Session 8
- Topics: "The Socratic Dilemma:" Reconciling Socratic Thought on the Polis
- Reading: Plato, "Crito"
- If he concedes that they are imperfect, why does Socrates obey the laws?
- Can you reconcile Socrates’ position in “The Apology” with those presented in “Crito?” Does Socrates reconcile his position about “obedience to the laws of the state” with his conviction that “it is morally right to disobey unjust laws?” Is he making some type of distinction between moral and legal rights, or some other claim, etc.?
- Socrates makes the point, throughout the "Crito." that "the really important thing is not to live, but to live well." Furthermore, "one ought not to return an injustice or an injury to an person, whatever the provocation." How do such statements relate to Socrates's understanding of the "good life?" What is your assessment of his belief?
- Do you think Socrates is similar to Athena, Antigone, Creon, Haemon, or any of the characters we read in the two previous tragedies we read in this course? Why or why not?
|
|