by external views and comments.

Overview: Socrates' trial and sentence

Socrates was a great philosopher and thinker who being a devoted citizen of Athens, refused to go into exile when his enemies threatened to sentence him to death. There were many important reasons why Socrates refused to leave the city, including his love for Athens, his belief that death was inevitable and his principle that one must always take the right action even if he has been wronged. Many feel that Socrates was being selfish when he preferred death to exile but the philosopher took this step because he wanted to adhere to his own teachings and principles.

He had always taught people about devotion for one's homeland and had repeatedly claimed that he was not scared of death, thus it was impossible for him to abandon his own principles in the time of real crisis. He aggressively defended himself in the court of Athens because he knew that was the right thing to do. He did not present his arguments to only save his life but to practice his own principle that one must protect and promote the truth when he is given a chance. In the play Apology by Plato, he clearly explains why he thought the state was making an erroneous judgment. Reading the following excerpt from the play, we realize that the main reason Socrates had been put on trial was not his rejection of gods or old beliefs but misinterpretation of his views and principles.

I am wiser than this man; it is likely that neither of us knows anything worthwhile, but he thinks he knows something when he does not, whereas when I do not know, neither do I think I know; so I am likely to be wiser than he to this small extent, that I do not think I know what I do not know." (A, p. 27

It is very important to keep the background of Socrates' trial and verdict in mind when attempting to comprehend why Socrates preferred death to escape and whether or not his decision was a sound one. However we must remember that to argue in favor of or against his position requires careful study of several plays by Plato, Socrates most prized pupil. This is because Socrates himself did not leave behind any major works, so whatever we know about him is through Plato's plays. The most important ones are Apology and Crito, which discuss the last few years of Socrates' life and thus provide us with huge volumes of information on the reasons behind Socrates' decision.

My position on Socrates' decision personally believe that Socrates did the right thing by preferring death to escape. In other words, though an escape would have saved his life, still he took the best action he could by obeying state's orders.

This is because this decision was more in tandem with his personal philosophies and teachings, and an escape from Athens would have voided whatever he stood for. There are many ways in which we can argue in favor of Socrates' position. I choose to take into account some important plays to highlight the personal beliefs and teachings of this sage, which would help us understand why he did the right thing by obeying state's orders.

Arguments in defense of my position

The most important arguments that we can present in favor of Socrates' position are summarized below. We shall later discuss each of them in detail in the light of Plato's plays to defend our position on the issue.

Socrates believed that one must never do anything wrong or evil.

He thought state had a moral authority to expect that its citizens would obey its laws and orders.

Socrates had a sentimental attachment to Athens and considered himself a gadfly.

Socrates knew that death was inevitable.

Socrates maintained that death was more respectable an option than escape.

Now let us understand how his teachings influenced his decision and why we believe he did the right thing by obeying state's orders and drinking poison. In the play Apology, Socrates explains very carefully why he was on trial and how the state was committing a grave mistake by sentencing him to death. In this play, Plato recreates the whole trial scene where Socrates is defending himself in Athenian Court. He carefully illustrates the reasons why he was called 'corruptor of youth'. This is where he explicitly tells Athenians that they were being poisoned against him because the very people who had put him on trial did not understand the worth or value of his teachings.

We need to understand that the charges against Socrates and his arguments in his own defense are good sources of information on the reasons why he chose death over escape.

Socrates knew that taking any position on an important issue is likely to result in danger. For this reason, when death became an imminent reality, Socrates stuck with his philosophies or else his entire belief system would have suffered. He clearly mentioned in Apology, "Wherever a man has taken a position that he believes to be the best, or has been placed by his commander, there he must I think remain and face danger, without a thought for death or anything else, rather than disgrace." (A, p. 33)

Now here we come to an extremely important point in our discussion. What exactly was the issue in this trial? The issue was learning and practicing philosophy. He knew that by putting him on trial the state wanted Socrates to give up philosophy for what it described as the general good of Athenians.

However Socrates knew this was something that he couldn't possibly do as he clearly declared:

If you said to me in this regard: "Socrates, we do not believe Anytus now; we acquit you, but only on the condition that you spend no more time on this investigation, and do not practice philosophy, and if you are caught doing so you will die;" if, as I say, you were to acquit me on these terms, I would say to you: "Gentlemen of the jury, I am grateful and I am your friend, but I will obey the god rather than you, and as long as I draw breath and am able, I shall not cease to practice philosophy..." (A, p. 34)

Once it was clear that he couldn't abandon philosophy, he found himself in a major dilemma. While on the one hand, abandoning philosophy would hurt his life's purpose, on the other, practicing it would mean he was disobeying state's orders. But disobeying state's orders was something against his beliefs as he told Crito in another Plato's play. He was of the view that state should not be disobeyed because it hurts the legal structure. He also believed that disobeying the state means correcting an evil by another evil. He was of the view that a person must always choose what appears morally and ethically correct, even if this leads to his death or destruction. He told Crito that disobeying the state was against his teachings, as he believed that state had every right to expect obedience from its citizens.

If what we say is true, what you are now attempting to do to us is not just. For we gave you birth, nurtured, educated you, giving a share of everything which is beautiful to you and all the other citizens, yet proclaiming permission to any Athenian wishing to do it, when one has become a citizen and seen the business in the state and our laws, if we do not please, one is allowed to take one's things and go away wherever one wishes. And none of our laws stand in the way nor forbid it," (Crito)

However Socrates knew that refusal to practicing philosophy would mean he was blatantly disobeying the state. The only other option that the state had given him was that of death. He therefore felt it was wiser of him to choose death and thus obey state's orders instead of leaving philosophy and displeasing God. By preferring death to abandonment of his life's purpose, Socrates could practice what he preached that was obedience to state without giving up philosophy.

Therefore he felt the best thing he could do was choose death and leave the world with honor. Escape was simply out of question because running away disgracefully had no place in his beliefs or philosophies.

He was of the view that two wrongs did not make a right and thus stuck with his decision even when Crito had made all arrangements for his escape. He was of the view that if he left, he would be hurting Athenians who might accuse him of being a coward. He was also certain that retaliation wasn't a clever idea and could harm the state, Athenians and his own life-long teachings. Read the following excerpt from Crito carefully for it helps clarify some misunderstandings regarding the position of Socrates.

Then out of this agreement we must look at whether it is right for me to try to escape from here without permission of the Athenians, or whether it is not right; and if it appears to be right, let us try, but if not, let us dismiss it...If we were about to run away from here, or whatever one should name this, the laws and the community might come and ask: "Tell me, Socrates, what have you in mind to do? Is this another action you are attempting to plan to destroy our laws and the entire state... If you escape so shamefully retaliating and returning bad actions, breaking your agreements and contracts with us, and acting bad to those whom you least should do so, - yourself and friends and country and us, - we shall be angry with you"

This clearly indicates that while Socrates' escape would have saved his life, it would not have been in his best interest in the long run. By choosing death, he immortalized himself and his principles. This is a great achievement in itself for we rarely come across people who practice what they preach or keep their promises.

Socrates always claimed to be sentimentally attached to his state and city. Escaping death sentence would have meant he neither truly loved the city nor possessed much respect for state laws. In the play Apology by Plato, we notice that Socrates refers to himself as the gadfly of Athens. It is important to understand what is meant by the term 'gadfly' and what exactly did Socrates mean to say when he mentioned this term in his speech during the trial. Gadfly is actually a bloodsucking fly but this term is most commonly used for persons who refuse to let go and thus stick to one thing, cause or motive. While the term is mostly used in negative sense, we notice that in this play it has been used as an adjective to describe Socrates' love for city of Athens.

He was of the view that it would be a grave mistake to put him to death because Athens would never be able to find a citizen as devoted and faithful as Socrates himself. We may not agree with Socrates views but it is true that every city needs devoted citizens because they are the ones who refuse to abandon their homeland in the face of extreme crisis. In that sense, we can say that Socrates was an asset to the society who should not have been sentenced to death. Thus Socrates argues against his death sentence because he felt it would not be in the best interest of his city. However we must understand that Socrates had no choice whatsoever. What he really wanted to do was serve his people by practicing philosophy, however this was something that the state did not permit and thus he opted for death instead of escape. This is because though escape could have saved his life, it wouldn't have done his city or its people any good.

I believe that while the state might put people into unbearable situations and dilemmas, people like Socrates are better off obeying states orders than disobeying them. I have already mentioned the reason why he chose death over escape. Thinkers like Socrates who was an epitome of morality and ethics need to take dramatic decisions to prove their sincerity to their cause and teachings. This is because if they refuse to follow their own teachings, it is obvious that others would too.

Socrates always maintained that death was inevitable and had he chosen escape, it would have shown his disrespect for his own principles. If someone says he is not scared of death, then we expect him to stick to his words in the face of danger. That's what Socrates did and thus decided to opt for death. In attempting to escape and avoid death penalty, he would have intentionally done great damage to state laws and his own teachings. And all this would have been for nothing else but self-preservation.

To fear death, gentlemen, is no other than to think oneself wise when one is not, to think one knows what one does not know. No one knows whether death may not be the greatest of all blessings for a man, yet men fear it as if they knew that it is the greatest of evils. And surely it is the most blameworthy ignorance to believe that one knows what one does not know." (A, p. 34)

Now we understand that the reason Socrates preferred death to escape lied in his personal beliefs and teachings. We must not forget that self-preservation was never a part of Socrates' teachings for he was well aware of the fact that philosophers being the only learned men are likely to encounter danger from the state. In other words, he felt that when a man chooses to swim against the tide, he is more often exposed to dangerous situations where death becomes a too-imminent reality. For this reason, he must have been prepared for death when he chose to reject some of the beliefs that Athenians held dear. Death was therefore not as dreadful an option for him as it is for most of us.

Views of other Thinkers

While Socrates and most other ancient western thinkers and scholars were known for their details views on politics of their day, eastern philosophy was more concerned about the society and its welfare. This is an interesting contrast, which explains why eastern societies had such rich cultural values and no specific political code. By this, it should not be assumed that eastern philosophers were unconcerned about politics. The only reason they focused more on social reforms than political ones was because they firmly believed that it was only through social amendments that political change could be introduced. In other words, they felt that if man changes himself and his society, he could bring about a positive change in all other areas including economy and politics.

Confucius' Views

Confucius would thus have approved of Socrates' decision because he knew that a man could teach the world more by his actions than his words. Secondly Confucius just like Socrates believed that man must do what is right under all circumstances even if it is not in his best interest. The Master has been quoted as saying, "The gentleman (chun tzu) understands y." The small man understands l." [Analects IV: 16] yi means '"right conduct, morality, duty to one's neighbor," while Li refers to '"profit, gain, advantage' (3).

From the afore-mentioned quotation it is clear that Confucius would have wanted Socrates to do what was right instead of what was in his own best interest. He was of the view that a philosopher whom he referred to as Chun tzu, knows the importance of right action and thus never allows his own gains or profit cloud his wisdom. This is exactly what Socrates did. He opted for death because it appeared to be the best thing he could do for his country, his people and his own principles and philosophies.