FREE ESSAY ON SOCRATES

SOCRATES

While reading Plato's Meno, Euthyphro, apology, and Crito, it became apparent that
Socrates held very strong beliefs about the relationship between law and morality.
Socrates makes it clear about the reasons laws should be or not be followed. He also
clarifies his stand on why laws should be followed and why disobedience to the law is
rarely justified. 
Socrates views humanity in the context that anybody is capable of wrongdoing. He
continues with the elaboration that even returning an injury upon oneself is wrong.
Socrates then makes a connection between the city and morality. If one is acting without
the city's allowance, one is doing wrong toward the city and it's laws. Behaving wrongly
towards the people is also doing wrong against the city. The wrongdoing would become a
way of destroying the cities laws, and hurting citizens in the process. Socrates compares
this relationship to that of how a child should not cause harm to his parents. By doing
so you disrespect the laws within the city. Causing harm to your father would lead to
conviction; further illustrating the fact that wrong against the law is a wrong against
everybody who abides by that law. 
Socrates follows this by examining what each citizen is taught. From birth you are told
to obey laws. You were brought to life from your mother and father and thus you should
respect and obey the rules that they do. But the cities laws were there before you mother
and father, and are therefor equally if not more important than the laws of your mother
and father. The city's law should be respected at least as equally as one's parents
should.
Socrates then goes on to explain that you do not have the same rights as your parents.
Because they have taught what is right and wrong, it is immoral to treat your parents as
they treat you. Your parents must have a higher position than you because they taught
you. This thought is then extended to the city with the quote "One must obey the commands
of one's city and country, or persuade it as to the nature of justice. It is impious to
bring violence to bear against your mother or father, it is much more so to use it
against you country." (Crito, 46) One should obey your parents, but more important is the
city. Because the city was that which has taught your ancestors and your parents, it must
be superior to them. The cities laws being superior to your mother or father, should be
respected and followed. Socrates explains his thoughts of the city and its rules as the
nature of life. We were welcomed into the world by the city so it is immoral to fight
against it. The laws should be accepted and followed. 
But one should not obey a law just because it is a law. What is moral has been taught to
us by our parents, and to them from the city. It is their opinion that will tell us if
our actions are moral or not. However, one aspect of the city and its laws is that you
are not forced to do as it dictates. As Socrates explains, you have two options, to obey
the law or not. But in regards to Socrates opinion, it is not another's opinion to decide
what is right and wrong for us. But just as children argue with their parents, one
doesn't have to do everything that he is told to. It is an immoral life to follow others
opinions about morality.
From Euthyphro Socrates opinion on how disobedience can be justified is shown. When
Euthyhro accuses his father of murder, he states "I say that the pious to do what I am
doing now, to prosecute the wrongdoer, be it about murder or temple robbery or anything
else, whether the wrongdoer is your father or your mother or anyone else; not to
prosecute is impious." (Euthyphro, 22) In this case, Socrates is defending himself. He
doesn't believe in all the God's ideas and is justifying his opinion. He has similar
thoughts about morality when he states "I find it hard to accept things like that being
said about the gods, and it is likely to be the reason why I shall be told I do wrong."
(Euthyphro, 22) 
After being told by the Oracle the he was the wisest, he set out to prove the oracle
wrong. He talked to everybody only to find that those who were supposed to be the wisest
knew the least. This examination leads to the belief that parents just teach their
children without any knowledge about what they are teaching. 
The city finds Socrates guilty of the charges of "corrupting the young and not believing
in the gods whom the city believes." This lends to the thought that the only reason one
should believe in Gods is because the city does. But Socrates is on a continual search
for knowledge. It is apparent that he does not believe the same way that the city does.
From his point of view, both the disobedience of the law and the civil disobedience
behind it was justifiable.