Summary

The version I read was translated by Cathal Woods and Ryan Pack.

Shitty one-sentence summary

Crito is about justice, and the relationship between the individual and the state.

Characters

• Socrates: the Athenian philosopher who has just been sentenced to death
• Crito: Socrates's friend with the money bags

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Major themes and concepts

We should not listen to the opinion of the many, but rather to that of the one who knows about just and unjust things, and to the truth itself

One must neither repay an injustice nor cause harm to any man

The citizens of the city have entered a social contract with the laws and the homeland; they must either do as she commands or persuade her otherwise

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Reading notes

Part 1: The Beginning

Socrates (S): Crito, why did you come so early?

• Crito (C): To bring troubling news, Socrates — the ship from Delos will arrive today and you will have to end your life tomorrow.
• S: I don't think it will come today; in my dream last night, a woman in white appeared and said, "Socrates, you will arrive in fertile Phthia¹ on the third day."
• C: But if you die, Socrates, I will lose a friend the like of which I will never find again, and many people will think that I could have saved you, but didn't care to.

S: Why should we care about the opinion of the many?

• C: The present circumstance makes it clear that the many can inflict great evil.
• S: If they could, they would be able to do both the greatest evils and the greatest good. But they can do neither, since they just do whatever occurs to them.

C: Let's leave this discussion there — tell me, though, you're not worried about what would happen to me and your other friends if we were to help you, are you?

• S: That and much more.
• C: Don't fear, people can be bribed, and my money is at your disposal. And, if you think you shouldn't use my money, there are plenty of others who are prepared to spend theirs. Also, don't worry about exile — I know many places that would welcome you.
  • Furthermore, it doesn't seem right to me that you would give yourself up when you could have been saved, and I think that you're betraying your sons by abandoning them. So, I'm ashamed on behalf of you and us your friends, so, see whether this is not evil and shameful. Let us help you escape.
• S: Crito, your eagerness would be worth a lot if it were in pursuit of something righteous. But the more it is not, the more difficult it is to deal with. Let us examine whether we should do this or not.

Part 2: We should not listen to the opinion of the many, but rather to that of the one who knows about just and unjust things, and to the truth itself

S: Let's first address whether it's correct to pay attention to the opinions of some and not others. Is it fair to say that one should not value the opinion of everyone, but rather of some and not others? (C: It is.)

• So, we should value the good opinions, and not the worthless ones? (C: Yes.)
• And the good opinions come from the wise, and the bad from the ignorant? (C: Yes.)
• What did we say, that a man in training should pay heed to the opinion of everyone, or to the one who is like a doctor or a trainer? (C: To the one.)
  • Then, if he disobeys this one man and instead honors the opinion of the many, won't this man suffer harm? (C: Yes.)
  • What is this harm, and what does it do, and to what? (C: The body, since this is what it destroys.)
• Then, with respect to justice and injustice, good and bad, we should follow the opinion of the one who has knowledge of justice and goodness, or else we will corrupt and harm that part of us that becomes better with justice and worse with injustice.
• Is life worth living if it's corrupted? (C: No.)
• So, we must not heed what the many say to us, but rather the one who knows about just and unjust things, and to the truth itself.

Part 3: One must neither repay an injustice nor cause harm to any man

S: One may say, though, that the many can put us to death. But consider again if this still holds true for you; that it's not living that should be our priority, but living well. (C: Yes.)

• Then, let us examine whether it is just or unjust that I try to leave here when I was not acquitted by the Athenians.
  • As for your points regarding spending money, reputation, and raising children, I suspect that these are questions for those who condemned me to death — for the multitude.
  • As for us, let us consider whether it is just or unjust that I try to leave.
• Do we say that we should never willingly act justly? Or that we should in some instances and not others? (C: Never.)
  • ⇒ One should never act unjustly. ⇒ One should not repay an injustice with an injustice.²
• Should one cause harm? (C: No.)
  • ⇒ Returning a harm for a harm is not just.
• ⇒ One must neither repay an injustice nor cause harm to any man.

Part 4: The citizens of the city have entered a social contract with the laws and the homeland; they must either do as she commands or persuade her otherwise

S: To the next point: when someone makes an agreement with someone else, should he keep or betray it? (C: Keep it.)

• ⇒ If we leave here without persuading the city, aren't we doing a harm? (C: I don't know.)
• Think about it this way: if the laws and the community of the city came to us as we were about to leave here and asked, "By doing this, aren't you doing nothing other than destroying us, the laws, and the civic community?" Would we then say to them, "The city treated us unjustly and didn't decide the case properly"? (C: Yes.)
• Then what if the laws said, "Didn't you agree to honor the decisions the city makes? Did we not give birth to you? Were you not raised by the laws concerning upbringing and education? Were you not our offspring and slave from the beginning? Then, do you really think that justice between us is based on equality? Will you be allowed to try and destroy us the laws and your homeland and claim that you are just in doing so?"
  • "Are you so wise that you forgot that the homeland is deserving of the most honor and reverence and worship? And that you should either convince her or do what she commands, and suffer without complaining if she orders you to suffer something?" What would we say to this? That they laws speak the truth, or not? (C: They do.)
• The laws may continue, "Consider that it is not just for you to do this, for we gave birth to you, raised you, educated you, and yet if any among you wants to go somewhere else, we do not forbid this. But whoever remains with us has made an agreement to do what we command him to do, and whoever does not obey is guilty three times over."
  • "And Socrates, you are especially liable to these charges, because we have evidence that this city satisfies you: you have rarely left, and you even had children here. You could have proposed exile at your trial, but at the time, you prided yourself on not being angry if you had to die. But now, you neither have shame nor any respect for us the laws."
  • "By doing this, you are trying to run away contrary to the contract by which you agreed to be governed by us. Won't you keep your agreement?"

Part 5: Your actions will have consequences

The Laws: "Just think about what this will do to you and your friends. Your friends will risk exile. If you go to the closest cities, they will regard you as an enemy who disobeys the laws, and you will confirm the opinions of the judges who condemned you. Then, would you flee to cities that are not well-governed, like Thessaly? Is it worth it to live like this — wouldn't it be shameful?"

• "Do you want to live to raise your children? Would you bring them to Thessaly and make them outsiders too? Or will your friends take care of them? If they would, wouldn't they do so whether you are in Thessaly or Hades?"
• "So, be convinced by us who brought you up, and if you indeed depart, you have been done an injustice not by us, but by men. But, if you return the injustice, life will be hard for you while you are alive, and they will not receive you favorably in Hades."

Part 6: The End

S: This is what I seem to hear — if you think you can do something more, then speak. C: I am unable to speak. S: Then let it be, for this is where the god leads us.