Socrates believes that by escaping he would be "bowing to public opinion, reversing the conduct of his past life, and making a hypocrisy of his statement (that he would prefer death over exile)." Crito, on the other hand, believes that by dying, Socrates is "playing into the hands of (his) enemies." Both have valid arguments, however, I lean towards Socrates' argument. By escaping, he would not be living a life "just" to the rules and laws. The Law and Justice article ties into this reading because Socrates knows his death is not just or fair, but he is still willing to die because it is a law he must follow. The law vs. justice article and "Crito" are very similar because they both talk about how justice is in the heart and soul while law is simply stated and doesn't seem to have emotion attached. In a way, he seems like a martyr to die for his cause. Like Cates in "Inherit the Wind," Socrates will bring his belief even more to the public eye. Also, this situation is comparable to anyone who has died for his cause..the cause gets more attention.

Socrates says, "I can not repudiate my own words." By this, he means he cannot turn down or reject his own words. Socrates is a man of his words, and rejecting them would only be "playing into the hands of (his) enemies." His argument is stronger because he desires to "practice what he preaches." If he was to escape, he would be breaking the law and sentence of the court. Crito believes he should not "play into the hands of (his) enemies." Isn't Socrates doing this by going against his beliefs? If Socrates truly is a man of his word and does what he believes is righteous, then he will not escape.

Apology Blog

"Is there anyone who understands human and political virtue?" This quote, from Socrates, is very rateable to my life. My interpretation of this quote: no single man can even be close to understanding mankind. Eveery single day I am effected by this theme. So many times I attempt to understand why others act the way they do. We believe psychology can help us understand man, as well as new research and discovery. These things prove to be helpful. However, mankind is unbelievably complex. There is simply no key to unlocking the human mind and it's virtues. In my opinion we will never be able to fully comprehend man and his motives. I can barely understand my own actions sometimes, let alone others. For example, our world has a spectrum of people. We have the extremely "rebellious" to the over the top "righteous." Who can truthfully explain why some men act "poorly?" No one, because there is only one person inside our minds: ourselves. No man has the knowledge to explain other's actions. I selected this quote because of my interest in mankind. I am a person who observes others, trying to figure them out. It wonder why I do this. I know that I will never one hundred percent understand a person, but it doesn't seem to stop me from trying. I often have to remind myself that mankind is so complex; men and women spend their whole lives trying to understand man. This question stood out to me. My answer: man will never understand himself. To me, that is a humbling statement...there are obviously bigger things out there.

1st Quarter Blog

The idea of "Nature vs. Nurture" is very interesting to me. Not only did we learn about the two opposing viewpoints through Jack London's White Fang and William Golding's Lord of the Flies, but also through packets and taking sides articles. Although I felt these resources were very beneficial, what I really enjoyed were the seminars around this theme. Through these in class discussions I gained an understanding of where others sit on the topic. During this unit, my belief on "Nature vs. Nurture" changed almost day by day. One day I would believe man is effected by nature, and the next day I would believe society (nurture) molds man like clay (Jack London's simile). Besides the facts and logic, I learned to keep an open mind. Because I kept an open mind on the topic, I was able to better my final opinion. I was able to better my final opinion because I had seen both sides of the argument evenly, and could make a more educated answer of my opinion. I hope to continue to keep an open mind on all topics not only discussed in this class, but any other debates I may come across in my life. The unit on "Nature vs. Nurture" not only taught me two sides of a debate, but how to listen to both sides in order to have a more solid opinion.