Around the fourth century BCE, philosophy in Ancient Greece arose rapidly. This early form was speculative, so it was based entirely off the reasoning process without any factuality involved. While the Hellenistic Era approached, philosophy was taken to a whole new level. During Greece’s Golden Age, Socrates emerged expanding on these basic beliefs by using his inquisitive mind. Although Socrates’ ideology set the basis for western thought, his dedication to his beliefs brought him about as a polarizing figure in Athens.
With Socrates’s ability of daringly questioning people’s fundamental beliefs, came a brand new reputation. He was the first person to present the idea of a distinction between the body and the soul (Huffman 567). In the end, Socrates placed an emphasis on the soul because it contained all of a person’s views. One of his main beliefs was that people just accept the ideas of others without thinking principles out for themselves (Zannos 32). A well-known technique of cross-examination that allowed each individual to recognize misinterpreted thoughts was the Socratic Method (King 23). It consisted of the philosopher asking simple questions, then giving his pupils a chance to respond. If the answer was inaccurate, they were to rethink it and justify the error that had misled them before. This convenient process allowed anybody to seek themselves and end up with a simple solution. In addition, he offered lectures free of charge, only hoping to educate his pupils in such a way that they would become just like him (Zannos 33). Therefore, he was emotionally attached with them and only wanted their well-being. However, one of his students who seemed loyal, Alcibiades, betrayed Athens in the Peloponnesian War by joini...
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...ained more confidence and preached frequently, citizens didn’t appreciate his criticism. Even when his life was at stake, his beliefs would always dominate in significance. Although Socrates had some ups and downs in his lifetime, he left his mark deep into the roots of Ancient Greece. Philosophers would follow his teachings and embark on the logic of the Socratic Method for years later to come….
Works Cited
King, Peter. One Hundred Philosophers. London: Quarto Publishing, 2004.
Don, Nardo. Ancient Philosophers. New York: Thomson Gale, 2004.
Zannos, Susan. The Life and Times of Socrates. Hockessin: Mitchell Lane Publishers, 2005.
Huffman, Carl. The World Book Encyclopedia: “Socrates.” New York City: Scott Fetzer Company, 2010.
Sacks, David. “Socrates.” Facts on File. Facts on File Inc., 2/7/11. Web. 10 Mar. 2011. .
It takes one person to begin expanding a thought, eventually dilating over a city, gaining power through perceived power. This is why Socrates would be able to eventually benefit everyone, those indifferent to philosophy, criminals, and even those who do not like him. Socrates, through his knowledge of self, was able to understand others. He was emotionally intelligent, and this enabled him to live as a “gadfly,” speaking out of curiosity and asking honest questions. For someone who possesses this emotional intelligence, a conversation with Socrates should not have been an issue-people such as Crito, Nicostratus, and Plato who he calls out during his speech. (37) The problem is that many of the citizens of Athens who wanted Socrates dead, lacked that emotional intelligence and thought highly of themselves. So of course they become defensive when Socrates sheds light on the idea that they may be wrong. As someone who cared most about the improvement of the soul, Socrates would have made a constructive role model to the criminals of Athens, as he would go on saying, “virtue is not given by money, but that from virtue comes money and every other good of man…”(35) Socrates was able to benefit everyone alike as he had human wisdom- something that all the Athenians could relate
Socrates put one’s quest for wisdom and the instruction of others above everything else in life. A simple man both in the way he talked and the wealth he owned, he believed that simplicity in whatever one did was the best way of acquiring knowledge and passing it unto others. He is famous for saying that “the unexplained life is not worth living.” He endeavored therefore to break down the arguments of those who talked with a flowery language and boasted of being experts in given subjects (Rhees 30). His aim was to show that the person making a claim on wisdom and knowledge was in fact a confused one whose clarity about a given subject was far from what they claimed. Socrates, in all his simplicity never advanced any theories of his own but rather aimed at bringing out the worst in his interlocutors.
believed that his defense left his soul in its best condition before he died. In those terms, Socrates could not have delivered a better defense.
Socrates was a revolutionary thinker. He brought new ideas and processes of thought to Athenian society and his work still has its place in the world today. However during his time, his ideas were not always thought of as a good thing. Many viewed him as a corrupting influence on other people and accused him of forcing his ideas upon others. Perhaps most frequently the center of controversy was his thoughts on theocracy and piety as seen in the Plato’s Euthyphro. Socrates also appears at the butt end of Aristophanes’ comedy Clouds, where he is satirically ridiculed and seemingly corrupting the youth of Athens in his school, the Thinkery. Although virtually completely seen as a positive influence now, in ancient times, Socrates may have done more harm than good for his society.
The Defense of Socrates begins with Socrates stating he does not know if his fellow Athenians, his jury, have been persuaded by his accusers. This is a crucial statement because Socrates explains how of the many false claims that his accusers have made, one particularly can be proven as untrue. His accusers have sent out a warning that Socrates is a “clever” speaker and he clarifies that he would admit that he is an orator if a “clever speaker” is one who speaks the truth. (17b) He states that although he has no experience with the court of law, he will speak the truth. He stated that “You shall hear my points made spontaneously in whatever words occur to me--persuaded as I am that my case is just…because it would not be at all fitting at my age, gentleman, to come before you with artificial speeches.” (17c) In return for his promise, Socrates requests that it would only be fair to disregard his manner of speaking and only focus on whether his actions were just.
Socrates was wise men, who question everything, he was found to be the wise man in Athens by the oracle. Although he was consider of being the wises man alive in those days, Socrates never consider himself wise, therefore he question everything in order to learned more. Socrates lived a poor life, he used to go to the markets and preach in Athens he never harm anyone, or disobey any of the laws in Athens, yet he was found guilty of all charges and sentence to die.
Throughout much of fifth-century Athens, there were two distinct types of philosophers, ones that followed the teachings of the Sophists or ones that followed the ideals of Socrates. In this essay, I will first portray the Sophistry and their values. Then I will further depict Socrates as the Sophistry’s opposite. Furthermore, I will demonstrate the countless differences and the limited common interests between the Sophists and Socrates.
Shields, Christopher John. "Socrates." Ancient philosophy: a contemporary introduction. 2nd ed. New York: Routledge, 2011. 35-57. Print.
Plato may have never become the world renowned philosopher that he is considered to be today if it had not been for Socrates (469-399 B.C.E.). Plato was Socrates' most famous pupil, and Socrates was such an inspiration to him that...
Socrates despised the Sophists. Sophists wouldn’t teach their students truths but instead would persuaded them to truths they’d made up. Socrates had seen through this and had challenged this way of thought by searching for the truth and not made up truths. Socrates had gone against the Sophist in order to provide a better education for students. Finally Socrates inspired people to question the very world we live in and it’s wonders. “He addressed timeless, universal, fundamental questions with insight and intelligence, our own understanding of such questions is heightened” (Nails). Socrates is a very well known person for asking questions all the time. Many people nowadays are doing it as well. Socrates had opened a gate way for others to explore. Before that people felt that most things were due to the presence of gods or beings. Socrates allowed thoughts and ideas to be challenged through curiosity and questions. Socrates has influenced many parts of today's world. He influenced western philosophy, how schools are taught, and people's curiosity. After Socrates came Plato, a student of Socrates. Like Socrates Plato too had many influences. Three of them being ethics, republic address and justice system, and literature. “Plato's Republic is a contribution to ethics: a discussion of what the virtue justice is and why a person should be just” (Eric). This was significant as it was one of the earlier attempts to justify someone doing as good or bad and set the border line for others to continue to develop and improve. Plato’s ethics had also helped with his making of the republic address and justice system. Plato was also very well known for helping form the republic address and justice system. In the republic Plato feels that justice is necessary. Plato believes that justice, individually is a human virtue. “He displays in his
Socrates was a philosopher who set out to prove, to the gods, that he wasn't the wisest man. Since he could not afford a "good" Sophist teacher, surely a student of one had to be smarter than he. He decides to converse with the youth of Athens, but concludes that he actually is wiser than everyone he speaks with. He then realizes that their lack of intelligence is the fault of their teachers. Socrates understands that the practice of "sophism" leads to a lack of self-knowledge and moral values. Socrates was later accused of corrupting the youth of Athens and put on trial. In The Apology of Socrates he sta...
Socratic philosophy that, “I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing” (The Republic), is contradictory to Athenians’ definition of being wise. Socrates inquires knowledge, life and virtue; he says, “the unexamined life is not with living for a human being” (Apology 38a-b). Socrates’s inquiry of moral and political authority of Athenians directly challenges the city’s law and value that individuals, family and the city depend on. Therefore, the Socratic skepticism incurs hatred and enmity from people who are angry and envious of Socrates. Socrates implies at the beginning of his speech that his fate is doomed because the people who judge him believe in the persuasive falsehoods and won’t be willing to listen to the truth. The death of Socrates also reveals the internal fallacy in Athenian democracy. The consequence of a recalcitrant philosophy stands against the whole city is written, because the gulf between the belief of the society and the philosophy is impassible. Socrates’s way of living seems to be unreasonable for most people, and as the same time is not suitable for the proper operation of society which doesn’t want civilians to question the essence of life. However, Socrates shifts the focus of philosophy from the heaven to the earth. Before Socrates, natural
When Socrates was brought to trial for the corruption of the city’s youth he knew he had done nothing wrong. He had lived his life as it should be lead, and did what he ne...
While he was growing up he received a very typical education, no different than any other average child living in Athens at the time. As he got older he became very muscular, although was quite short according to Plato’s, Symposium. After his education he went on to become a hoplite, an Athenian soldier (Twardowski, 353). Following his career as a hoplite, he started his philosophical journey and never worked for money again (“Socrates”). Socrates would go around and help people develop their ideas. Instead of telling people what to think, which is what their government and elders did, he challenged the people to think for themselves. He would question people as to why they believe what they did in more of a dialect than a teaching or lecturing (Twardowski, 354). This is where the Method of Elenchus originated, more commonly known as the Socratic method, and is still well known thanks to a text written by a student of Socrates named Plato. The Socratic method eventually led the young adults to change the way they see the world. Instead of having the same thoughts as their parents and government, they began to think for themselves (“Socrates”). As one can imagine the older Athenian people were furious. The younger generation was now questioning their beliefs and thinking in a way people had never considered before. People speculated that Socrates was a sophist. The
Philosophy can be defined as the pursuit of wisdom or the love of knowledge. Socrates, as one of the most well-known of the early philosophers, epitomizes the idea of a pursuer of wisdom as he travels about Athens searching for the true meaning of the word. Throughout Plato’s early writings, he and Socrates search for meanings of previously undefined concepts, such as truth, wisdom, and beauty. As Socrates is often used as a mouthpiece for Plato’s ideas about the world, one cannot be sure that they had the same agenda, but it seems as though they would both agree that dialogue was the best way to go about obtaining the definitions they sought. If two people begin on common ground in a conversation, as Socrates often tries to do, they are far more likely to be able to civilly come to a conclusion about a particular topic, or at least further their original concept.