Brave New World and Plato’s Crito

World Literature. Thu, Aug 21st, 2008 at 7:38 am

Themes: ,

Thanks, guys, for keeping me on task.

During our last few discussions we have found it easy to dismiss the dystopian society described in Huxley’s work.  “Of course someone would rebel against a society that cares so little about its citizens.  Of course it is not right to determine someone’s caste from birth.  Of course a person should rebel against morally unjust laws.”  Maybe, maybe not.

Enter Plato.  Written around 360 B.C.E., Plato’s Crito is a dialogue between Socrates, who has been condemned to die by the government of Athens, and his friend Crito, who wishes to help Socrates escape before his sentence can be carried out.  Their debate centers on the question of whether it is just to disobey laws one does not find just.  This may seem like a simple question, but we’ll see just how complex it is.

To add another position to the argument (from a related situation, but not the same), we will read Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”  In this letter, Dr. King makes a moral argument for disobeying unjust laws.

With these two readings, we will return to Brave New World with perhaps a different perspective.  Each of us may or may not come to a personal conclusion to these questions, but we will have a better awareness of the intricacies of this particular aspect of the Conformity/Rebellion discussion.

One Response to “Brave New World and Plato’s Crito”

  1. s t a c i e says:
    August 21, 2008 at 8:25 pm

    comment.