The Role Of Socrates In The Crito

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Throughout history, many laws and other customs have been drastically altered through rebellious activities whether peaceful or violent. Oftentimes, forms of revolt are necessary to get a point across and correct an unjust political system. This is evident not only with Socrates in the Crito, but also multiple recent endeavors such as African-American civil rights movement. Throughout the Crito, Socrates maintains a firm standpoint and is persistent that he is right in an attempt to prove his point. Socrates’ attempt at rebellion is justified by his peaceful act of doing so and the freedom he is trying to implement into the current political system. In a non-constitutional society like Athens was at the time, laws would not change without a persistent, respectable approach like Socrates provided. In the Crito he is so determined to justify his position that he faces death instead of escaping because it would abolish respectability of his approach. This …show more content…
Both individuals were determined to persuade authoritative figures into realizing the unjust laws present, yet they were willing to accept the given repercussions if they are not able to do so. This is extremely evident during the multiple occurrences where King is sent to jail for his actions, and the manner that Socrates complies with his punishments. Both individual’s terms of justice and how it can be achieved are acceptable through the means they take to do so, but it raises the possible issue of a moral anarchy. A situation where all citizens oppose obeying laws set before them eradicates the possibility of an efficient government being able to prosper. Preventing this is what makes both the method and sufficient reasoning for civil disobedience so important. If neither of these aspects are appropriate, civil disobedience can possibly cause more problems than it is intended to

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