Socrates and the State

by Richard Kraut

This fresh outlook on Socrates' political philosophy in Plato's early dialogues argues that it is both more subtle and less authoritarian than has been supposed. Focusing on the Crito , Richard Kraut shows that Plato explains Socrates' refusal to escape from jail and his acceptance of the death penalty as arising not from a philosophy that requires blind obedience to every legal command but from a highly balanced compromise between the state and the citizen. In addition, Professor Kraut contends that our contemporary notions of civil disobedience and generalization arguments are not present in this dialogue.

Genres: Philosophy, Politics

350 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1984

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good examination of Socrates' understanding of the relation between the law, the state and the citizen using the Crito as the basis of this argument.