By Sickboy

Even though Socrates' sentence is unjust he accepts because to him any law or sentence should be obeyed. For this would make a person just and to Socrates this was one of the greatest attributes a person could carry. To Socrates the idea of being just was a very important concept because to him this was one of the essential forms. For if a person was just they were achieving the separation of the soul from the body by beginning to realize the divine form of the just. It was right till the end that he strived to be just, "I do not expect any benefit from drinking the poison a little later, except to become ridiculous in my own eyes for clinging to life, and be sparing of it when there is none left." But he did not just accept the sentence for this reason.

In fact the one that showed his true character as a philosopher, was that the death of his body, and therefore, the separation of his soul from his body was what he was looking forward to all his life; being a philosopher. "Indeed, Socrates offered no more arresting description of philosophy than that philosophy is 'practicing death'", is a powerful statement about his belief of the doctrine of philosophy. It was this quest for the death of his body that lead him to many ideas about what happens to a person when they die.

Socrates believed that death was either a constant, dreamless, undisturbed sleep, or, his personal favorite, a migration of the soul from this world to another. Socrates feared neither, in-fact, he felt that if death was simply an undisturbed sleep, to die was to gain, for then eternity would be only be a single night, and if death were a migration, all the better. For then he could converse with other heroes who died like he did, ". . . if he might converse with Orpheus and Musaeus and Hesoid and Homer? . . . if this be true, let me die again and again . . .". "Those who have purified thamselves suffciently by philosophy live in the future altogether without a body; they make their way to even more beautiful dwelling places. . .", is another excellent quotation which proves why he accepted his sentence.

Socrates also had great faith in the fact that those who punished people unjustly would at some point be punished as well. One would venture to say that he believed unjust punishment returned to its inflicters in a ten-fold manner after viewing this, "And I prophesy to who are my murders, that immediately after my departure punishment far heavier than you have inflicted on me will surely await you.".

Even though his punishment was unjust he accepted it for all the complex reasons above but then he also said it could be contributed to nothing but fate. "I suppose that these things may be regarded as fated, - and I think that they are well.", proves that to Socrates fate was a major part of life. For fate was and still is around everyone and is still used to explain many unexplainable events, like the murder of one of the most influential thinkers of western philosophy, Socrates.

Two major problems that arose from Socrates accepting his punishment were the questions of whether or not he was guilty of a logical error or even a moral fault. To me he is not guilty of either of these. What is morally wrong about accepting fate and not putting up a fight? Nothing. For it is well documented that we as people shall not judge others when we do not know their situation intimately. And on the other hand what is illogical about not fighting for your life when you have lived over seventy years, especially in that time period, when life expectancy was around 50 years.

The first major problem with the statement; Socrates was guilty of a moral fault, is what really is a moral fault. By definition it means that a person lacks the proper morals of a given subject. So, which would have been more moral, escape from prison and disobey authority or to accept what was handed to you and make the best of it. Obviously to dis-obey authority is wrong, whether it is just or unjust. As Plato's dialogue 'Crito' states, the laws of the state should be obeyed even if they are unjust. In fact in the dialogue Socrates argues about how citizenship involves a contract between the individual and the state, in which the state has the responsibility for nurturing and educating its citizens, and each citizen has the reciprocal duty either to obey the laws or to persuade the government to change them. As we well know Socrates spoke in his defense, trying to persuade them, and after he was denied, let the message die, along with his life. Even on the day of his death he rejects a sure fire way to escape death because that would be unjust and wrong. This proves conclusively that Socrates was not guilty of possessing a moral fault.

The second statement posed is whether he is guilty of a logical error. Knowing all we know about Socrates why is there even a question? Of course he is not guilty of being illogical, what is being illogical about finally being able to achieve what you have been striving for all your life. Would people view Gordie Howe - the hockey superstar - to be illogical to want to play in his sixth decade of professional hockey? Of course not, he was practicing all his life and that would be a deserving end to a great career. So what is the difference with Socrates, he as well practiced his career all his life and the death of his body would also be a tremendous end to a spectacular life. Another important reason he was not being illogical is that, very few people are of his intelligence or ever were. Socrates had strong beliefs that once he did die, he would be taken care of . Either through a dreamless sleep or a migration of his soul to another land, he did not care, for he felt he lived his life in search of the divine forms and would therefore be rewarded. Many people feel that he was illogical because they have no vestige of what it is like to be in search of the divine, and deep down inside their soul they know or feel, that they are not good people, therefore fearing that death will lead them on a journey into hell. Hence they would not know the great feeling Socrates felt when he knew he was going to be taken care in the after life and how he would not have to be afraid.

Perhaps the best defense for the accused illogic of Socrates' is in his own, "It is only those who practise philosophy in the right way, we say, who always most want to free the soul: and this release and separation of the soul from the body is the preoccupation of the philosopher? . . . Therefore as I said at the beginning it would be ridiculous for a man to train himself in life to live in a state as close to death as possible, and then to resent it when it comes." This quotation shows everyone that he did in-fact know what was happening and in-fact was looking forward to it. And would it not be stranger for himself, the true philosopher, to resent death than to accept it and look forward to it. Indeed the answer is and always will be yes.