Which Opinions Actually Matter

Socrates makes a distinction that gets to the heart of one of the most common sources of anxiety in human life: worrying about what other people think. He asks Crito to think carefully about which people’s opinions actually deserve weight.

“Let me ask you something,” Socrates said. “Think about a person who is trying to become a better athlete. Does that person follow the advice of everyone who watches him practice? Or does he listen to his trainer, the person who actually understands what good training looks like?”

“Their trainer, obviously,” Crito said.

“What happens to an athlete who ignores the trainer and just follows the crowd?”

“Their body gets worse. They train wrong. They get injured.”

“Right. Now, we have always agreed that there is a part of us that gets damaged by doing wrong and improved by doing right. We have said all our lives that this part matters more than the body. Are we going to abandon that idea now, just because my life is at stake?”

“Of course not,” Crito said.

“Then the only question is whether escaping would be right or wrong. Not what people will think. Not what it will cost. Not whether I have the opportunity. Simply: would it be right?”

Crito was quiet.

“Because if it is wrong,” Socrates continued, “we do not do it. No matter what. We have been saying this our whole lives. This seems like a bad time to change our minds.”