Why Socrates Chose to Stay in Prison Despite Injustice

Abstract

Socrates was imprisoned for three reasons: he corrupted the youth, he rejected the city's gods, and he worshiped new deities. These are the laws of Athens, and no one may alter them. Athens' laws are designed to be observed, so breaking them would have been wrong for Socrates. Socrates argued that he should not try to escape prison because of the following reasons: one must never do wrong, one must never return wrong for wrong done, and one must never damage others. Socrates was imprisoned despite the lack of proof and absurdity of the charges he was accused of, since he was a citizen of Athens and agreed to its rules. If you damage someone else, you harm yourself and your soul, according to Socrates. In spite of Crito's pleadings, Socrates remained in prison because he wanted to do the right thing, and that was to stay behind bars and not flee. I believe that as inhabitants of a certain country, we are obligated to follow the norms and regulations that come with that country, and that implicit assent is sufficient to make it a moral duty to do so. As soon as we are born citizens of a certain country, we agree to abide by its laws. In our infancy, we are unable to provide our unambiguous agreement to abide by the rules of our nations. In the end, Socrates decided that escaping from prison was immoral, so he didn't. He viewed it as though he had committed the crime, so he had to pay the price and accept the consequences. At the same time, Socrates realized his life was in jeopardy because of his conviction and because of the rules of Athens, which he regarded as a boon to his well-being. The term "laws" refers to the fact...