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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 6 page research paper that analyzes Plato's Crito, regarding the death of Socrates, and Henry David Thoreau's Civil Disobedience, in order to defend the concept that, while both Socrates and Thoreau criticized their governments, they both still supported democracy. No additional sources cited.
Page Count:
6 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khsoctho.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
democracy. While it is true that Socrates and Thoreau criticized democratic practice, it is also true that they were not against democracy, per se. An examination of Thoreaus famous essay
" Civil Disobedience" shows that a democratic form of governance was, indeed, the only form of government that Thoreau could sanction, considering his extreme individualism. Likewise the position of
Socrates can be examined via writing, if only second-hand. No documents authored by Socrates have survived. Therefore, what the modern world knows of Socrates comes primarily from the writing of
Plato. The Apology, Crito and Phaedo are the dialogues by Plato that deal directly with the trial and death of Socrates. By examining the Crito, one can readily see that
Socrates is a firm supporter of the Athenian democratic process. The Crito is set in prison, roughly thirty days after the Athenian court has passed sentence on Socrates.
Crito brings news that Socrates must die within a few days unless the learned teacher will consent to escape. The friends of Socrates try to persuade him, arguing that sympathy
is on his side because his sentence was unjust. (Socrates was condemned for corrupting Athenian youth into disbelieving the state religion and also of introducing new deities. Despite their
pleas, Socrates will not hear of any escape plans. He points out that, even though the sentence was unjust, it was perfectly legal, and he takes the position that
a good citizen should not choose which laws to obey, a good citizen submits to the law. If everyone went against the law whenever it suited them, there would be
no law. Socrates posits that the government and the laws have come to interrogate him, and they ask if he proposes to overturn them. He goes on to
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