Abstract
The Crito strikes us as an oddly shocking story simply because Socrates, who was once portrayed as a loyalist to the gods, now argues the importance and essentiality of obedience to the laws of the state. It is natural to find The Crito surprising because Plato had described Socrates in The Apology as being a wise man, superior to all others, and now in his final days of life he suddenly stresses his own equivalence to all other citizens around him. It seems rather unlikely that Socrates would believingly adopt such a contradictory philosophy within only a matter of days, and thus it is probable that Plato is suggesting that we should not take Socrates' words at face value. Socrates presents to his friend, Crito, an array of arguments that emphasize the importance of obedience to the laws, yet Socrates' life actions do not support his contentions and he himself does not believe that the law is entirely just. By presenting these arguments, Socrates is merely trying to reassure both himself and Crito that his failure in persuading the law is still just and the ideal time for his death has come, despite his lack of firm belief in all of the contentions he presents.
