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This paper provides a critical analysis of the decision of Socrates in Crito.

Abstract

Human perceptions about different social issues are diverse and influenced by different factors. Among this are philosophical beliefs, personal attitudes and value systems. The perceptions play an integral role in influencing the decision making process of humans. This has been experienced since historical times and renowned philosophers also grappled with the implications. In Crito, Socrates struggles with the conflicts between personal beliefs and the public legal expectations. The inherent inconsistency impacts on his decision making process. This is further compounded by the fact that the ultimate decision had far reaching implications on his life. The paper argues that Socrates did not make a wise decision in this respect.

Key Words: Crito, philosophy, decision making

Introduction

Human perceptions about different aspects of life tend to differ considerably since historical times. Usually, these are deeply ingrained in their understanding and acknowledgement of the various social issues that impact on this holistic wellbeing. In historical times, these were apparent in the philosophical beliefs and practices that guided human behavior as well as value systems. The differences in perceptions and the relative significant effects on human welfare are well exemplified in Plato’s Crito. This paper provides a critical analysis of the decision of Socrates in Crito. In particular, it argues that the decision that Socrates made was faulty and compounded by a host of inconsistencies. To provide a harmonic consideration, it begins by detailing the relative occurrences and highlights the inherent gaps that undermine the credibility of Socrates’ ultimate decision.

During his very last days in the prison, Crito makes significant efforts to persuade Socrates to escape from prison in a bit to save his life. However, Socrates remains adamant and believes that escaping from prisons amounts to disobedience and injury of the state. According to his philosophical point of view, citizens are not supposed to defend themselves against any evil by doing evil. He believes that regardless of the state having been unjust with regards to condemning him to death, he does not need to retaliate by escaping. In stead, he needs to obey the law or persuade it otherwise. At this point, it is certain that there is some degree of incoherence and contradiction with regards to the decision that Socrates assumes. He asserts that the respective laws were unjust but fails to take a practical decision to counter the scenario.

From a philosophical point of view, this is wrong as it does not safeguard the welfare of future populations. Arguably, they would be compelled to align their practices to the authoritative and demeaning Athenian laws. Also worth mentioning is the recognition that humans are social beings and need social environments to grow and develop. Historically, Athens did not provide viable conditions that would support the social growth as well as development of humans. This implies that whereas Socrates was obligated to obey all the laws in a bit to safeguard the survival of the state, the state did not reciprocate. In other words, the feeling was not mutual and therefore unfair. According to Plato (1959), Socrates asserts that “integrity, institutions and laws, are the most precious possessions of mankind” (p. 47)

Basically, Socrates maintains that civil disobedience is wrong and should not be encouraged under all circumstance. Modern critics indicate that despite having a valid argument with respect to justifying the need to respect the law, this goes against his personal beliefs and principles. In his review, Plato (1959) cites, “both in war and in courts and everywhere else, one must obey the commands of one’s country, or persuade it as to the nature of justice” (p. 51). In this respect, Socrates implies that through the laws, citizens have a chance to persuade their states with regards to what is unjust or just. Initially, he indicated that a good life needs to be characterized by questioning the concept of virtues. Thus in a bit to persuade a country in to reviewing the aspects of right or wrong, a certain degree of civil disobedience is inevitable. Despite being neither necessary nor right, in some cases, civil disobedience is imperative and not wrong. At this point, it can be ascertained that civil disobedience is an innate aspect of reviewing as well as questioning justice and value and it cannot be avoided completely.

In Crito, Socrates believed that the citizens of the state have an obligation to obey the laws of the state in all instances. According to him, the individuals that decide to live within the geographic dimensions of the given state implicitly agree to always follow the laws that the respective state stipulates. He indicates the individuals that do not agree with the legal provisions of the state have an option of leaving it to seek for residence elsewhere. The fact that they decide to stay implies that they are not only ready but also willing to adhere to the laws of the land. At this point, it should be appreciated that this is merely an implicit presumption that does not need to apply to the entire inhabitants of the state. This is fallacious in the sense that Socrates likens himself to the citizens of the state. From a philosophical point of view, this is faulty because individuals tend to harbor different beliefs and attitudes toward a wide rage of social issues. This is regardless of the fact that they might be socialized within similar a context. Social diversity needs to be put in consideration especially when dealing with sensitive issues pertaining to life and death.

Also, Socrates cites that just like a parent is to a child, the state is equally important to the citizens. In this consideration, just as it is not right for the child to disobey his or her parents, citizens would also be wrong if they disobeyed the laws of the state. Emergent research has raised various concerns regarding the legitimacy of this analogy. In this respect, it should be appreciated that the aspect of obeying parents is usually temporary. Specifically, children only obey their parents because they (parents) make vital decisions regarding their (children) lives. With time, the children outgrow this stage and as they grow older, they learn to make their individual decisions. However, in Socrates’ view point, citizens need to obey the state laws till they die. Certainly, there is an inherent inconsistency that makes it difficult to reconcile the two. Arguably, the relationship between children and parents can not be likened to that of the state and the citizens.

Notably, Socrates was committed to respecting the rules of the Athens regardless of the fact that they were incorrect, unequal and overly authoritative. The respective obedience was accorded to the state on the pretext that it gave the former certain goods like birth, nurturance and education. Seemingly, by Socrates being bound to these laws, he can be considered a slave. The contract in this regard favors the law at the expense of Socrates.

Plato (1959) in this instance maintains:

We bore you, reared you and educated you.

Can you then say, first of all, that you are not our offspring and our slave-you and your ancestors before you? And if it is true, do you think that justice is on an equal basis between you and us that it is right for you to do in return what we may undertake to do to you? (p. 50)

This assertion gives Socrates a lower status and compels him to respect the law, irrespective of its implications on his wellbeing. Irrespective of having contended that exercising of one’s philosophy is ideal, Socrates fails to practice this preposition and contradicts his personal philosophy. In this respect, he would have been set the best example by challenging the Athenian laws that were not only authoritative but also demeaning and unjust. By doing this, he would have set the best example and safeguarded the welfare of future populations that was highly depended on the nature of the laws. As such, he would have acted as a pace setter for change and assumption of critical social values.

Conclusion

In sum, it can be concluded that personal beliefs and practices differ significantly between differ persons. These have diverse impacts on a person’s attitude, behavior and decision making practices. As it has come out from the study, Socrates failed dismally to put his philosophical beliefs in practice. The decisions he undertook were contrary to his individual belief with regards to the relationship between life and virtues. As much as obedience is vital, it can not be entirely eliminated from the social system because of the role that it plays in triggering change and checking the political system. The obedience of a child to his parents can not be likened and is not analogous to the obedience of citizens to states. Thus the ultimate decision that Socrates took to obey the laws was misinformed. It also undermined his ability to trigger change in the society by emphasizing the importance of justice.

Reference

Plato. (1959). Plato: The last days of Socrates. (H. Tredennick, Trans.). New York: Penguin Books.

This paper presents the marketing overview for a major developer of gated residential communities

Name

Course

University

Tutor

Date

Mortgage

Background

This paper presents the marketing overview for a major developer of gated residential communities. The marketing is confined on three major aims; – First to convince the potential buyers that there are many virtues to home ownership as compared to the drawbacks. Secondly, there are far much more benefits of living in gated communities as compared to non-gated ones. Third, despite controversies, observations show that it is better to buy a new home rather than a foreclosed one.

Paying a mortgage for a new home in a gated community holds more advantages as compared to paying a mortgage for a foreclosed home or a non-gated community. The aim of this paper is to explain the benefits of owning a new home in a gated community.

The mention of mortgages stirs different responses among people because to some, mortgages are efficient and faster way to own homes while to others, mortgages are associated with loss of homes, bankruptcy, and court proceedings (Adelino, Gerardi, & Willen, p.7). The 2007 to 2009 recess period will especially be remembered for the foreclosure crises that hit the U. S, U.K., and other parts of the world that had dwelled in real estate business (Adelino, Gerardi, & Willen, p. 5). The time was difficult for everyone as most homes had been sold on mortgage yet the economy slumped, and most people who had taken mortgages could not repay because of reasons such as being terminated from work, as well as the unwillingness of lenders to renegotiate the mortgages. However, all is not lost because today, more than ever, it is discovered that there are more virtues to home ownership than the slight unfortunate incidents that occurred, it all depends with the choice of the lender firm.

Virtues of home ownership with a reliable mortgager

The time to re-mortgage is now as there are many benefits that are accompanied with it and especially if these mortgages are bought from a firm that has the buyers’ interests at heart. First, the firm offers lower rates on mortgages. Worth-noting is that as much as the economy is unpredictable, it cannot be denied that at the moment, the economy is better than the 2008 recess period (Mellish & Rhoden, p. 179). Moreover, it is only fair to reduce the costs after the recent tax deductions on property ownership, and thus buyers should take advantage of the opportunity as it lasts. Second, this firm offers special discounted rates from the initial cost for potential homeowners who may prefer to make home improvements, for instance, incorporating energy technology or advanced communication gadgets. On the other hand, other lender firms may charge you higher before discounting if it is realized that you are looking forward to make further improvements (Your Mortgage, 45). Third, purchasing a home via this firm enables all the buyers to become mainstream borrowers through equity build up. This is especially beneficial for individuals who have had a bad credit history after taking a mortgage and were thus put on a higher interest rate. The firm allows such buyers to re-bargain for a better deal. Fourth, the firm provides flexible mortgage services such that one can decide to overpay, underpay, or take payment holidays depending with the individual’s income and lifestyle. Fifth, the firm provides better services as the mortgage market is very competitive and buyers should be given worthwhile services (Your Mortgage, 45).

Advantages of gated residential as compared to non-gated ones

Living in a gated community is better than living in a non-gated one because of two major reasons: first security, and second, home maintenance. The current society faces challenges as a result of increasing rate of crimes such as bribery, drug busts, and street fights (Drew & McGuigan). This is not the kind of environment that a home owner would desire to be exposed to, or worse still, for families with children. Moreover, no buyer would want a break-in to occur on the property or the home destroyed after paying dearly for the mortgage. All these negative aspects are common with the non-gated communities (Drew & McGuigan). Non-gated communities are exposed to the outside and traffic and anyone can have access at any time. Some of the people that access the non-gated communities do not have good intentions and hence subjecting the non-gated community residents to risks and hazards in relevance to crime and other social disorder aspects. On the other hand, the gated-community provided by the firm provides adequate security as any visitors or strangers to the community undergo check ups in addition to 24 hour surveillance in the community’s environs. Furthermore, there are well laid procedures for garbage collection services and compound maintenance (Drew & McGuigan).

New home vs. Foreclosed home

There is always an argument that buying a foreclosure home is better than buying a new one but in this paper, this argument is refuted. Several researches in marketing show that in fact, it is dangerous to buy foreclosed homes. The Marketing Weekly News (p. 515) strongly warns against buying foreclosed homes citing a number of pitfalls. The process of buying foreclosed homes is lengthy as there are always legal procedures to clear. The buyer has to deal with an arduous process of approval and in most cases; the building is rarely inspected for quality as it is assumed that this had already been done on the first buyer (Marketing Weekly, p. 515).

Conclusion

Potential buyers should consider purchasing their homes with this highly reputed gated residence mortgage provider. The buyer will benefit from outstanding payment modules, remarkable services, as well as be provided for a secure and comfortable home.

Works Cited

Adelino, Manuel, Gerardi, Kristopher, and Willen, Paul. Why don’t lenders renegotiate more home mortgages? Re-defaults, self-cures, and securization. Research Review, 2009, 9(4): 5-9.

The journal discusses the economic recess period of 2007 to 2009 when the foreclosures crisis hit the U.S because of failure of borrowers to repay the mortgages. However, the authors believe that the real estate market still has a chance to thrive but the lenders should be willing to renegotiate the terns directly with the borrowers as opposed to living it as a matter of policy debate. This article has been of importance to the project because of re-stating the virtues of home ownership, and also the fact that borrowers stand a chance to buy affordable mortgages if lenders can renegotiate.

Drew, Edward & McGuigan Jeffrey. Prevention of crime: An overview of gated communities and neighborhood watch. 2008. Accessed October 29, 2010 from HYPERLINK “http://www.ifpo.org/articlebank/gatedcommunity.html” http://www.ifpo.org/articlebank/gatedcommunity.html

The authors discuss the issue of gated and non-gated communities; and although they state that non-gated communities are best for social cohesion, the increasing rates of crime forces people to consider being in gated communities. The article has been of good use for the project because of emphasizing one of the key issues-the importance of gated communities over non-gated ones.

Marketing Weekly News. Business news; Fulton homes caution buyers: Foreclosures present peril to homeowners, Marketing Weekly News, 2010, November 6: p.515

The article warns against buying foreclosed homes because of the numerous perils that such ownership present to the buyer. The article illustrates this aspect by using examples from various examples in several states in the U.S. The article has been useful for the project in assisting to repute the argument that buying foreclosed homes is better than buying new homes.

Mellish, Paul and Rhoden, Maureen. Buy to let: A popular investment? Property Management, 2009, vol. 27(3): 178-190.

The authors’ main purpose was to illustrate that there is advantage in buying finished homes for the purpose of renting it to owners. The article, did not contribute much to the key issues of the project but it was useful in the introducing the overall issues of the project and enhancing the fact that there are virtues in home ownership.

Your Mortgage. Reasons to re-mortgage. Your Mortgage.co.uk. n.d: p. 4

The article gives several reasons on the virtues of home-ownership. The article specifically points out that home ownership can be advantageous or disadvantageous to the buyer depending with the terms of services of the lender firm. The article has been useful for the project in pointing out that mortgage firms can increase the mortgage market by giving favorable terms.

This paper presents estimation for a sample size with known population standard deviation of $400 and a margin of error of $2

Abstract

This paper presents estimation for a sample size with known population standard deviation of $400 and a margin of error of ± $25 from the mean. As with any statistical procedures that infer to the population and true mean, this estimation assumes that the population from which the sample is to be drawn takes a z-distribution with a characteristic akin to N (0, 1). The implication of this assumption is that the sample drawn is also expected to have a normal distribution characteristic, except for any error that might result from random sampling. Given the above information and assumption, z-tables are utilized to achieve the objective of the analysis by helping in getting the z-values for the limits. The estimation is done at a confidence coefficient of 98%.

Estimating the Sample size

Generally, we would estimate a sample size through the following formula:

n = ((z x s)/D)) 2

Where n is the sample size being estimated, s represents the known standard deviation and z represents the percentile falling under the 1-α/2 in a standard normal distribution. The division by two is important because there is an upper limit and a lower limit.

0.98/2 = 0.490 and the area under this value in the z-table is 2.32 as shown in the sketch below. The sketch is not drawn to scale though it is intended to present a notion of a standard normal distribution.

Figure SEQ Figure * ARABIC 1: Normal curve for z-values at 98% Confidence Interval

We then multiply the z-value by the standard deviation and get the following:

2.32 x 400 = 928

However, we had a margin of error of 25 hence we divide the product above by the margin of error and get:

928/25 = 37.12

n = 37.12 x 37.12 = 1, 377.8944

= 1,378

Implications of reducing Sample Size

Implications of a small sample size or reducing the estimated sample are manifold. First with respect to the standard error, a small sample size increases the possibility of a large standard error since the standard error is a function of the sample size. What this implies is that if a sample that is needed should give a proper representation of the target population, it should be as large as possible to represent the population with more precision. Hinton (2004) gives an important point to discourage small sample sizes, especially in non-experimental designs where the target population is large. Since we already have boundaries for estimate, the problem with reducing sample size is that it will force us to increase the margin of error and this also have in impact in reducing the intended precision. A small sample size will definitely have an impact on the generalizability of the results of the study (Hinton 2004). Therefore, the sample size should only be reduced if the company is ready to withstand problems of accuracy, precision and generalizability.

Reference:

Hinton P. “Business Statistics Explained” Routledge 2004: 200 – 266.