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> "The Socratic position of accepting judicial punishment doesn't make sense if you have anything you want to do with your life other than making a political point."

More than that, it also doesn't hold water if you consider the possibility that sacrificing yourself isn't the best way to further your political goals.

Even if your cause is more important than everything else in your life combined, you should not allow yourself to be neutralized (jailed, or made to commit suicide) if it does not further your goal to a greater extent than anything else you could do. "Live to fight another day" is in full effect in nearly all situations.




Great point. What I find interesting is that in the case of Socrates one may convincingly argue that the trade was, in fact, positive.


Sometimes being a martyr can further your cause more than you could do alive.




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