The Pros And Cons Of Socrates

Still, there are many people who are in opposition to Socrates’ decision of remaining in prison and firmly waiting for his execution. Some critics would claim that Socrates is causing harm by accepting his execution and bringing an end to his life as a teacher. Yet, this claim is refuted because whether Socrates was executed, or he chose to escape and fled into exile, he would not have been able to teach the Athenian people either well. Also, he is not harming others through his death because of the incapability of doing good deeds by living. This means that Socrates would not be doing the right deed by not facing his death penalty because in order for him to continue to make the correct decision, Socrates has to both not escape prison and follow
He argues that in the third issue, Socrates must obey the laws unconditionally, indicating that he has absolutely no choice whereas in the fourth issue, Socrates decided to remain even when he had the opportunity to escape, denoting that he did have a choice, so he should have escaped (Hicks, 2009). In response to Philosopher Hicks, the concept of moral, just, and correct decisions are not seen in his disagreements. According to Socrates, he must obey the laws because of what the Athenian state has done for him because he sees his relationship to the state as a son to a father in which the father nurtured, educated, and paid for all the things the son needed (D’Amato, 2010). Rather than not having a choice, Socrates saw that he had the responsibility and the duty to respond back to the state through his obedience because it was the least he can do. Therefore, Socrates is not contradicting himself because he chose to take responsibility by obeying the laws and made the correct decision of staying in prison, even though he had the opportunity to