The Question of Socrates Obedience - 3243 Words

The Question of Socrates Obedience, Supported by Confucius Introduction Is it right to act in ones own best interest, or to obey the state? In other words, was Socrates right to obey the orders of the state of Athens to take poison, or should he have acted to preserve his own life by choosing exile or escaping? In The Trial and Death of Socrates, the question is posed to the philosopher whether it is right to act in ones own best interest or to obey the State. Crito argues that the States punishment of Socrates is unjust, but Socrates argues rather that authority comes from God and that to flee the States decision would be like fleeing God, which would neither be good nor in ones best interest. According to the teaching of Confucius, Socrates would have been following the principle of Jà ªn, which can be translated to mean goodness. This paper will show why Socrates was right to obey the State and drink the poison; it will also show how the teaching of Confucius on goodness supports this decision and how Confucius teachings, on account of their appeal to Goodness, are suppressed in a system of tyranny, where Goodness is essentially outlawed. Goodness according to Confucius and Socrates Arthur Waley (1989) writes that Jà ªn, in Confucius Analects, means good in an extremely wide and general sense (p. 28). Goodness, moreover, is understood as complete submission to authority either in rule or in ritual. An important distinction of the Good, is thatShow MoreRelatedEssay about How Greek Philosophers Affect our Learning Today1403 Words   |  6 Pagesin the Ancient World History: Patterns of Interaction. These pages really focus in on three specific philosophers. These Greek philosophers are Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. 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This idea is very Socratic in nature. Socrates believed that it was a great disservice to the state to follow laws that were unjust. â€Å"I was attached to this city by the god . . . as upon a great and noble horse (the state in this case) which was sluggish because of its size and needed to be stirred up by a kind of gadfly† (Apology, 30e, Plato). According to Socrates, â€Å"pursing virtue and truth in the name of the state† (Apology, 42a Plato) is necessary