What do you think of Socrates' acceptance of his death sentence?

What do you think of Socrates' acceptance of his death sentence?

He says that death is no evil, and on this I agree. But in his case it was certainly not good either. He was given the function of moral gadfly by 'the god', and by choosing to die (and that is what he did, by his own admission in Crito where he says he could have suggested exile at his trial and received it as a sentence) he left empty the post in which god had placed him, with no one to take his place. This was a great moral loss to the state which sentenced him to death and to whom he was so loyal and reverent. Had he chosen exile, he might at least have prevented those who accused him from committing the wrong of sentencing an innocent man to death. He argues that he must obey the state; but if we acknowledge that his death was a loss to the state, and that those who accused him did so out of ignorance (for no one is willfully evil), then should he have respected the states decision as much as he did? Ought then a doctor, when told to leave by a patient delirious with fever, abandon him to succumb to illness simply to obey his wishes?

Soc wins. We are all better for it.

His death was heroic no doubt, but was it truly the very best choice? His defence of his choice to die in Crito is, I think, flawed.

You might know this but:
1. He was old af.
2. He couldn't keep doing what he did if he accepted the penalty (being le wise person), which were the will of the god.
3. Accepting would deny his philosophy (about doing the right choices)
4. He couldve escaped, but doing it would fuck up his family (he and his family would been seen as fugitives etc)

A while since i last read Plato but i'm some of the reason were mentioned in The Aplology aswell.

>was it truly the very best choice
No. You're a retard though. read better.

5. "Why fear something you don't know anything about" (Death). And he had done his job, so if there was a ""heaven"" he wouldn't have a problem. Otherwise there would just be an internal sleep.

>2. He couldn't keep doing what he did if he accepted the penalty

What do you mean? He accepted the death penalty, and defended his choice to do so in Crito.

Can you explain why you think it wasn't the best possible choice, and why you don't think my arguments that it wasn't the best possible choice were convincing?

Keep it simple please, bear in mind I'm retarded.

Well, at the end of Apology Socrates encourages people to carry on reproaching and examining others in order to make sure they are prioritising goodness. These people would be his legacy and 'take his place' as you say. Thereby his death would be a net gain for Athens; dying for the greater good just like that carpenter a few hundred years hence.

I mean if he accepted the other penalty, like move to another city for a while or pay a large sum. In addition he also had to agree on not doing his "shenanigans" (being le wise guy)

He wasn't within a state worthy of being obeyed. He was back down in the cave, and his death fit his philosophy. He was killed by the ignorant. His death sets an example for philosophers. You won't be understood and people will want you out of the way because the shadows are so nice. By all means keep striving towards the ideas and the good, but it won't end nicely.

He agreed to follow the laws of Athens.

Here
IMO staying alive wouldn't worth it if you consider how old he was and what the consequences would be for doing so.

He didn't have to escape or break any law, as I pointed out. In Crito he says he could have suggested exile at his trial and received it as a sentence.

>He wasn't within a state worthy of being obeyed.

A significant portion of Crito is about his defence of the state and his insistence on the importance of obeying it. The rest of your post makes sense though. Perhaps he was setting an example.

Wtf, did you even read what i was writing or are you this stupid all the time? I just said he could've escaped, other then that every point of my has value. Are you just arguing to argue?

If he fucking accepted being exiled he would still 1. be against his philosophy and everything he said, 2. DEFYING THE GODS(very important, there were literally no atheists at this time, someone usually believed in someone, but it was not as serious), 3. He was old af, which he himself pointed out, 4. Everyone in any other city would probably know of him and defy him because he got exiled (he pointed this out too if i remember right)

+ he and his family had to move city, they were poor. (he also wouldn't want to leave athenes

Also remember what he thought of death, it wasn't a "big" deal as we people usually see it as (for him atleast)

It seems to me, though, that the trial's abruptness provided a moral ground for Socrates not to adhere to Athenian law. Look at all the times he mentions being short of time, being rushed, etc. Being cajoled like this would make the social contract (as discussed in Crito) non-binding - because he was arguably coerced by lack of time, unreasonably.

Your other points were redundant as they didn't acknowledge anything I wrote in the OP. For example:

>5. "Why fear something you don't know anything about" (Death).

Why post this when I posted already in the first sentence in the OP? "He says that death is no evil, and on this I agree."

You simply summarized Socrates arguments, which I have clearly already read, and you failed to respond to or answer any of the arguments I put forward against them.

By striking him down, he became more powerful than they could ever imagine.

Yea my bad. Seriously. I just read the first sentence and ignored the rest (kind of). You have a point it would be a loss of state to kill him; tho he wouldn't be able to his 'thing' anymore. His reason for living was to serve Athene(he proclaimed), and if he did otherwise he would be defying the god/s. If i remember right, in Apology, Socrate said that if he did anything else then being le wise guy the rest would be "destiny" (of some sort) and therefore the god has chosen it was his time to fall(to death). Maybe he thought that by dying he would not been forgotten and neither his philosophy - which also were the point of his god/s

to do* his thing.

the wise like him understand that such a death is apotheosis.

seems selfish, but perhaps he was tired and ready to go.