Introduction
It is hard to disagree that not many people are ready to die to prove their point of view and stay moral until the end. Socrates was sentenced to death for instilling ‘wrong’ political views in the youth, but instead of escaping his death, the philosopher accepted it with honor. There are numerous strong arguments for and against this decision. While some people may disagree, saying that the thinker deprived himself of his future philosophical discoveries and impacts on society, Socrates most likely was right in his choice because staying true to one’s principles is above all.
Distinguishing Between the Concepts of Validity and Soundness
First, it is essential to determine whether the primary statement about the philosopher’s verdict is logically valid and sound. When referring to the former, if all premises are true, the conclusion also has to be true (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy n.d.). This argument does not necessarily have the true premises; what is required is that the conclusion is drawn from them. At the same time, a logically sound argument is always valid (with a true conclusion) and has true premises. Socrates needs to respect all his just agreements, one of which is to follow the legally decided will of the State, and the latter is the death penalty. Therefore, Socrates needs to abide by the verdict, and since these premises are true, the conclusion is true, and the statement is logically sound and valid.
Evaluating Socrates’s Decision
Overall, I believe that the just thing to do for Socrates is indeed to accept his death penalty. The first reason is that escaping his verdict would probably indicate the betrayal of Socrates’s own teachings and views, but accepting his death bravely showed that he stayed true to his ideas to the very end. Second, according to Deretić (2020, 7), the philosopher “thought that death is far better than a life that is not worth living.” Was it worth living in a world that rejects many innovative and even controversial ideas? One may assume that Socrates never feared death and found it more pleasant and hopeful than life. Finally, if the thinker escaped, he would put his family in danger and worsen their reputation, which was fatal during those times (Deretić and Smith 2021, 110). By dying honorably, Socrates proved his concepts and opinions, drew more attention to them, and achieved higher recognition from future generations.
Counterargument
At the same time, arguments against Socrates’s choice are also strong and worth mentioning. The most impactful one is that if the thinker had stayed alive, he could have made an even greater contribution to developing philosophy and changing the principles of the world for the better. His impact on the minds of the youth would have been more significant, meaning, is it actually more valuable to die when protecting one’s principles than escaping one’s death to promote these ideas? This argument would be much more valuable if not for its weakness – if Socrates betrayed his thoughts to continue spreading them, he and his teachings would be less respected.
Personal Opinion
It is quite challenging for me to state whether I would choose the same destiny as Socrates did. Considering that I believe in the arguments listed in support of his decision, I would probably do the same when facing such a verdict. For me, principles are sometimes more significant than life, and I think that becoming an escaper and probably a coward would be worse than accepting my death.
Conclusion
To draw a conclusion, one may say that the question of whether Socrates’s decision and verdict were just and correct is controversial. Since his moral argument is logically sound and valid, the philosopher was right in accepting the death penalty. Certainly, his contribution to politics and philosophy would have extended if he had escaped capital punishment. However, the costs would be too high, involving the reputation and safety of his family, as well as the credibility and strength of his own teachings.
References
Deretić, Irina. 2020. “Socrates Facing Death in the Apology.” Theoria, Beograd 63 (2): 5-16.
Deretić, Irina, and Nicholas D. Smith. 2021. “Socrates on Why the Belief that Death is a Bad Thing is so Ubiquitous and Intractable.” The Journal of Ethics 25 (1): 107-122.
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. n.d. “Validity and Soundness.” IEP. Web.