Why Did Socrates Choose Death Over Freedom?
By: Ioannis Dedes
Tags: History, Inspiration, Poltics, Philosophy, Government

Why Did Socrates Choose Death Over Freedom?

The story of his life will be remembered until the end of time

Statue of Socrates in front of the Academy of Athens

Socrates is a figure that has been credited as one of the founders in the theory of Western philosophy. His virtues and his ways of thought will probably remain in the books for centuries and even millennia to come. Most of the written accounts that we have access to about his life and death come from either Plato and Xenophon, which were both his students.

Socrates lives between 470 and 399 BC, in the ancient Greek polis of Athens; the period for Athenian democracy at the time was one of a decline and after the end of the Peloponnesian war (431–404 BC). Athens had been defeated, Sparta was the winner and in the aftermath, the latter had imposed an oligarchic regime of 30 tyrants in the former. Despite the fact that the oligarchy was overthrown and Athenian democracy was restored, the unstable conditions prevailed.

It’s even obvious, through the dialogues with his students that have survived from contemporary and ancient period sources, that Socrates had been critical of the democratic government and many historians state that this particular contradiction to the authorities led to his trial.

The character of the democratic state of Athens is what led to misunderstandings and what many have characterised as an unfair trial. In the democratic Athens, people were invited to participate in public dialogues, particularly in the ancient Agora, discussing philosophical themes such as the nature of justice and the moral aspect, the creation of the universe and the world, and the relationship of gods. Socrates had dedicated his whole life in participating at such dialogues, but he had more influence by the majority of the rest of philosophers since he was seen as a leader of the young people who wanted to hear him and adopt his knowledge.

Socrates’ approach to questioning and evaluating the philosophical knowledge and the aspect of general morality in many sectors was considered undemocratic, since he advocated a stance of not caring about what other people stated, not believing what the law was based on and more generally, not following the public opinion. His career was based on doubting and in the Athenian context, this was more of a way to say that democracy wasn’t able to distinct from right to wrong

Despite his influence and his knowledge, when he started hearing that he was the wisest person in the city tended to not be impressed and wanted to be a clear witness of this notion; he started questioning the philosophical knowledge of the most prestigious people and ultimately, he drew the conclusion that the people he had asked, were masters of one particular thing but without any important variety of knowledge.

The questioning of the universe and the character of gods was something that led to his trial in 399 BC, since he was not only found guilty of influencing the young people towards corruption but also for asebeia (impiety); not believing in the gods of the state. He proudly responds that when he hears something beyond the human aspect and a notion that is questionable from a standpoint of scientific facts, he cannot just stop posing such questions or stop making inquiries about the beliefs in the religion matter; as mentioned before, it was something as his duty to doubt.

More generally, his responses in the trial can show that he still didn’t care about what the judges or the ones who accused him had to say, even when he was at the threshold of being sentenced to death. His pure personality and way of thinking is expressed by mentioning that he wanted to improve the city throughout his career and all of his work about questioning the authority, the divine power and doubting many already-established knowledge was part of his service for transforming the city to a more just place.

He never states that he needs to be praised for that and that’s because it was his duty to perform this task. Nevertheless, he says that it was a crime against philosophy to execute him; this is more of the tone that Plato used and through Socrates one can support that this is Plato’s frustration for his teacher’s execution. This wouldn’t be an issue for Socrates but for him but a problem for the city which would be remembered for injustice.

It’s only right that at this point you might understand why there are people who claim that the most influential and best philosopher in the history of antiquity was Socrates. If you are still not convinced, you might want to read the rest of the article to find out the ultimate proof of these claims.

After the trial and when he was imprisoned, not more than 72 hours before he died, he was given a true proposal from his friend Crito, who would pay for his escape. The fact that Socrates had wealthy friends and one of them was Crito, would make it more than clear to a simple Athenians citizen that his friends would save him. His friends, not only didn’t want to see their long-standing partner dying but also to not suffer the public criticism and the embarrassment of not saving such an important and historical figure. Once again, Socrates states that he doesn’t care what the people will say and he thinks that Crito was trying to convince him that he had a reason to live.

The big question is: Why did Socrates want to get executed? Or in a different notion, why, although he had the opportunity to escape, he chose not to follow this path?

This is where the philosophical way of thinking plays a tremendous role in the meaning of the events which are evaluated. Socrates was a true philosopher and according to his beliefs, he couldn’t show any fear of death. His state of mind was higher than all the ordinary people and that’s why he didn’t want to have any concern about what they said or thought about him; he never tried to strongly resist that someone was wrong or that he was unjustly in front of death.

Another part of his judgement lies in the fact that he had a strong connection with his duty; the only thing he wanted to do was work and his work was to question the authority and aspects which couldn’t be supported through evidence. Even if he escaped, he would never stop performing his duty and in one way or another, he would soon be part of another trial, since his duty was seen as a violation of the law from the authorities.

The biggest virtue that we have to consider, however, when it comes to the personality of Socrates is his faith in the city of Athens and most importantly, in the law. Although many had stated that he was wrongly accused and driven to death, he continued to obey the law; even if this was imposed through injustice. After all, accepting punishment was the way through which he acknowledged the legitimacy of the democratic society, even though he was still skeptical of its efficiency. He was born, raised and developed as a character in this city and the faithfulness stems from the fact that it was like he had signed a contract with the city of Athens; a promise to be loyal to the laws of the city that made him what he was. This contract was indirectly written when Socrates made the decision to stay in Athens and not leave for another polis; by going to Sparta he wouldn’t have to obey the Athenian laws. This ‘invisible’ contract that Socrates signed wouldn’t let him escape his death, even though he had the chance and even though he was wrongly accused.

This article wasn’t in any way, shape or form written to tell you that you should obey the government or any other authority, in the case of being treated through injustice and can, through a legitimate way, escape the situation. What this article wants to show is the importance of Socrates’ figure for politics, philosophy and the history of obedience in general. Socrates’ contribution is enormous not only through the philosophical aspect of the knowledge he provided but also for the virtues and the beliefs that he stood for, even if he had to sacrifice his life for them.