Socrates

Socrates was perhaps the most interesting and influential thinker in the fifth century. He was dedicated to careful reasoning and he wanted genuine knowledge rather than the victory over his opponent. He learned the rhetoric and dialectics of the Sophists, the ideas of the Lonian philosophers, and the general culture of Periclean Athens. Socrates used the same knowledge by the Sophists to get a new purpose, the pursuit of truth. He called everything into question and he was determined to accept nothing less than the truth.

He was well known for his skills in carrying on a conversation and his public speaking, but Socrates never wrote a thing. We learned from his students, mainly Kenophon and Plato, about his methods and results. Plato was a philosopher also, so we must assume he interjected his own thoughts and ideas into the dialogues he gave to the world as discussions between Socrates and other people of that time.

Socrates was born in Athens, the son of Sophroniscus, a sculptor, and Phaenarete, a midwife. He received the regular elementary education in literature, music, and gymnastics. At first, Socrates followed the path of his father. He made a statue group of the three Graces and this stood at the entrance to the Acroplois until the 2nd century AD. He served as an infantryman in the Peloponnesian War with Sparta. He showed a lot of bravery at the battles of Potidaea in 432-430BC, Delium in 424BC and Amphipolis in 422BC.

Socrates believed in the power of discussion rather than writing. He spent most of his adult life in the marketplace and public places of Athens. He would engage anyone in dialogue and argue with those who would listen or who would answer questions. Socrates was reported to be unattractive in appearance and short in stature but he was very hardy and he had a lot of self-control. He enjoyed life and he was known for his ready wit and sense of humor so this made him quite popular.

Socrates mostly steered clear of politics, but he did observe the laws and was obedient. He believed that his calling was to pursue philosophy and that he could serve his country by teaching, and persuading the Athenians to learn self-examination and nurturing of their souls.

Socrates had a belief that the every...

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...r to be the better reason.

Socrates was condemned to die even though a small majority carried the vote. He made an ironic counter proposition to the court, proposing only to pay a small find because of his value to the state as a philosopher. The jury was so angered by his offer that they voted by an increased majority for the death penalty.

Socrates’ friends planned his escape from prison and death but he preferred to go by the law and die for his cause. His last day was spent with his friends and that evening he calmly drank a cup of hemlock according to the customary procedure. Plato described the trial and death of Socrates in the Apology, the Crito, and the Phaedo.

Plato’s dramatic picture of a man willing to die rather than abandoning his commitment to philosophical inquiry offers up Socrates as a model for all future philosophers. Few of us are presented with the same choice between philosophy and death, but we are daily faced with opportunities to decide between right and wrong and our devotion to truth and reason. How we live our lives determines whether we are philosophical or not.