Socrates s Value Of Athenian Law - 1586 Words

We are comfortable breaking the law when we feel it does not apply to us, that laws such as the speed 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 King, Jr. is also imprisoned for a petty crime and saw his actions in line with Socrates, as they were both unjustly jailed for questioning their†¦show more content†¦He hoped to maintain structure within society but wanted to break down the â€Å"false sense of superiority† (King 39) of white people. Nonviolent disobedience was an outlet to create this unavoidable and uncomfortable tension in society while averting chaos by forcing those ignoring the minority to eventually listen. Civil disobedience is not about breaking the law, but breaking laws you cannot morally approve of or consider to be laws. It can be seen as rejecting the status quo through openly breaking an unjust law and accepting the consequences for one’s actions while having an action attached to your goal, and all the while being respectful to the society and rule of law. King’s justification for civil disobedience was through his morals in accordance with a higher power, acted out by breaking down oppressive structures that makes difference legal and distort personalities and senses of self worth (King 39), but Socrates did not have a similar distinct motive against the laws for his philosophical debates. King related, â€Å"Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create a tension in the mind†¦ we must see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (King 37). His p arallel between the work of the Civil Rights Movement and the work of Socrates illustrates how essential civil disobedience was to him for opening theShow MoreRelatedSocrates Was A Greek Philosopher And The Main Source Of Western Thought Essay928 Words   |  4 PagesSocrates was a Greek philosopher and the main source of Western thought. He was born circa 470 BC, in Athens, Greece and also through the writings of his students, Plato and Xenophon we of his life. Socrates was the son of Sophroniscus, an Athenian sculptor and stone maker, and Phaenarete, a midwife. Because he was not from a superior family, he got a basic Greek education and learned his father s craft at a young age. Before Socrates devoted his life to philosophy, it is believed he worked asRead MoreAnalysis Of Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter From A Birmingham Jail1493 Words   |  6 Pagesthe law when we feel it does not apply to us, that laws such as the speed 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 refusedRead MoreThe Socratic Problem Of Socrates1462 Words   |  6 PagesSocrates was born in 469 B.C.E., in Athens, Greece. He was a loyal citizen of Athens who also served as a soldier as required for Athens males. 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Throughout many texts of Greek society the picture of a perfect man is painted and apparent. This man, the â€Å"perfect man†, is the virtuous Greek citizen. Who is virtuous not only in the eyes of society, but also at home, in war, and in his relationship to the God(s). Also in Greek society, there was a man named Socrates who’s opinion differed with his culture’s thoughts, and he constructed his own thoughts and beliefs of what characteristicsRead MoreEvolution of Slavery in Justice Essay1183 Words   |  5 Pagesto a depraved custom. Slavery’s immorality is not limned in a constitution. Slavery is immoral because time has proven it to be immoral. Beginning as early as 2000 BC there have been laws protecting slaves. The Babylonian king Hammurabi enacted the Code of Hammurabi sometime during the eighteenth century BC. In the law code Hammurabi delineated three distinct levels of crime. The highest was the proverbial eye for an eye, which was the punishment for injuring a citizen. The second tier called for aRead MoreThe Rational Vs. The Emotional1573 Words   |  7 Pagesdefinitely the case with Crito and Socrates in â€Å"Crito† by Plato. Socrates and Crito are having an intimate conversation about reasons why Socrates should escape. Socrates is charged on corrupting the minds of the youth in Athens. Crito, who is Socrates student and close friend, tries to persuade him to escape because he did not believe Socrates committed any actual crime. Socrates, on the other hand, gives his own reasons for staying in jail. Crito’s argument for Socrates to escape from jail are more emotion