Friendship and Reputation in Plato's Crito

Abstract:Crito cites his motivations to smuggle Socrates out of prison as concern for his friend and concern for his own reputation among the Many. Socrates, in his reply, refers only to the latter reason. The selectivity of this response does not draw comment from Crito, opening the door to an understanding that it is his reputation among the Many that is his primary—or even sole—concern. Taking a different approach, I suggest that Socrates' response reflects a complex relationship between Crito's two motives. This relationship, I argue, may remain relevant to law-breakers today. It can also shed light on wider questions concerning the dialogue as a work of philosophical literature from the early fourth century, on ancient Athenian democracy and the law-abiding, and eventually concerning the way to read such a treatise.