Create a new account

It's simple, and free.

Details

  • 2 Pages
  • 559 Words

Plato Crito & Phaedo

In Plato’s Crito and Phaedo, we are treated to dialogues which help us understand many concepts including the relationship between philosophy and the good life. The good life alone is to be valued, a life that is just and honorable and a life attainable only through philosophy. We see for Plato there is a realm of truth that is outside the realm of the opinions of others, a realm achievable through the soul which acts like the middle-man between ideas and appearances. Socrates argues in the Crito that his whole life has been devoted to philosophy (following reason) not dictated by the opinions of others. This has allowed him to live the good life, i.e., a just and honorable one. Therefore, he argues it would go against reason to disobey the laws of state (even if it means his own death) because a good citizen concerns himself only with right versus wrong and Socrates’ perceives it as wrong to try to escape “In the matter of just and unjust, fair and foul, good and evil, which are the subjects of our present consultation, ought we to follow the opinion of the many and to fear them; or the opinion of the one man who has understanding, and whom we ought to fear and reverence more than all the rest of the world: and whom deserting we shall destroy and injure that principle in us which may be assumed to be improved by justice and deteriorated by injustice; is there not such a principle?” (Plato 46a-50a).

Thus, a good life would be abandoned if Socrates conferred with the opinions of his friends and broke the laws of the state. This would represent doing the wrong thing as a good citizen, but also abandoning the good life by rejecting philosophy. Only philosophical contemplation yields the good life. In Phaedo, we see the concept of ideas furthered and contemplation regarding the immortality of the soul “And the same may be said of the immortal: if the immortal is also imperishable, the soul when at

...

Page 1 of 2 Next >

More on Plato Crito & Phaedo...

Loading...
APA     MLA     Chicago
Plato Crito & Phaedo. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 13:46, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1686118.html