CRITO

REASONS WHY SOCRATES SHOULD FLEE HIS EXECUTION

(1) 'I will be deprived of a friend'

(2) 'Many people... will think that I could have saved you if I were willing to spend money, but that I did not care to do so'

(3) 'I do not think that what you are doing is right, to give up your life when you can save it'

(4) 'your enemies would hasten [your death].. it [is] their wish to destroy you [and you are granting their wish by staying for your execution]'

(5) 'you are betraying your sons by going away and leaving them... They will probably have the usual fate of orphans.'

(6 (?)) 'People will think it is all] through some cowardice and unmanliness on our part, since we did not save you, or you did not save yourself, when it was possible' (p. 133) [this may be summary]

THE ONLY OPINIONS TO FOLLOW (AND FEAR) ARE THOSE OF ONE WHO HAS KNOWLEDGE OF JUSTICE AND INJUSTICE, OTHERWISE WE WILL HARM OUR SOULS

1. 'certainly with actions just and unjust, shameful and beautiful, good and bad, about which we are now deliberating... [we should follow the opinion] of the one, if there is one who has knowledge of these things and before whom we feel fear and shame more than before all the others'

2. 'We should not then think so much of what the majority will say about us, but what he will say who understands justice and injustice, the one, that is, and the truth itself.'

3. 'If we do not follow his directions, we shall harm and corrupt that part of ourselves that is improved by just actions and destroyed by unjust actions' (p. 135)

4. 'that part of ourselves [that is] more valuable [than the body]'

5. 'Life [is not] worth living for us with that part of us... that unjust action harms and just action benefits'

6. 'The most important thing is not life, but the good life'

7. 'the good life, the beautiful life, and the just life are the same'

THE ONLY THING TO CONSIDER IS WHETHER THE ACTION OF FLEEING IS JUST / RIGHT

1. 'We must therefore examine whether we should act in this way or in that, as not only now but in all times I am the kind of man who listens only to the argument that on reflection seems best to me'

2. 'we must examine next whether it is right for me to try to get out of here when the Athenians have not acquitted me.'

3. 'the only valid consideration, as we were saying just now, is whether we should be acting rightly in giving money and gratitude to those who will lead me out of here, and ourselves helping with the escape, or whether in truth we shall do wrong in doing all this'

4. 'If it [fleeing] is seen to be right, we will try to do so; if it is not, we will abandon the idea'

FIRST ARGUMENT OF THE CRITO: ONE MUST NEVER RETURN AN INJURY FOR AN INJURY

1. 'wrongdoing is in every way harmful and shameful to the wrongdoer'

2. 'So, one must never do wrong'

3. '[So] one must [never] when wronged, inflict wrong in return'

4. 'Injuring people is no different from wrongdoing'

5. [So] 'One must never [injure anyone]"

6. [So] 'if one is oneself injured [one must never] inflict an injury in return'

7. 'One should never... injure any man, whatever injury one has suffered at his hands'

SECOND ARGUMENT OF THE CRITO: ONE SHOULD NOT FLEE THE DEATH PENALTY

(a) 'if we leave here without the city's permission [we are] injuring people whom we should least injure'

(b) '[if we leave here without the city's permission we are not] sticking to a just agreement'

(However, these may come to the same thing).