Crito by Plato:

A Philosophy to Live By
Luke Anderson
4275803
COMM 1133
Professor Lewis Silvestri

Ideally, in a world free from bias and social pressure, the general
publics opinion would not matter to us and the opinions of experts would be
the only opinion we held value in. Though we do not realize it ourselves this
is, in fact, the world we live in. Socrates is correct in his statement when he
says what we ought to worry about is not so much what people in general
will say about us, but what the expert in justice says, the single authority
(48b). He is right because though we live in a community, we are still
individuals, and as individuals we make decisions that will effect ourselves.
Socrates statement is true in terms of faith, morality, and our ambitions as
human beings. Though we do not all see life in this way, our choices are
always our own and so the consequences that follow them.
Faith can manifest itself in many different ways, but for Socrates it
always related to the gods. He states the fact remains that to commit an
injustice is in every case bad and dishonorable for the person who does it
(49b). These injustices that Socrates speaks of always have consequences,
and in his mind (as a man of faith) he definitely thought of the gods as the
ultimate and final judges for the actions he takes throughout life. In this case
the gods are the experts who judge the justness of the decisions made
throughout Socrates life. Therefore it is only the experts opinions in faith
that matter and we should not worry about general opinion.
Socrates also speaks of morality in the actions we take. It is these
morals that influence our decisions most of all when we decide whether
something is right or wrong. He asks Crito if we leave this place without first

persuading the state to let us go, are we or are we not doing an injury, and
doing it to those weve least excuse for injuring? (49c). This question is one
where the morality of an action is equal to the expert opinion. Knowing
something is illegal or wrong, it is usually the general opinion that coerces us
into committing the injustice. However, it is the expert opinion of our morals
that inform us on what the just course of action is. It is in this way that yet
again Socrates statement is correct.
Finally there is the case of our ambitions as human beings; our nature.
We all try to achieve self-improvement in our lives through education,
exercise, and many other outlets. Socrates recognizes this trend as he
supports his theory when he asks Crito about whether a man in training
listens to all praise and criticism and opinion indiscriminately, or only when
it comes from the one qualified person (47b). This is the simplest way to
explain his thinking because it is very true that you would rely on your
trainers opinion over a person unrelated to the profession. Even in modern
times, when you are seriously ill you go to a doctor, not a farmer, a
neighbour or some other person. Again it is the expert opinion that matters
over people in general.
If we listen and learn from Socrates there would be less injustice
throughout our world. If we paid less attention to what people in general say
and more to what the expert has to say, our decisions in faith, morality, and
ambition would lead us to more fulfilled lives. The truth of Socrates belief
would have a powerful impact if we followed it.