If you have entered into a social contract with the US, what should you do based on Social Contract Theory?Explain

Discussion Guidelines

Discussion Prompt

The discussion for this unit will place you in a situation similar to that in which Socrates found himself, as described in the “Historical Roots” presentation. Socrates was sentenced to death but had the chance to flee Athens and survive in exile.

You can discover his choice and reasoning for so choosing in the presentation, and now you will be asked to place yourself in a similar situation and make your own choice and present your reasoning.

Read the following scenario and make your initial post in response to the discussion prompts.

Scenario:

You were arrested and charged with a serious crime that you did not commit. The fact is that you did NOT commit this crime, however, after standing trial you have been found guilty by a jury of your peers and sentenced to 15 years in prison – let’s say 10 years with good behavior!

Assume the following are true:

Your trial was fair – you were represented by an attorney and the jury was not coerced in their decision.

The jury’s guilty verdict was unanimous.

Your representation was fair, i.e., you were represented by a competent attorney who had adequate time and resources to develop your case.

You believe that your attorney truly had your best interest in mind – and perhaps s/he even believed you were not guilty.

You do not need to be concerned with the fact that you may appear to be guilty if you flee.

The prison in which you will be incarcerated is a federal penitentiary, not a federal prison with “white collar criminals.”

Discussion prompt:

If you had a chance to escape and flee to another country (or remain in hiding in the USA), would you do so?

Consider and discuss the following:

1. Do you believe that you have a “social contract” with the United States, similar to that described by Socrates in the Crito?

2. If you have entered into a social contract with the US, what should you do based on Social Contract Theory?

3. What do you think you actually would do?

If you believe you DO have a social contract with US in #2 but would choose to escape and break that contract, explain why. How would you justify your escape?

4. Would a different punishment warrant different behavior on your part, e.g., would you make the same choice if your prison sentence was only 1 year?

5. If this case was applied to your sibling or child, what would you counsel him/her to do?

(USLOs 4.1, 4.3)

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