The Crito is a dialogue that was composed ca. 360 BC by the Athenian philosopher Plato. This dialogue is one of the “Trial and Death of Socrates” dialogues. As the name suggests, these dialogues (the Euthyphro, the Apology of Socrates, the Crito, and the Phaedo) recount significant events in the prosecution and execution of Socrates, an Athenian philosopher who was also Plato’s teacher. There was a real Socrates and he was executed in 399 BC.

The “trial and death” dialogues not only chronicle the end of Socrates’s life, but also use those events as a springboard for investigating larger philosophical questions or concepts. All of these dialogues are informed by the theory of the Forms. This doctrine basically states there is a world/sphere of “perfect” forms of abstract ideas—two important ones are Beauty and Truth—that exists apart from the imperfect world of “mere appearances” that we perceive with our senses. The famous “Allegory of the Cave” from Book VII of Plato’s Republic demonstrates the process of transitioning from a world of mere appearances to the world of the true Forms. An important question to ask yourself as you read the Crito is, What sort of abstract ideals, if any, is Socrates defending in this dialogue?

The Crito examines the relationship between obligation, the law, the individual, and political society. Sometimes it is read as one of the earliest examples of a “social contract.” The two main characters are Socrates and his old friend Crito. The dialogue opens with Socrates in prison after the trial that happened in the Apology—a trial that raised serious questions about the true justness of democratic Athenian juries. Crito uses many arguments to try and convince Socrates to escape Athens and save his life. Socrates’s response to Crito’s arguments has created strong agreement and vehement disagreement among students and intellectuals for centuries. You should be ready to discuss whether or not you think Socrates was right or wrong and why.