Egoism and other-regarding behavior in Socrates’ final days

Abstract

In this paper, I consider how Xenophon and Plato characterize Socrates’ words and actions in his final days, including especially his decision not to flee Athens, but rather to stay and be executed. It might appear that in accepting death in the way he does, Socrates’ makes the greatest self-sacrifice possible for a human being. But did his decision amount to a sacrifice of his own personal self-interest, or was his drinking the poison entirely compatible with Socrates being an egoist? On the other hand, both Xenophon and Plato also talk about the negative effects of Socrates’ willingness to die in such a way on his friends and family. In Plato, Socrates’ decision is explicitly challenged as a selfish one that showed insufficient regard for the interests of others whose welfare should have been a concern to Socrates. Does his death, then, actually prove Socrates to have acted selfishly in the end?