Socrates

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To question what no man has questioned before, that is a credo which we seemingly impose upon Socrates looking back upon his life. The philosopher Socrates is a commonly known inquisitive character, and is mainly known of because of his trial in 399 B.C.E. (2) But was Socrates really everything we know him as today? Or have the lines between the real Socrates and the Socrates of Aristophanes, Plato and Xenophon been so blurred that we do not know who the real man is. When one initially learns of Socrates through Plato one gets an upstanding view of the philosopher, while when viewing Socrates through the writings of Aristophanes one finds him a crude purveyor of the children. Regardless of which view one takes upon the Socratic question – Who's view is most accurate to Socrates, if any or are all of the authors using him simply as a mouthpiece for their own views (1) – it is easy to see why Socrates has been the hero of intellectuals the world over since before his execution. The life and philosophy of a philosopher cannot be pulled from each other, they are intertwined and can be better understood if one understands both halves of the equation.

Socrates was born to Sophroniscus and Phaenarete in 469 B.C.E he was raised in Athens and was given an elementary education. Around 450 B.C.E. He was trained in military arts which eventually got to put to use in the time frame between the years 431 and 424 in battles against Sparta. From then on most of Socrates' life was dedicated to observing the world around him and notably he did not view himself as a teacher, instead he saw himself as one who helps others to reach an enlightened understanding of their lives. He did not believe in teaching in the conventional sense which was to simp...

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...der, Douglas. "The Trial of Socrates." UMKC School of Law. Web. 02 Dec. 2009. .

Discusses the Trial of Socrates. Reliable as it has information that is cross referential with other sources. Significant in its discussion of Accusors and Legitimate in that it is from a site designed for a Law School.

4. Rowe, Christopher. "The Uses and Disadvantages of Socrates." Durham University. Web. 02 Dec. 2009. .

Discusses the relevance of Socrates and his methods. University Professor Lecture Abstract, so yes, it is Legitimate and has Reliable information. Significance, helps question what is important about Socrates.

5. Plato. The Apology. Clearly important, clearly legitimate, and if it isn't reliable I shouldn't be writing a paper about Socrates.

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