Plato, Crito | Crito's Arguments with Socrates | Philosophy Core Concepts

hi this is dr. Gregory Sadler I'm a professor of philosophy and the president and founder of an educational consulting company called reason IO where we put philosophy into practice I've studied and taught philosophy for over 20 years and I find that many people run into difficulties reading classic philosophical texts sometimes it's the way things are said or how the text is structured but the concepts themselves are not always that complicated and that's where I come in to help students and lifelong learners I've been producing longer lecture videos and posting them to youtube many viewers say they find them useful what you're currently watching is part of a new series of shorter videos each of them focused on one core concept from an important philosophical text I hope you find it useful as well in his dialogue the credo named after the main interlocutor of the dialogue with Socrates Plato has that character provides some arguments for a position that that he's advancing in relation to Socrates trial Socrates impending execution and the possibility of escape credo is a rich man from out of town and he is a student of Socrates and also a friend and so he comes in and he says look I've bribed the jailer we have the escape plan in place you just have to come with us and Socrates says to him well you know let's let's think about this so credo is trying to convince Socrates that it's the right thing to do and I've put it here on the board the main arguments that created is advancing you notice that he doesn't just have one single point that he just harps on over and over again although there is going to be a common thread running through all of these and we're going to look at Socrates response to that in some of the other core concept videos about this so credo wants to get Socrates to leave Athens this is his main point Socrates should flee Athens he's been sentenced to death the trial was you know rather unfair and Socrates said look going to get a good trial from you so I'm going to use this as a a talking point piece you had your chance Athens that's all discussed in the apology so credo says look Socrates you should leave now now remember Socrates is an old man he's lived in Athens all of his life except for being on military campaigns credo is a rich man from another Greek city-state Thessaly in this case and credo is going to make some some arguments so the first argument that he makes is an interestingly says look your death is going to be a great loss to me you're the kind of friend that I can't easily replace and what does he mean by that he means not that while you're a rich friend or your well-connected or anything like that because Socrates isn't instead what he means is you're somebody who has integrity you're somebody who is reflective you're somebody who can teach you really one-of-a-kind Socrates and I don't want to lose you so that's an interesting argument and you know you would think that credo could just stick with that but instead he moves on immediately to and besides what are people going to think Here I am a rich guy we've got other friends that are rich as well and we would put ourselves out for just about anybody are they going to say they really didn't like Socrates they must not have cared for him because they valued their wealth more than they valued the opportunity to bribe the jailor and get him out of jail now notice that that's making the assumption on the part of those people that given the opportunity Socrates will go along with it socrates isn't going to go along with it and that's one of the weaknesses to to credos position and we're going to come back to this people will think thing in a few minutes another argument that he gives he says look the plan is ready so this is an argument for what from what we might call expediency or or active ability he's saying I've already bribed the jailer we've already got the escape plan ready don't worry about us you know the people of Athens are not going to be able to hurt us they're not going to be able to to attack our reputation if we get you out of here we're going to be in another Greek city-state and we'll be okay and none of your friends here are going to suffer because of it so that's a third argument being given the fourth which is the most interesting the one that's going to be the sticking point that's going to get Socrates reframing the argument Cretan goes on and he says oh by the way it's wrong for you to stay here and allow yourself to be executed morally wrong not just it's it's imprudent or not profitable or a bad idea not just people are going to say stuff about us not just it's going to be you know real lost to me and to other people who love you but Socrates you're doing the wrong thing by actually staying here and plate or Plato has credo give three different reasons for this one is this is a very interesting one look Socrates if you stay here you're doing exactly what your enemies intended there they wanted to silence you they wanted to silence you for a long time now they're finally going to get the chance and you're playing right into their hands so you're doing something wrong why because you're collaborating with somebody else who's trying to do something wrong namely to you so that's one another very interesting argument Socrates you have children if you allow yourself to be executed who's going to look after your kids and you know nowadays you might say well you know your family structure or worse the orphanage or Child Protective Services or somebody will step in and take care of them but you know in ancient societies to be an orphan was really to be at a disadvantage so by allowing these other people and the legal system to in effect cause his death he is putting his sons his young not yet developed you know not yet fully educated sons at risk and that's wrong for him to do he's being a bad father by not fleeing to - you know some other place where presumably his sons could join him or he could send money to his sons the last one that he says and here credo kind of shifts ground and it comes back to this this second point he says look Socrates you know you're this guy who's always talking about the need to be good and about bravery and this is not the act of a brave man just to you know accept it and allow these people to kill you you should you know you should go and try to do everything you can you should you know he's not obviously in the 19th or 20th century or 21st century so he can't say rage rage against the dying of the light but in effect he's saying something very similar Socrates you can't take this lying down because that's the that's an act of cowardice almost immediately credo shifts to say and people are going to think that we're a bunch of cowards too because we didn't help you out and you know what we are helping you out and you're not cooperating with us and all of that goes back to is people will thank and bring about public perception public reputation public image rather than worrying about what the actualities of acts of the case really are credo is recurring to saying look you know most people are going to just say these guys were too cowardly they didn't have the guts to try this daring maneuver and get Socrates out of prison so he's you know making a pretty strong case for this idea that Socrates should flee Athens he should break the rules he should violate the laws of his city which him under which he's been found guilty and he's been sentenced to death

Channel: Gregory B. Sadler

Views: 55,581

Rating: 4.952064 out of 5

Keywords: Lecture, Lesson, Talk, Education, Student, College, University, Sadler, Crito (Book), Plato (Author), Philosophy (Field Of Study), Argument, Death, Capital Punishment (Cause Of Death), Ancient Greece (Literature Subject), Athens, Socrates, Justice, Children, Right, Wrong, Public Image, Perception, Moral Responsibility (Literature Subject), Friendship, Athens (City/Town/Village), Prison, Breaking the Law

Id: bCst26Oj5yw

Length: 9min 9sec (549 seconds)

Published: Sun Aug 17 2014