What Is Socratic Citizenship in Plato's Crito?

TL;DR

Socrates proposes a philosophical citizenship grounded in independent reason and judgment rather than the traditional Homeric loyalty shaped by poetry. He practiced 'principled abstinence' from public life to avoid complicity in injustice, following a personal rule to 'do no harm,' yet defended himself as a gadfly whose questioning benefits the city.

Transcript

Professor Steven Smith: Okay I want to begin with a question today, I have a question for you; well you've been reading the Apology, you've now read the--you've read the Apology and the Crito; you've had a little chance to think about these works. I'd just like to do a piece of survey research, how many of you, just a show of hands is all I need; h... Read More

Key Insights

• Socratic citizenship replaces the traditional Homeric conception of loyalty and patriotism with a rational, philosophical citizenship that relies on one's own independent powers of reason, judgment, and argument rather than custom or authority.
• Socrates claims to have pursued private rather than public matters, deliberately avoiding politics, yet his interrogations of politicians, poets, and craftsmen were conducted publicly in the market and open forum.
• The 'principled abstinence from public life' is Socrates' policy of refusing participation in collective civic actions he believes would make him complicit in public injustice, following a Hippocratic-style motto to 'do no harm.'
• Socrates refused to join the court judgment condemning the ten Athenian generals who failed to collect the bodies of men lost in a Peloponnesian War battle, an act treated as collective guilt for which they were executed.
• Under the Tyranny of the Thirty, Socrates refused, at considerable personal risk, an order to assist in the arrest of Leon of Salamis, an arrest that led to Leon's execution.
• Socrates' principled disobedience resembles Thoreau's model of civil disobedience and raises whether a citizen may place private conscience or moral integrity above the law, a problem later vexing thinkers like Hobbes.
• In section 30d Socrates defines himself as a gadfly and gift of the god set upon Athens like a sluggish, well-born horse, claiming his questioning awakens the city and brings public benefits despite his private focus.
• Socrates envelops his citizenship in quasi-religious language, saying he will obey the god rather than the jury and never stop philosophizing, which raises the question of whether he is sincere or ironical given he is on trial for impiety.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is Socratic citizenship according to Plato's Apology and Crito?

Socratic citizenship is a new, rational or philosophical conception of what it means to be a citizen, opposing the traditional Homeric notion of loyalty and patriotism shaped by the poetic tradition. Instead of deferring to custom, authority, or tradition, this citizenship relies almost exclusively on one's own individual powers of independent reason, judgment, and argument. Socrates presents it as a way of life devoted to questioning and moral integrity rather than collective political participation.

Q: What does Socrates mean when he says he pursued private rather than public matters?

Socrates means he practiced a 'principled abstinence from public life,' abstaining from participation in the collective actions of the city that he believed could entail complicity in acts of public injustice. It also means relying on his own individual powers of reason and judgment rather than public goods like custom, authority, and tradition. Professor Smith notes this is not entirely candid, since Socrates' interrogations of politicians, poets, and craftsmen were carried out publicly in the market and open forum.

Q: Why did Socrates refuse to condemn the ten Athenian generals?

Socrates refused to join the court in judging the collective guilt of the ten Athenian generals who had failed to collect the corpses of men lost in a particular battle during the Peloponnesian War. This failure was considered a mark of great shame and disgrace, and there was a judgment of collective guilt for which the generals were all executed. Socrates' refusal reflected his principle of never conceding anything contrary to what is just, treating his own moral integrity as a litmus test for whether to engage in political life.

Q: What happened with Leon of Salamis and Socrates?

Under the hated Tyranny of the Thirty, Socrates was ordered to assist in the arrest of a man known as Leon of Salamis, an arrest that would have and did in fact lead to Leon's execution. Socrates tells the jury how he refused to participate in this arrest at considerable risk to himself. This incident, along with his refusal regarding the generals, demonstrates his policy of principled disobedience and his insistence that he never conceded anything to anyone contrary to what is just.

Q: How does Socrates justify his abstention from public life?

Socrates argues that his policy of abstinence actually carries important benefits to the city. In section 30d he defines himself as a gadfly and as the gift of the god, set upon Athens like a great, well-born horse that is sluggish because of its size and needs awakening. He claims he awakens, persuades, and reproaches each citizen without stopping the whole day. He tells the jury that what he does is not on his own behalf but on theirs, so that they do not do wrong by condemning him.

Q: What does the gadfly metaphor mean in the Apology?

The gadfly metaphor, presented in section 30d, casts Socrates as someone set upon the city by the god to awaken it. He compares Athens to a great and well-born horse that is rather sluggish because of its great size and needs to be stirred by a gadfly. Socrates says he awakens, persuades, and reproaches each citizen and does not stop settling everywhere upon them the whole day. The metaphor frames his constant questioning as a public benefit that improves the quality of life in the city, even if the citizens do not like him.

Q: Can a citizen place personal conscience above the law?

This is the central problem raised by Socratic citizenship. Socrates' principled disobedience, resembling Thoreau's model of civil disobedience, appears to place his own conscience and moral integrity above the law. Professor Smith notes this problem later vexes the political thinker Hobbes, over whether an individual can put their own sense of conscience above the law. It raises the question of what a community of Socratic citizens would look like, with each one picking and choosing which laws or rules to obey or not to follow.

Q: Why does Socrates use religious language in his defense?

Socrates envelops his conception of citizenship in quasi-religious imagery, invoking the Delphic Oracle and describing himself as a gift from the god who has been commanded, not chosen, to philosophize. He declares he will obey the god rather than the jury and will never stop philosophizing as long as he breathes. Because he is on trial for impiety, this raises the question of whether he is sincere or being ironical, since rebutting the charge of impiety would give him reason to adopt a religious tone.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Professor Smith opens by polling students on whether Socrates is innocent or guilty, then returns to the paradox that Socrates proposes a new rational or philosophical citizenship opposing the traditional Homeric conception, while claiming to have devoted his life to private rather than public matters.

• Socrates' claim of privateness means a 'principled abstinence from public life,' abstaining from collective civic actions that could entail complicity in injustice. His motto resembles the doctors' 'do no harm,' making him an abstainer rather than a participant in the city's affairs.

• Two examples illustrate his principled disobedience: refusing to join the judgment condemning the ten generals, and refusing the Thirty's order to arrest Leon of Salamis. He defends his abstinence as a public benefit, calling himself a gadfly and gift of the god who awakens Athens.