The Disobedience Of Authority By Socrates - 982 Words

Disobedience of Authority Whether it is ever justified to disobey authority has been disagreed upon for centuries; Plato outlined the issue of disobedience in his work of Crito, where Socrates is sentenced to death for: openly practicing philosophy, corruption of the young, and disbelief in the gods of Athens. Before officials arrived, Crito, Socrates friend, visited him to persuade him that his charges are unjustified and to escape and thrive elsewhere with his family elsewhere before the authorities arrive. From this point of view, disobedience of authority was justified because Socrates motives for escaping are selfless compared to only self-sustaining charges of the government. After listening to Crito s points, Socrates believes that he should not disobey authority because a life is not worth living with a soul tarnished by the wrongdoings of breaking an agreement he made with more informed experts of the State, and the consequences of his actions for the wellbeing of Athens. F rom this perspective, Socrates should accept his charges because he would be compromising his soul by wrongfully breaking an agreement he made between him and the state by accepting their laws, which would jeopardize the wellbeing of the state by others following his example. So should Socrates escape from prison, and disobey authority, or should he face his own fate from the courts, and comply, even when authority has overextended its control? This debate in Crito echoes many dilemmasShow MoreRelatedThe Truth Behind Political Thought944 Words   |  4 Pagesadheres to. Thus creates this inconsistency ,that civil disobedience is not justified because of society s accentuation on law and order. The understanding of law and civil disobedience illustrates itself in both readings of Sophocles Antigone and Plato s Apology which suggests that they give both similar views with the existing idea of different higher authority in mind. Because of the unresolved feud between the law and ci vil disobedience it is prevailed effectively in Sophocles tragic dramaRead MoreAnalysis Of Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter From A Birmingham Jail1493 Words   |  6 Pagesspeed limit are not real laws because everyone breaks them. In 399 BC, Socrates would have disagreed with this assertion, and died in part to keep this idea from spreading. Socrates was sentenced to death by an Athenian court, though the punishment did not fit the crimes he was accused of. We assume that any knowingly innocent person would have escaped this sentence if given the opportunity and support to do so, yet Socrates refused to and died soon after. Over 2,000 years later, Martin Luther KingRead MoreJust And Unjust Laws In Martin Luther Kings Letter From Birmingham Jail1420 Words   |  6 Pagesideas stem from Socrates. Socrates has many ideas on disobedience, and how it relates to being just or unjust. Author Rex Martin dissects Socrates’ main idea on disobedience, in his journal Socrates on Disobe dience to Law, â€Å"It is that, upon reaching man-hood, a citizen by the very fact of staying in a country agrees to abide by the following rule: If one cannot dissuade the authorities from an unjust law then one obeys† (127). Socrates is a firm believer on respecting the authority of the city. ItRead MoreSocrates s Value Of Athenian Law1586 Words   |  7 Pagesspeed limit are not real laws because everyone breaks them. In 399 BC, Socrates would have disagreed with this assertion, and died in part to keep this idea from spreading. Socrates was sentenced to death by an Athenian court, though the punishment did not fit the crimes he was accused of. We assume that any knowingly innocent person would have escaped this sentence if given the opportunity and support to do so, yet Socrates refused to and died soon after. Over 2,000 years later, Martin Luther KingRead MoreWhat Makes A Breach Of Law An Act Of Civil Disobedience?1383 Words   |  6 Pagesact of civil disobedience? W hen is civil disobedience morally justified?† These are the basic questions that are asked when dealing with civil disobedience. According to John Rawls, civil disobedience is a nonviolent breach of laws by the public in order to reform or change laws or government policies. But Rawls’ concept of civil disobedience is too narrow. This raises many questions. Why should civil disobedience be non-violent? Why does the public play a large role in civil disobedience? This paperRead MoreRigh and Wrong656 Words   |  3 Pageshard to except. If you were sent to jail for something you felt was right, and just, and had the chance to escape and not be caught again, would you? That is that is the dilemma Socrates had to face. He had the chance and the means yet he chose not to escape. Did he do the right thing by not escaping from jail? Socrates was a man who believed that is was immoral for him to escape his sentence because he had accepted the ruling of the courts. And for him to escape he would be sending the wrong messageRead MoreViolent Protest In 1848 : Civil Disobedience896 Words   |  4 Pageswhat Henry Thoreau called in his essay on 1848: Civil disobedience†. Civil disobedience, according to Rawls, is a public act of law breach that looks for create awareness among the population about the need to change certain public policies or certain laws that are considered to be unfair. Nowadays, we can see vivid examples of civil disobedience, being the most famous the case of Venezuela, in which in the last weeks, acts of civil disobedience have been publicly convened in demonstrations as partRead MoreEssay on Civil Disobedience in Famous Literature749 Words   |  3 PagesCivil Disobedience in Famous Literature A society or a people cannot let a government lead them blindly. With misrepresentation comes a whole new form of unjustness. The strong are the ones who do not give into demands placed upon them if they do not agree; those who refuse to conform to society; those who stick to their beliefs, no matter the cost. In many cases, those people are the ones who practice civil disobedience. Martin Luther King, Henry Thoreau, Socrates†¦ All advocated that they shouldRead MoreSophocles Antigone Essay1702 Words   |  7 Pageslaw Creon then assumes the throne. He dictates that Eteocles shall receive a state funeral and honors, while Polyneices shall be left in the streets to rot away. Creon believes that Polyneices’ body shall be condemned to this because of his civil disobedience and treachery against the city. Polyneices’ sister, Antigone, upon hearing this exclaims that an improper burial for Polyneices would be an insult to the Gods. She vows that Polyneices’ body will be buried, and Creon declares that anyone who interferesRead MoreNon Violent Protest Ââ€" Dr. Martin Luther Kings Moral Disobedience!1563 Words   |  7 Pagesmoral disobedience! Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the issue of non-violence in his letter from Birmingham Jail. He states that any law, which is unjust and inhuman, is not a moral law. Dr. Kings argument for non-violent protest against the authorities is just and moral; because any action taken for the greater good of human beings may be called disobedience by the authorities, but as Erich Fromm states in his essay Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem -- any act of disobedience against