Why should we not leave us for the majority opinion? A brief study on the Crito of Plato

Abstract

The present article aims to analyze the themes worked by Plato in the Crito dialogue, which became known as the work dedicated to the study of duty. In it, we will take as a starting point the censure of Socrates to extol the “opinion of the majority”, well-liked and employed by Crito throughout the whole dialogue. We Will approach the way how Plato once again uses the event of Socrates’ death to call into question the tradition which, without making good use of the logos, stumbles into great contradictions. After that, starting from the argument that “we should not commit injustice at all”, we will investigate how dialogue seems to move toward the fact that we must always follow the laws, even if men misuse them. What remains, then, is Plato’s critique of democracy and how it can not sustain (as it proposes) an equal injustice for all. Finally, we will try to make explicit that Plato’s claim in Crito seems to be to strengthen his master’s messagem that it is not worth living a life without reflection.