Socratic Method: Wisdom Through Questioning

1. Socrates is as a person who is profoundly wise, a person who has understood planes of reality far higher than what is understood by most people. He is depicted as one who has been outside the cave and who is no longer imprisoned by the illusions of the ordinary world. He is depicted as a skilled communicator who can ask people to question and examine even their most cherished assumptions. The Socratic Method is based on a dialogue between two or more people who may hold differing views, but wish to pursue the truth by seeking agreement with one another, Socrates used it quite differently in that he believed that knowledge was instinctive and could be brought out by means of skillful questioning. In many ways, Socrates resembled the Sophists.

In Apology, as well, Socrates admits that he is often confused with the Sophists and tries to distinguish himself from them in two ways, first by pointing out that they charge fees for teaching and he doesn 't, and second that they teach public speaking and he doesn 't. The primary difference between Socrates and the Sophists seems to lie in a disagreement on whether or not knowledge might be absolute. The Sophists argued that knowledge and morality were relative. They claimed that the value of actions varied according to circumstances, that knowledge was necessarily imperfect, and that truth was relative. Socrates claims that wisdom is essentially an awareness of how little one knows, his position on absolute truth suggests that he viewed ultimate wisdom as an attainment of an ideal knowledge. The Sophists, for their part, argued against the existence, even potentially of such an ideal form of

Socrates rejects the idea of the tyranny of the majority by suggesting that it is a great shame that the public does not have an unlimited capacity for doing harm, since they would then also have an unlimited capacity for doing good. It cannot make a man wise and it cannot make one foolish. Whatever it does is largely a matter of chance. Crito pleads with Socrates to take his advice and escape from prison. He gives as his reason that if Socrates refuses to escape and is then put to death, Crito will not only have lost a true friend who can never be replaced, but he will also be censured by many persons who will accuse him of failure to do what he could in order to save the life of a friend. It will be supposed by those who are not familiar with the facts that Crito could have purchased the freedom of his friend by paying a certain amount of money but that he refused to do so. Crito then tells him to have no such fear, for there are persons who at no great cost are willing to save him and bring him out of prison. Crito explains that he has considerable means himself, all of which he would gladly use for any purpose that would aid in saving the life of Socrates. Crito tells Socrates that by remaining in prison and refusing to escape, he is playing into the hands of his enemies and giving aid to the ones who are disregarding the demands of justice. Then, too, he is betraying the members of his own family, especially the children, who are entitled to the nurture, guidance,