- 26/11/2012
- Posted by: essay
- Category: Free essays
Socrates is one of the major philosophers of ancient Greece, whose works had a significant impact on the development of the ancient Greek philosophy and Western philosophy at large. In fact, his views proved to be very influential and affected the development of western philosophy. In this regard, political views of Socrates had a particularly significant impact on the development of political philosophy because Socrates developed critical view on different forms of political systems and analyzed critically each political system. On the other hand, he paid a lot of attention to the relationships of citizens and state and he developed the idea that citizens should obey to existing laws and live according to the established legal rules and norms. Otherwise, the entire society will live in havoc. At the same time, he insisted that wise men, philosophers should be wise men, who consider the well being of people above all and who know how to build up the society where all people live happily. Eventually, in his Apology, Crito, Socrates arrives to the conclusion that “he ought not to break the laws of the state by escaping from prison” because this is the utmost manifestation of obedience to laws and devotedness to people and well-being of society, where all people can live happily.
The domination of laws
Socrates insisted on the necessity of the maintenance of social stability and social order. The latter could be achieved through a system of legal rules and norms which established basic rules people should obey while living within the society. Socrates argued that people cannot live in havoc and, therefore, they need laws, which can balance their life and make their relationships effective and responsible. Socrates believed that laws can prevent people from the offence and other violation of their rights and rules established in the society. The establishment of clear rules and norms can help the society to maintain order and prevent actions that are illegal. In this regard, it is important to lay emphasis on the fact that the violation of legal norms is not a mere violation of some rights of people but the violation of legal norms implies that people can be harmed by action or inaction of other people and Socrates believed that such harmful actions or inaction should be prevented by all means.
Socrates insisted that the lack of legal norms and rules lead to the deterioration of the position of individuals in the society. If they suffer from some harmful actions or inaction, they naturally feel uncomfortable, dissatisfied and oppressed by the society. In this regard, the dissatisfaction of people leads to their exclusion from the society and their intention to change their position in the society. In such a situation, the development of the society is vulnerable to the negative impact of the struggle between individuals, who are oppressed and who attempt to change and improve their position in the society. As a result, the society lives in havoc and the society cannot progress effectively.
In such a situation, Socrates insists that the society should have laws which regulate the life of the society. The development of the society depends on the effectiveness of the relationships existing between people that make laws crucial for the maintenance of the effective social relationships. In such a situation, Socrates argues that social relationships depend on individuals and their behavior. In fact, the social relationships lead to the formation of complex relationships between and, if they fail to obey to laws and legal norms, but they will need to establish positive relationships to prevent conflicts within the society. In such a context, the obedience to existing legal and social norms is crucial for the maintenance of social order.
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