Socrates

Look into the eyes of the bust of Socrates and you can almost see what he saw in the universe. It looks as though his wisdom is unsurmountable, as he did believe himself to be the most brilliant man in the universe, while also knowing for sure: the only thing he knows is that he doesn’t know anything. Unlike the famous Kouros statues that were all alike and used for a certain purpose of a grave maker, or shrine to the gods, the portrait of Socrates shows depth and importance. During the classical period it became increasingly common for Greek sculptures to depict more realistic forms. The portrait of Socrates details a man who was not afraid to ask hard questions, it also puts across the point that he may

For Socrates, the Athenian law has made him good, just because one mistake he isn’t going to turn away from it. He wants to be known for his support to the Athenian law. Socrates cares to show himself in a good manor and set example for his sons. Socrates wish’s not to be freed from jail because, the people will feel as if he is going against what he believes; and if this becomes the case then Socrates will lose his support from followers. Socrates believes that the opinion of the many do not matter as much as the opinion of the

Throughout his trial in Athens and when facing execution, Socrates solidly stuck beside his belief that “life without this sort of examination is not worth living” (Apology, 38a). Socrates deeply believed in philosophy. He spent his whole life seeking wisdom through moral and political questions and even when addressing a jury with the possibility of execution looming over him he declared “I shall never stop practicing philosophy and exhorting you and indicating the truth for everyone” (Apology, 29d). The truth and the means of finding it were the most important thing to Socrates. Even though questioning was Socrates’ way to achieve power, he still believed in following the law. Practicing free speech and resisting political tyranny are not harmful as long as they fall within the constraints of the law. In explaining to Crito why escaping execution was not an option, Socrates questions Crito saying, “Do you imagine that a city can continue to exist and not be turned upside down, if the legal judgements which are pronounced in it have no force but are nullified and destroyed” (Crito, 50b). In refusing to escape his death sentence Socrates proves his

Socrates stressed the importance of knowledge and encouraged the youth to act in accordance to will and morality. He also realized that those who claimed to possess all knowledge were in the fact the ones who knew nothing. During his testimony

As Crito urged Socrates to escape, he responds by saying that they must listen “to what the expert concerning the just and unjust things- to what the one, and truth itself, will say” (Crito 48a6-8). Socrates was willing to lay down his life rather than act on something before it was properly thought out. He valued the pursuit of justice more than the pursuit of his own life. Later on, he reminds Crito again that “one must in no way do injustice” (Crito 49b7). Socrates’s uncertain religious beliefs led him to seek out the truth and justice. This pursuit of justice through careful thought and consideration became paramount to Plato’s view on politics.

It is said he was pulled out of his workshop by Crito because of the “beauty of his soul”. Jobless and serving no direct purpose to the Athenian (Greek) society, Socrates was well known in the Athenian markets where he spent much of his time ‘learning’ about others. In his spare time he had developed and honed an ability to use words and was intrigued with life; why things were; what they were; and how things were. Socrates had many

To question what no man has questioned before, that is what we praise Socrates for. Socrates’ Philosophies grew out of his questioning of the social norm. Using this technique, he seems to always focus on three main aspects: justice, virtue, and morality. Socrates claims that he has no wisdom. He states, “I know I have no wisdom, great or small.” The world has an infinite number of possibilities and anything he declares understanding, is extremely minimal compared to the possibilities that exist in the world, there is so much out there that hasn’t been exposed yet. Socrates had many thoughts and ideas over things people never even took time to think about. He thought differently and always more intensely than others. Socrates says that knowledge is essential to a person. He concluded that a person’s evil and wrong actions come from their ignorance and their failure to investigate. He was also convinced that no one knowingly does wrong, if a person does not know what is right, then that person will do wrong, but in the other hand, if the person knows what is right, they will most definitely do right. He once mentioned that “the unexamined life is not worth living” introducing the idea of Universal Definitions, meaning although individual things may vary and be constructed differently the definitions of how they are similar, are permanent. The most important thing about Socrates was the fact that he was a teacher. He taught anywhere and everywhere, he even went up to people,

Socrates was accused of many things in the Athens market. Socrates was accused of being a man who makes the worse argument into the stronger argument. A man who knows about the heavens and earth and therefore any one who believe this must not believe in the gods. Socrates was accused of being an atheist. Most of the people that followed him around his quest were inquisitive. Where as most adults would walk by Socrates with his “annoying question” the youth stopped to see what he had to say. The youth became his followers when he went out to ask questions that undermined society. Therefore, Socrates was accused of corrupting the youth. I do not believe that Socrates was guilty. For the fact that he was not responsible for

Socrates holds the belief that if people know what is right, they will do what is right. We refer to this as the “knowledge of virtue”. He tried to help the people of

Plato is a very influential philosopher who claims to have had an incredible teacher by the name of Socrates. However, due to Socrates lack of writing things down, no one is able to prove if he truly existed or was simply a character in the writings of Plato. These writings are collectively called The Final Days of Socrates which consists of Euthyphiro, Apology, Crito, and Fato. All of these texts explain and demonstrate the Socratic methods and dialects in relation to education. Socrates had a very unique approach considering his cultural surroundings, which was very traditional based. Socrates sought to challenge these traditions by simply asking why they were practiced, which lead to another question, and another, and another, and so on. Throughout The Apology Socrates taught that wisdom can be admitting when you don 't know something, questioning everything is good, and seeking to understand the world and reasons behind things is of high moral value.

Greek philosophers wanted to question, to challenge their prejudices, even if their lives were in danger. Socrates enjoyed teaching, but he didn't want anything in return. Socrates main thought had been the real world and how to explain it. “However, Socrates set in motion a new approach by focusing entirely on moral and psychological questions.”(2) For asking more and more questions, he was sometimes trailed for death.

Socrates believes that philosophy is acting according to one’s ideology no matter what the consequences are. So our responsibility is to follow that idea even if it cost to lose your life.

In his comedy, Clouds, Aristophanes portrays Socrates as a Sophist: a duplicitous charlatan eager to take peoples' money for teaching them to flout the laws and defy moral norms. The conflation of Socrates with the Sophists is based on a superficial similarity between the interests of Socrates and the sophists concerning education and virtue, but which fails to distinguish between the moral relativism of the Sophists and the belief in absolute moral standards held by Socrates (and his puppet-master Plato).

Socrates was a classical Greek philosopher, whom was also described as one of the founders of Western Philosophy. It was said that he was born in Athens, Greece around 470/469 BC to his father who was a stonemason and his mother who was a midwife. Socrates was believed to live to be about 71 years of age when he passed away. “He grew up during the golden age of Pericles’ Athens, served with distinction as a soldier, but became best known as a questioner of everything and everyone.” (History.com Staff, Socrates) He was deployed to several battles in the Peloponnesian War while he served. Socrates himself did not document any part of his life, but his favorite student Plato did. “Details about the life of Socrates can be derived from 3 contemporary sources: The Dialogues of Plato and Xenophon (both devotees of Socrates), and the plays of Aristophanes.” (Wikipedia, Socrates) Socrates has played a major role throughout the history of Philosophy and is also a great example of a model for the philosopher’s way.

Socrates was a Greek philosopher who is known for his method of questioning referred to as the “Socratic method”. He is considered a very wise philosopher and that can be attributed to his views of knowledge and ignorance. He searches for a deeper understanding of the topics by questioning. The view that Socrates is wise contrasts his own view of himself as he does not believe that he has all the answers because his methods search for a deeper comprehensive truth of a topic but does not always provide answers. Although Socrates’ method has limitations in increasing knowledge, his method of questioning effectively combat ignorance by providing boundaries for his knowledge along with the knowledge of others.