GVPT241 Lecture 2 25 14 First Writing Assignment Do not use secondary sources P1 All Athenian citizens are adult males P2 Socrates is an Athenian Citizen C Socrates is an adult male Not all premises may be explicit in the text sometimes are assumed or implied The Crito Leading up to Socrates Death Crito s Considerations Children Reputation Injustice Crito a friend of Socrates grew up together in Athens Has been bribing the guards of the jail so that he can see Socrates frequently On this visit he tries to persuade Socrates to flee Athens and prison Crito assures Socrates that this is possible through his arrangements Considerations for Socrates to think about 1 His children will be abandoned 2 Crito and the rest of his friends will have a bad reputation bribing guards and trying to get people to escape was a common practice people will think that Crito was not a good friend and did not care about Socrates if he is executed and does not escape When it comes to assessing what I must do proper conduct what needs to guide us is not concern for reputation but instead what we think justice requires 3 Socrates will be committing an injustice by letting an unjust sentence be carried out upon him Socrates Response to the Claim of Injustice 1 The Basic Premise One must never do injustice Universal Qualifier NEVER No circumstances for this principle to be overwritten gets Crito to agree to this premise Showed that for Socrates to flee it would be unjust and is something that he must not do 2 Three Arguments Undermining Democracy We are to act in accordance with what our democratic procedures demanded us to do Problem if Socrates can exempt himself for a democratic decision than would it be okay for other Athenian to exempt themselves from a democratic decision Free rider problem the democracy would crumble from all the free riders Would be unjust to undermine Athenian democracy Impiety Failure to acknowledge the sources of ones existence and progress through life Mentions his parents education living under democratic rule to repudiate all of this now that would provide a injustice for everything that made Socrates a citizen of Athens possible The Social Contract issue of Tacit Consent His obligations to the city have a contract character to it He has political obligation to his city For him to exempt himself from a democratic inactive punishment would be to violate the terms of his contract The terms of his contract o In exchange for benefits of being an Athenian one also assumes all of the burdens that arises with social cooperation o Duties having to abide by its rules Tacit consent our consent to assume obligations is a third of our behavior ex you are at a bar with friends he buys rounds for everyone at the table you are consenting that you will do the same at a later date He never left the city unless to defend it in battle could ve left whenever raised and educated his children in the city When he had the opportunity to propose exile at his trial he rejected 3 Socrates Conclusion He must not evade punishment and instead accept his execution His friends believed that one must avoid death because it is fearful Socrates rejects that belief and believes that one should not be fearful or sad of death Machiavelli The Prince Best knowledge to have how to use injustice how to use cruelty and fear in order to preserve one s purpose Wrote in a world of major political upheaval caused by the decline of the pre existing political world holy Roman empire A Renaissance figure Italy Rome Milan Florence Differences between City Republics before and After Free city republics repudiated slavery First political communities to not have slaves or serfs Participating in the events of the city was not of importance because you were required to do so but instead was done for the common good Rule of Law bind all citizens Rule by law political power is exercised through publicly declared laws that Rule under law those who wrote executed and interpreted the laws were themselves bound by the law no one is above the law