Analysis Of Socrates Obligation

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First, allow us to examine the first premise of Socrates’ argument in favor for a human being’s obligation to follow the laws of the land. The first premise for his argument is that the Laws of the land dictated the regulations that caused our parents to marry and produce us. Plainly stated, we have the Laws to thank for our existence. I do not believe in this accuracy of this premise in Socrates’ argument. I do not agree with the idea that the Laws had any direct effect on my production nor on my parents joining in marriage. I disagree with Socrates on this point because many children have been born outside of marriage, which leads me to believe that marriage is not necessary for the production of children. In fact, there are couples who are …show more content…
I agree with the notion that education is benefit provided by the rules of society, but I do not believe this education should make us in any way obligated to follow the Laws. Without education, one cannot come to a full understanding of the Laws that one gives consent to obey.Someone may say that an education is one of the benefits offered by the Laws and since that is a benefit, one should only partake in the education if they intend to consent, but consent stems from a full understanding of the Laws. Without a full understanding of the Laws, one cannot consent or not consent to following the Laws imposed upon them by their society. If knowledge of the Laws comes from education and we can only consent when we know the Laws and make the choice to follow them, education cannot be one of the reasons we are obligated to follow society’s rules. I come to this conclusion because the function of education in this scenario is not to tie us to society but to inform us about the society before we one day make the choice to consent of our own free will. Education is intended as preparation for the day we are finally able to make the decision to consent or not consent. Education is only a tool to …show more content…
I believe that, since a person has full knowledge of the rules they are obeying and chooses to remain in the country still, they do consent to follow the Laws. Someone may argue that a person may not have full knowledge of the Laws of the country and therefore is not giving their consent through their residence in that country, but the knowledge of the Laws is entirely accessible and provided for the person in question. If that person disagrees with the Laws or do not want to understand, the Laws do not restrict the person in question from leaving. By not leaving, one has agreed, perhaps not verbally or explicitly, but through their actions that they will uphold the Laws. They have the option to leave if they change their mind or if they do not wish to give their consent in the first place. The person in question has both free will and the knowledge that is needed to make the decision to stay or go. His premise strongly supports his conclusion and I believe this is the strongest premise Socrates’ offers for this argument. I agree with him. If someone, of their own choice and with full knowledge of the Laws, chooses to stay and receive the benefits that are produced by staying, they are obligated to follow the Laws. They made their choice

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