Crito

But he is also more deeply in earnest.

He rises higher than even in the Phaedo and Crito.

At first enveloping his moral convictions in a cloud of dust and dialectics, he ends by losing his method, his life, himself in them.

As in the Protagoras and Phaedrus, throwing aside the veil of irony, he makes a speech, but true to his character, not until his adversary has refused to answer any more questions.

The allusion to Gorgias' definition of rhetoric, Philippus, compare Gorgias, as the art of persuasion, of all arts the best, for to it all things submit, not by compulsion, but of their own free will, marks a close and perhaps designed connection between the two dialogues.

In both, the ideas of measure, order, harmony are the connecting links between the beautiful and the good.

In general spirit and character, that is, in irony and antagonism to public opinion, the Gorgias most nearly resembles the Apology, Crito, and portions of the Republic, and like the Philippus, though from another point of view, may be thought to stand in the same relation to Plato's theory of morals which the Theaetetus bears to his theory of knowledge.

D.

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Crito by Plato Translated by Benjamin Jowett This is a LibriVox recording.

All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain.

For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org The Crito seems intended to exhibit the character of Socrates in one light only, not as the philosopher, fulfilling a divine mission and trusting in the will of heaven, but simply as a good citizen, who having been unjustly condemned, is willing to give up his life in obedience to the laws of the state.

The days of Socrates are drawing to a close.

The fatal ship has been seen off Sunium, as he is informed by his aged friend and contemporary Crito, who visits him before the dawn has broken.

He himself has just been warned in a dream that on the third day he must depart.

Time is precious, and Crito has come early in order to gain his consent to a plan of escape.

But he is also more deeply in earnest.

He rises higher than even in the Phaedo and Crito.

At first enveloping his moral convictions in a cloud of dust and dialectics, he ends by losing his method, his life, himself in them.

As in the Protagoras and Phaedrus, throwing aside the veil of irony, he makes a speech, but true to his character, not until his adversary has refused to answer any more questions.

The allusion to Gorgias' definition of rhetoric, Philebus, compare Gorgias, as the art of persuasion, of all arts the best, for to it all things submit, not by compulsion, but of their own free will, marks a close and perhaps designed connection between the two dialogues.

In both, the ideas of measure, order, harmony are the connecting links between the beautiful and the good.

In general spirit and character, that is, in irony and antagonism to public opinion, the Gorgias most nearly resembles the Apology, Crito, and portions of the Republic, and like the Philebus, though from another point of view, may be thought to stand in the same relation to Plato's theory of morals which the Theaetetus bears to his theory of knowledge.

D.

Then when he was obliged to speak in defense of his life, did he behave like a man who had children, who had a wife? No, but he behaved like a man who has neither.

And what did he do when he was ordered to drink the poison, and when he had the power of escaping from prison, and when Crito said to him, Escape for the sake of your children? What did Socrates say? Did he consider the power of escape as an unexpected gain? For he did not choose, he said, to save his poor body, but to save that which is increased and saved by doing what is just, and is impaired and destroyed by doing what is unjust.

Socrates will not save his life by a base act.

He who would not put the Athenians to the vote when they clamored that he should do so, he who refused to obey the tyrants, he who discoursed in such a manner about virtue and right behavior, it is not possible to save such a man's life by a base act, but he is saved by dying, not by running away.

If they pursue anything other than virtue, do like the cynics would later do and yell at them in the streets and question them thoroughly.

Try to get them to change their ways.

In the next book, which is Crito, Socrates has a chance to escape, and according at least to the way Plato tells it, Socrates says it would be unjust for him to escape.

He wants to abide by the laws of the state, of the city anyway, right? And for him to flee would be to flaunt the laws of the people, the laws of the gods, and it would be unjust.

What are you giving me philosophy for? I don't understand this.

And it was just, it's got the Crito, the Phaedrus and the last dialogue of Socrates in it.

And it blew my mind because I could understand it.

This was so beautifully translated.

So I would read a overview, a bridge version of what the pre-Socratics taught.

I would read, uh, Plato's apology, like Crito, uh, uh, Some of those early dialogues, Timaeus maybe.

It's a little bit of a challenge to read Timaeus, but you can probably get through it.

And then I would say to work on the Republic, because the Republic is going to be the main challenge for a person new to philosophy.

The dialogues are so interesting.

Plato's Apology, Crito, so interesting stuff.

And teach him his literature and get students excited.

And if these professors find those aspects of Plato exciting, well, more power to them.

And indeed, my job here as a podcaster, a writer, a video maker on the web, and insert philosophyhere.com, is not to speak to the ivory tower and let's create more carbon copy fetishizers in the ivory tower.

My job is to reach beyond the ivory tower to people who, who have no real understanding or knowledge of philosophy, who need to have their resistance to philosophy overcome.

I have nothing against Plato's Apology or Crito or Euthyphro, but there are dozens of important philosophical texts that I wouldn't remove to keep those Platonic dialogues in an Intro to Philosophy course.

Philosophers who deal with the issues we face today are important, and giving students the philosophical tools to help them think about those issues is very important.

Wisdom he considered the sum of the virtues.

Among the prominent members of the Socratic sect were Xenophon, Aeschines, Crito, Simon, Glauco, Simmias, and Cebes.

Professor Zeller, the great authority on ancient philosophies, has recently declared the writings of Xenophon relating to Socrates to be forgeries.

When the Clouds of Aristophanes, a comedy written to ridicule the theories of Socrates, was first presented, the great skeptic himself attended the play.

Platonism is based upon a priori reasoning, Aristotelianism upon a posteriori reasoning.

Aristotle taught his pupil, Alexander the Great, to feel that if he had not done a good deed he had not reigned that day.

Among his followers were Theophrastus, Strato, Lyco, Aristo, Critolaus, and Diodorus.

Of skepticism as propounded by Pyro of Elis, three hundred and sixty-five to two hundred and seventy-five BC, and by Timon, Sextus Empiricus said that those who seek must find or deny they have found or can find, or persevere in the inquiry.