Consequences Of Injustice In The Trials Of Socrates By Plato

In The Trials of Socrates by Plato, a common theme arises among the three Platonic dialogues Apology, Crito, and Phaedo Death Scene: injustice. Apology details the trial of Socrates, and displays how the philosopher defended himself, and his character, against unfounded accusations. Crito narrates the interaction between Crito and Socrates, in which Crito tries to persuade the condemned to commit an unjust action in exchange for his freedom. Phaedo Death Scene recounts the execution of Socrates and the sorrowful reactions of those present. Each of the aforementioned texts presents the notion of injustice differently in that Apology and Phaedo Death Scene concentrates on the figures who suffered injustices—whereas Crito addresses the literal …show more content…
Crito details an exchange between Socrates and his student Crito, in which they debate the relevance of the aforementioned principle as it pertains to Socrates ' fate. Crito tries to persuade Socrates to escape prison and therefore avoid death; he is in a state of disbelief when Socrates reveals that he has no desire to evade the death sentence. Socrates accepted his fate with an air of resignation, understanding that disobeying the verdict delivered by the court would be unjust. Crito adopts a different approach and argues that Socrates ' death in itself is unjust, due to the loss of wisdom and instruction that would result from his absence. Furthermore, Crito argues that although the act of escaping prison is unjust, the suffering that Socrates endured during the trial justified the deed. Socrates refutes the pleas of his student stating, "One must neither do injustice in return nor wrong any man, no matter what one has suffered at his hands" (Plato 71). Although Socrates faced injustices from the Athenian people, ranging from unfounded prejudices to condemnation, he understood that responding to an unjust action with similar actions was