Considering the Crisis of Conscience among Great Men
Two great people, Socrates and Martin Luther King, Jr., are from two different time periods but remain as two of the greatest speakers and teachers in the world. Their respective personal crises continue to be considered as great events in human history. This essay is about how they are alike and different, and about their personal crises and their goals.
Socrates is one of the greatest philosophers in Ancient Greece. He spread beliefs to young people and he tried to do good things in his life. He believed in what he taught and believed he was right in doing so. His personal crisis was brought on him by teaching justice, moderation, courage and piety. He was subsequently charged with attempting to corrupt the young and ultimately sentenced to death (Plato, 1990).
Socrates apology was presented to the Athenian Council as a means of his own defense. Warned that he would try to persuade them with his eloquence, he scoffs at the idea and tells the judges he will only speak truth and it will be up to them to decide to live within that truth or not (Plato, 1990). Socrates’ charges were based on his philosophical search for knowledge and in doing so, he was charged with challenging those considered wise or leaders in the nation. He taught his students to seek a higher understanding beyond the moral pitfalls of men, and not to blindly accept that which is taught by rule of law of power just because it was said by those in power. This was considered a crime. Socrates was given the opportunity to retract what he was saying, avoid the death penalty and neither inquire or teach anymore. Socrates replied that he would never quit seeking knowledge or passing it on. He dismissed opportunities to avoid the death penalty and ended his apology with a warning to those who would judge him saying that they would suffer greater than him because even though he would die, they would still have to live with the truth: both the truth that he taught as well as the truth of knowing they killed man who sought only to improve the lives of others and of society (Plato).
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s letter from a Birmingham jail shares much of Socrates’ sentiment. He had the opportunity to avoid being jailed, but felt that the injustice in Birmingham was too great for him to ignore. He knew he would be legally charged, but went anyway because, like Socrates, he was doing what he believed to be the right thing to do (King, 1990).
Dr. King saw terrible injustice in Alabama and felt obligated to address it. As always, he practiced non-violent protest. Unlike Socrates, Dr. King was outwardly protesting an injustice. Like Socrates, however, he was teaching what he felt strongly was a higher ideal. He felt he was leading others to a better way of thinking (King, 1990). Like Socrates, he believed this higher understanding would lead to better lives for everyone. Also like Socrates, this belief and his teaching threatened those who were in power (Plato). As such, they were both charged with crimes. And both stood by their beliefs refusing to be frightened into silence against an injustice among their fellow human beings.
Both Dr. King and Socrates had the opportunity to avoid punishment. Although Dr. King was not executed by the state the way Socrates was, he was nonetheless executed for his beliefs. Both men knew that death was imminent if they continued on their chosen path. And both men chose death because they felt their cause was that important. Both men believed that truth was more important than their respective lives, and the cause for which they fought was much larger than each man individually.
Works Cited
King, M. L. (1990). Letter from a Birmingham jail. In Charles W. Eliot (Ed.). Great American Documents. Danbury CT: Grolier Enterprises Corp.
Plato. (1990). Socrates’ apology. In Charles W. Eliot (Ed.). Great Historical Documents. Danbury, CT: Grolier Enterprises Corp.
