Source identified
Read & copy the quotation
“Ought a man to do what he admits to be right, or ought he to betray the right?”
- Source
- Crito
- Date
- 4th century BCE
- Local voice
- Dialogue speaker · Socrates
- English wording
- Benjamin Jowett — Translator · from Ancient Greek
Meaning of “Ought a man to do what he admits…”
Socrates asks whether acting on one’s considered judgment about right and wrong should be set aside when the costs are severe. In the prison conversation, the question tests whether escaping a wrongful sentence can be justified under the principles he and Crito have accepted.
Where does it come from?
Crito, Socrates questioning Crito during the prison discussion after establishing a rule against retaliation; Benjamin Jowett English translation, Project Gutenberg #1657. The sentence begins after Socrates says he will put the next point as a question. The question is not an unqualified defense of obedience to every law; the dialogue stages an argument about obligations to the city.
Why the local voice matters
Socrates speaks in Crito prison dialogue, Jowett translation.
