Unlike Socrates, I would have jumped at Crito’s offer to flee Athens and avoid the death penalty in a heartbeat. Both Crito and the Laws present rather strong arguments as to why Socrates should either stay or flee from jail. While the rational and selfish part of me wants to concede to Crito’s escape plan, I would argue that the Laws present a better case for staying than Crito does for leaving. Socrates is personifying the Laws of Athens and imagining how he would respond to their claims. The Laws say that it would be wrong for Socrates to violate the verdict because what would happen if more than one individual were to disobey the law? This can lead to the destruction of legal framework and eventually be the cause of total political chaos.
