Good Man vs. Good Citizen - Plato
Good Man v. Good Citizen: Plato's ViewWhen Plato writes about the struggle between the "good person" and the "good citizen" in The Last Days of Socrates, there seems to be an overlapping of the two because they are so closely related. Socrates says that "[A man] has only one thing to consider in performing any action; that is whether he is acting justly or unjustly, like a good man or a bad one" (Apology, 28 b-c). It seems that, even when considering whether or not to be a good citizen and follow orders and laws without exception, one must decide whether or not his actions will be just. This is refuted, however, when Socrates says in Apology, 28d "When a man has once taken up his stand, either because it seems best to him or in obedience to his orders, there I believe he is bound to remain and face the danger, taking account of death or anything else before dishonour" and in Apology, 29b that "to disobey my superior, whether god or man, is bad and dishonourable." By this reasoning, being a good man would require following the orders, not only of the gods, but of earth
It seems Plato feels that one should follow the laws of a State in which he explains why, besides the fact that retaliation is wrong, that one who breaks the laws discussion with Crito, explains that a person who lives in Athens was born only because argument with Crito support these ideas of dishonour and justice with regard to being judgment which are pronounced in [a State] have no force but are nullified and Assuming a belief in these things, an attack on the Laws of Athens would be an attack
Some common words found in the essay are:
Socrates Apology, Athens Athens, Days Socrates, Laws Athens, View Plato, follow laws, chooses live, plato's view, bad dishonourable, submit laws, person citizen, attack laws, person lives,
Approximate Word count = 737
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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