The Socratic Method, a technique that uses probing questions to eventually lead to the critical analysis of a given topic, may have been your main exposure to the Greek philosopher Socrates. It is still used by many college professors.
While the Socratic Method was likely the most enduring contribution to society, there is more to know about this legendary figure.
Since he never wrote anything himself, what we know about him is based on the writings of philosophers like the historian and the philosopher Plato.
He lived from 470 to 399 B.C., but we don't know much about his parents. He became his mother's guardian after his father passed away. In ancient Athens, women were not allowed to live alone. Patrocles was the half brother of Socrates.
Xanthippe was the Athenian woman with which Socrates married and he had three sons. He served with distinction during the war between Athens and Sparta. He was known for his offbeat behavior, like walking barefoot in the cold or staying up all night in deep thought. Xanthippe probably paid a lot of money to support the family because there is no record of him ever cutting stone. He was not a person who worked for a living and took gifts from wealthy Athenians.
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He had a flat nose and wide eyes that made him look unattractive. His charisma attracted the wealthiest and most prominent young people. He asked the young men pointed questions. He did a lot of talking.
His values were against the culture that he lived in when he was a young man. The idea of working hard to get wealth and fame was not important to the famous philosopher.
At a time when women weren't allowed to be educated and were mostly thought of as property, he valued the contributions they made. In ancient Athens, women had virtually no rights of their own and to speak of them for anything other than dowries enraged the more prominent members of society.
Scott LaBarge is a professor of Greek philosophy at Santa Clara University. He was skeptical of the idea that Greek gods like Zeus would be involved in immoral acts like raping women or killing family members. According to LaBarge, when Socrates spoke of the gods, he expected them to be moral examples.
Plato says that Socrates wascasting doubt on the idea of sacrificing his life to the gods. According to LaBarge, the gods cared more about morality than roasting sheep for them.
The tide turned against the man. He was charged with impiety and corrupting the youth by his fellow Athenians. According to LaBarge, it is not likely that Meletus was trying to have Socrates killed. He says it is possible that he just wanted to get rid of him.
The defense speech was written to anger his audience so that they could charge him with death. Running away when he was 70 years old was something he wouldn't consider. It might have been a good idea to drink a cup of poison. Some thought he was going to kill himself.
Jacques Louis David wrote "The Death of Socrates" in the late 18th century. The collection is from the Everett Collection.
We don't know for certain, but we do know that the impact on the world he left behind far exceeded the seven decades that he was alive.
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