Using specific examples from what you read in Sophocles, Thucydides, and Plato determine what the role of law is in a free society. Is that role the same today?
I felt that Thucydides and Socrates, as voiced by Plato, had very different ideas of what justice really was, but both emphasized the importance of it as the basis of law in a free society. Thucydides voiced the opinion that bad laws are better than no laws, and expressed a rather pessimistic view of men and their innate nature. He believed that "unlearned loyalty is more serviceable than
quick-witted insubordination," thereby implying that it didn't really matter why men followed laws as long as they followed them. He believed that ", fear is our chief safeguard, teaching us to
obey the magistrates and the laws." He saw the role of law as that of a defense against the naturally evil tendencies of the common man, something to safeguard idiots from destroying each other in fits of passion.
Socrates, on the other hand, had a more noble view of man; he saw him as a being of reason and understanding, who follows laws not out of fear but rather because he sees it as the right thing to do. Men will follow the laws of their city or state not because they wish to avoid punishment, but because they believe those laws to be just and true. My favorite part of all of the readings for this class session was Plato's discussion of the consent a free man gives to be ruled by his society when he neither attempts to logically persuade the government to change, nor leaves the city in favor of a different state and government. According to Socrates, a man who disobeys the laws of the society where he was born and raised is guilty three times over, " first, because in disobeying us he is
disobeying his parents; secondly, because we are the authors of his education;
thirdly, because he has made an agreement with us that he will duly obey our commands." People who live in a free society are given the choice to agree with and follow its laws, to disagree with those laws and either do something about it or leave. There is no need for a man to fear his government, or to fight against its laws, if he has willingly entered into an agreement to follow those laws.
In a free society such as ours, I believe Plato's arguments to be entirely correct. It is not right for people to live their lives not participating in or even just agreeing with everything their society does until one day it is no longer convenient. And yes, in Socrates' case his death was a bit more than an inconvenience, but he still believed in the laws of his society. It is a shallow belief that only exists when it is convenient for the believer, and disappears at the first sign of trouble. I agree that laws are important to keep society functioning well, but unlike Thucydides I believe that laws are upheld in free societies by consent more than fear.
Interesting blog post! The concept of the role and purpose behind laws gave a lot to think about. It made me think, however, about laws which have changed within our society, such as alcohol and more recently the institution of marriage, and the reasoning behind those changes. It made me wonder what people such as Socrates would have thought about those topics.
ReplyDeleteI love the interpretation about men being guilty three times over when they disobey the law of their society. Coming from a different country, I can see how the way my parents raised me was influenced by the laws established in my country. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment about how it is not right to agree with your laws until one day they are inconvenient to you. There is often a double standard in our society. We as individuals sometimes think of ourselves as "above the law". I think sometimes when I get a speeding ticket that, "I don't deserve this," but when I see someone speeding by me I say "where's the cops to pull that guy over?!"
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that you mention apathy as a social problem. I suppose this why the numbers are so low at the polls. Too much apathy can lead to one huge problem: a small minority group running the country, susceptible to warped agendas and failed principles. I am grateful for our party system and it is good that Democrats and Republicans are almost equally balanced. I just hope that increased apathy won't ruin this, because if it does, it would ruin our country.
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