The Life and History of Socrates

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In the era of the Enlightenment, many philosophers were creating their own understanding of how the individuals of society function and the purpose of existence; one of these philosophers was Socrates. Spending majority of his life in Athens, Socrates exercised his freedom of speech, for which, he had vocalized his opinions to the people of Athens of the authority of the government and whether if the they are suitable to help society function in a positive light (Brumbaugh 230). However, in the development of government, the conservative government of Athens charged Socrates with religious treason and the corruption of the youth of Athens (Brumbaugh 228). During the trial, Socrates personally defended himself in court with a jury of over

“The unexamined life is not worth living,” states socrates. Socrates means that people who do not examine their lives, who don’t think about what they want to do with their lives, don’t live a happy life. Jimmy Santiago Baca and Frederick Douglas relate to socrates because they also lived their lives like him. Socrates educated people on the need to examine life and decide how to live it.

The problem with Socrates concerns the problem with the role of value and reason. Nietzsche believes that the bulk of philosophers claim that life is a corrupt grievance for mankind. Nietzsche reasoned that these life deniers were decadents of Hellenism, as a symptom of some underlying melancholy. For someone to paint life in such a negative light they must have suffered a great deal through the course of their own life. Furthermore, these no-sayers agreed in various physiological ways and thus adopted the same pessimistic attitudes towards life. Socrates was ugly, alike decadent criminals and by ways of these similarities was decadent as well. Nietzsche also claims ugliness as a physiological symptom of life in its decline supported by studies in phenology.

In 469 B.C. a man by the name of Socrates was born. Socrates was a very wise man that cared about doing the right thing. He believed that the best ways to develop ideas was in the give and take of conversation, and that the best way to educate people was to ask them a series of questions leading in a particular direction (now named “Socrates method). Socrates had been quick to identify the drawbacks of democracy, and he had also been the teacher of two men who in different ways harmed Athens: Alcibiades and Critias. Which made the parents of the children that Socrates had taught very upset and angry. Granting all this, it lead to the Trial of Socrates 399 B.C. During this trial Socrates expressed his view of death by using his question-and-answer method, for which he was famous for and what seemed to have gotten him in trouble. Socrates did not write so we have to depend on on what others wrote, and by doing that we now get to see the diverse ways people read and understand what was written about his speech. My chosen primary source, Socrates View on Death, is important, because it gives one view of Socrates speech while my outside source, Ancient Greece, gives a slightly more in depth view.

Socrates was a man that was on a mission is search of the truth about wisdom. As a philosopher he would never settle for one simple answer, he would take every angel of an argument therefore even a simple idea would be argued until his opponent would be frustrated enough to quit.

Viewing the painting “The Death of Socrates” by Jacques-Louis David, one can perceive many different subject matters, both literally and metaphorically. The obvious is seen within the setting of the painting. The clear illustration of where the event is happening provides the onlooker with a glimpse into a different time and era. Conversely, the artist has taken the liberty to hide deep meaning inside the work of art through less apparent means. Symbolism through art work has endured from early works to contemporized ones, here is no different. Taking the two aforementioned into consideration gives us a glimpse into both the symbolic and factual significance of the occasion.

Starting with the politicians, then the poets, and finally the skilled craftsmen, Socrates asked them all questions about areté, virtue, and justice and by doing so he discovered that these men were actually unwise in most things. By asking these questions and searching for understanding Socrates gained the self-knowledge needed to lead a life of areté. He realized that the oracle was right and that no man was wiser than him because all of them claimed to know the truth when in actuality they had no idea what the truth was. No man is wiser than him because he knew one thing to be true which was that he knew nothing. This realization led Socrates to full consciousness, a true understanding of oneself.

In addition to a strategic approach to his teaching, Socrates also had very high expectations for successful students of his, and their thought processes. Not only were his questions intentional, he had specific expectations from each of his students. “Socrates wasn't after brainless disciples. He was trying to create a new breed of thinkers, ones who explored the world with their mind,” (MythologyTeacher.com). Socrates expected students to pick up on his teaching approach and be courageous enough to propel his discussions forward with their own questions. An example of a model student,

“No one knows with regards to death whether it is not really the greatest blessing that can happen to a man; but people dread it as though they were certain that it is the greatest evil” (Apology 29a). In his explanation of wisdom and knowledge, Socrates also reveals his worldview of the human condition. Socrates states that those who fear death are foolish because there is no possible way to know what it really holds. He believed that there were things far worse than death. Included among these were ignorance and foolishness. This ties in with his worldview of knowledge as he went to great lengths to seek out a person with more knowledge than himself, an act that defies ignorance according to his definition. Socrates believed that an ignorant life was not a life worth living. When he revealed the ignorance of the politicians, poets, and craftsmen, they were upset, further showing their ignorance in that they were offended in Socrates attempting to impart some wisdom on them. He further states, “I only wish that ordinary people had an unlimited capacity for doing harm; that would mean that they had an unlimited power for doing good, which would be a splendid thing. In fact they have neither. They cannot make a man wise or foolish” (Crito 44d). This further imparts Socrates belief that the human

What Socrates witnessed in the Athenian civilization may be the most influential motivation for his ideas on the meaning of life. As noted, Socrates observed the downfall of some cultural aspects in his home city, but he also noticed the presence of a strong intellectual life that withstood this downfall. From his interpretation of this aspect, Socrates states

Socrates once said “The unexamined life is not worth living”. In essence, this explicit statement was a challenge to all of us. A challenge to live a life guided by reason. We make choices every day. I believe that Socrates priority was to explain to us that with the power we have to think, and understand ideas using logic is how we break away from living an unexamined life. By thinking with reason, we develop great values, and we stray away from unwarranted

His actions of questioning people were prompted by the prophecy of the Oracle of Delphi declared that Socrates to be the wisest man. Socrates was baffled by this because the Oracle couldn’t be lying but he felt that he was ignorant and had no wisdom. To try to figure out what the Oracle meant, Socrates began approaching people who were believed to be wise to find out what makes them wise. He approached politicians, poets, and artist and after speaking with all of them he determined that they all had false wisdom and in fact were ignorant. Many things they thought they knew, they in fact didn’t know.

“The Death of Socrates” was painted by a French painter . His name was Jacques Louis David. The painting represents the scene of the death of Greek philosopher Socrates. He was condemned to die by drinking hemlock for the expression of his ideas against those of Athens' and corrupting the minds of the youth. The painting also depicts both Plato and Crito, with the former sitting at the edge of the bed and the latter clutching the knee of Socrates. Socrates had the choice to go into exile and , hence, give up his philosophic vocation or be sentenced to death by drinking hemlock. Socrates chose death. In this painting, someone hands a confident Socrates the goblet of hemlock. Socrates' hand pointing to the

One of the most famous Greek philosophers that was ahead of his time was a man by the name of Socrates. Socrates was mocked as a philosopher because of the way he thought which was not welcomed in greek philosophy. We know of his life only because of his admirers Plato and Xenophon. They observed Socrates's complex teachings and to what we intake now in modern society.