Socrates A Closer Look At The Greatest

Socrates: A Closer Look At The Greatest Thinker Essay, Research Paper

Introduction

Who is Socrates. Socrates was a Greek philosopher. He was the best of his time (400’s BC), and is considered one of the wisest people of all times. Also, he was the first of three of the greatest teachers of ancient Greece. He was born and died in Athens. He was a short philosopher, who wore only a white robe at all times and all seasons. Socrates wasn.t interested in money nor fame. He wrote no books and most the information known about him comes from his students: Plato and Xenophon. He lived and based his teachings on principles and morals. He is well known for viewing philosophy as a pursuit of proper and for saying that philosophy was necessary to all men. He is also known for introducing two new methods: the Socratic Method and Socratic Irony. His philosophy and teachings have affected today.s way of thinking and contemporary philosophy in many ways

Early Life

Socrates lived thousands of years ago. There are no true records saying when he was really born, but Diogenes Laertius said, in his citation of Apollodrus. Chronology, that Socrates was born in the fourth year of the 77th Olympiad and on the sixth day of the month called Thargelion.1 Plato said that he died at the age of 70 in 399, therefore being born on 469 BC (just ten years after the death of Confucius). He was the son of a sculptor named Sophroniscus, and a midwife named Phaenarete.

There is not a lot of information about Socrates. education. Plurach wrote that a fortuneteller once told his father to let Socrates do whatever he wanted, .allow him free play without forcing anything on him..2 He made sure he got the appropriate elementary education. He was taught literature, music, gymnastics, and sculpture.3 Later, Socrates became interested in Geometry, the language and dialectics of the Sophists, the speculations of the Ionian Philosophers, and the general culture of Athens. In the Parmenides, Socrates, when he was very young, went to hear Zeno read a treatise and talks with him and Parmenides. Plato wrote that Socrates mentioned seeing Parmenides use the question-answer method (which he later used himself). In the writing the Meno, Socrates says that Meno was his teacher, in the words of the writer, he said that Meno was as bad a teacher to him as Gorgias was to Meno.4 He often referred to Prodicus as an expert on words. In the Symposium (by Plato), Socrates says that in the area of LOVE, he was taught by Diotima of Mantineia. No one knows who she was or what she was (angel or human). He also said that he learned rhetoric from Aspasia and that he was taught music by Connus. Socrates was also taught by Anaxagoras, Damon, and Archealus (Archealus was the teacher of Anaxagoras, and was the first to bring natural philosophy to Athens).5 Diogenes said that Socrates became so good in Ethics, that he is now said to be the one who invented it. Although he had so many teachers, Socrates wasn.t satisfied with his teachers. Therefore, he began to look for his own methods of searching the knowledge of the good.

Athens, Greece Birth Place

Later Life

Socrates was married to a woman named Xanthippe. She was a rude, ill tempered woman. She and Socrates had a son named Lamprocles. It is also believed that Socrates had a second wife (according to sources recovered by Laertius and Aristotle). her name was Myrto.6 She had two other sons called Sophroniscus and Menexenus. Both wives were married to him at the same time because of Athens policy on increasing the population. It is not really known if he really had that second wife, but more than one source say that he did. Socrates was also involved in the military. He fought in a big war called the Archidamian War. According to Plato, he was very brave in the Siege of Potidaea, which was from 431-430 BC, and he was also very brave in the Battle of Delium (424 BC).7 He was very successful in the military. Socrates spent all, if not most, of his life in Athens. He said that he liked to learn from people, and that they were easier to find in the city than in the country. The only time he travelled was in the military, when he fought in the battles.

Socrates got involved with politics as little as possible. He followed the laws of Athens, but still stayed away from politics. He thought that it was too dangerous for a .lover of justice and truth. like himself.8 If he was into politics and opposed injustice and illegality, he would be put to death a lot sooner. As a result of this, he chose to fight injustice as a private citizen. However, when his group came into government, as the president, he was forced to take votes.

In 423 BC, Aristophanes wrote a comedy called the Clouds. Socrates was the main character of the play. In the play, Socrates was supposed to worship clouds and other scientific wonders, instead of the gods that the people from Greece worshipped. Additionally, the play said that Socrates was the owner of a thinking shop were young people were taught the wrong things about the religion of Athens. The Athenians took this play seriously, and believed what it said about Socrates. believes. Throughout the years, the Athenians began to dislike Socrates, because of the way he criticized the state and because of his religious believes. In 399 BC, Socrates was brought to trial for neglecting the gods of the state, i