I. Introduction to Socrates
Socrates was a Greek philosopher born in 470 in Athens. He was a very stubborn individual, and was hard to persuade. Even in the face of death, Socrates would not give up his Ideas and principals. He is known for questioning why things were the way that they were and challenging the thoughts, opinions, and ideas of others. This is called the Socratic Method (I’ll go into greater detail in my next blog post). Socrates did not believe or understand the concept of beauty, and did not hold himself to the standards of what people considered to be “attractive” or “beautiful”. Many people turned against him because of their lack of understanding for his strange ways of thinking. Socrates was not a writer. As I explained in my preview post (if you read it), Plato was the student of Socrates who wrote down most of what we now no about him. Plato became a famous philosopher one day, writing such works as The Allegory of the Caves, and was influenced greatly by Socrates.
Socrates was a Greek philosopher born in 470 in Athens. He was a very stubborn individual, and was hard to persuade. Even in the face of death, Socrates would not give up his Ideas and principals. He is known for questioning why things were the way that they were and challenging the thoughts, opinions, and ideas of others. This is called the Socratic Method (I’ll go into greater detail in my next blog post). Socrates did not believe or understand the concept of beauty, and did not hold himself to the standards of what people considered to be “attractive” or “beautiful”. Many people turned against him because of their lack of understanding for his strange ways of thinking. Socrates was not a writer. As I explained in my preview post (if you read it), Plato was the student of Socrates who wrote down most of what we now no about him. Plato became a famous philosopher one day, writing such works as The Allegory of the Caves, and was influenced greatly by Socrates.
II. The Socratic Method
As I mentioned in my last post, the Socratic method is a way of thinking named after Socrates that consists of questioning everything. What makes something beautiful? Why do I want to do well on this test? Why is money worth what it is worth? Socrates thought that people who are truly wise admit that they are ignorant and know nothing about the world. Many dismissed the Socratic method as being useless, and that it created more questions than answers. Socrates would ask these questions to his students on a regular basis, and concrete answers were often hard to come by. Socrates told his students to always search for the truth, and not to be deceived by answers that seem true but aren’t based on fact. He wanted his students to be deeper thinkers, and not be blinded by what wasn’t important. A lot of subjects were targets for Socrates’ new ways of thinking. Government was an important part of Greek life, and something that most citizens of Athens took very seriously. Below is a video made by CloudBiography that explains the Socratic method very well. To see their youtube channel go here: _https://www.youtube.com/user/TheCloudBiography
As I mentioned in my last post, the Socratic method is a way of thinking named after Socrates that consists of questioning everything. What makes something beautiful? Why do I want to do well on this test? Why is money worth what it is worth? Socrates thought that people who are truly wise admit that they are ignorant and know nothing about the world. Many dismissed the Socratic method as being useless, and that it created more questions than answers. Socrates would ask these questions to his students on a regular basis, and concrete answers were often hard to come by. Socrates told his students to always search for the truth, and not to be deceived by answers that seem true but aren’t based on fact. He wanted his students to be deeper thinkers, and not be blinded by what wasn’t important. A lot of subjects were targets for Socrates’ new ways of thinking. Government was an important part of Greek life, and something that most citizens of Athens took very seriously. Below is a video made by CloudBiography that explains the Socratic method very well. To see their youtube channel go here: _https://www.youtube.com/user/TheCloudBiography
III. Questioning Democracy
In the time of Socrates, the city of Athens was a democracy. People finally had a voice in the decisions made by the government. Socrates, however, saw many flaws with this type of government. He thought that this government made way for corruption. People could bribe other people to say certain things that would put them in a desirable position. It is similar to the reason why people bash Wikipedia so harshly: people don’t trust it because anyone can write anything on it. Socrates saw the exact same flaws in Democracy, though it is most people do not know for sure what he thought of any of the other forms of government or if he would think more highly of them. Democracy could not be change to make Socrates approve of it more, as I wondered in my research questions. No matter what kind of a democracy existed, Socrates would still see democracy as a corrupt way to run things, although some experts argue about how much he hated democracy.
In the time of Socrates, the city of Athens was a democracy. People finally had a voice in the decisions made by the government. Socrates, however, saw many flaws with this type of government. He thought that this government made way for corruption. People could bribe other people to say certain things that would put them in a desirable position. It is similar to the reason why people bash Wikipedia so harshly: people don’t trust it because anyone can write anything on it. Socrates saw the exact same flaws in Democracy, though it is most people do not know for sure what he thought of any of the other forms of government or if he would think more highly of them. Democracy could not be change to make Socrates approve of it more, as I wondered in my research questions. No matter what kind of a democracy existed, Socrates would still see democracy as a corrupt way to run things, although some experts argue about how much he hated democracy.
IV. Trial and Execution
Socrates died in the year 399 B.C.E. He was executed by hemlock poisoning. Many of his friends and students attended his execution and saw him die with great sadness. Plato, however, was not there due to illness. Socrates was arrested and tried many weeks earlier, for not properly honoring the gods and corrupting the youth of Athens. These were what he was officially charged with, but many think that Athens was fed up with Socrates’ views, and wanted to find an excuse to get rid of him. Plato defended Socrates in court, and gave a speech now known as Plato’s “apology”. Socrates was given many chances to escape his prison cell in Athens after his conviction, but stayed because of his principles. Some say that if he suggested that he could have had a different punishment, such as being exiled, he may have avoided the death penalty. One month after his conviction, Socrates’ execution was carried out. He willingly drank hemlock, and walked around his prison cell until he was too weak to stand. He then died at around age 70.
Socrates died in the year 399 B.C.E. He was executed by hemlock poisoning. Many of his friends and students attended his execution and saw him die with great sadness. Plato, however, was not there due to illness. Socrates was arrested and tried many weeks earlier, for not properly honoring the gods and corrupting the youth of Athens. These were what he was officially charged with, but many think that Athens was fed up with Socrates’ views, and wanted to find an excuse to get rid of him. Plato defended Socrates in court, and gave a speech now known as Plato’s “apology”. Socrates was given many chances to escape his prison cell in Athens after his conviction, but stayed because of his principles. Some say that if he suggested that he could have had a different punishment, such as being exiled, he may have avoided the death penalty. One month after his conviction, Socrates’ execution was carried out. He willingly drank hemlock, and walked around his prison cell until he was too weak to stand. He then died at around age 70.
VI. Legacy
Socrates has been recognized today as one of the many great Greek philosophers. Socrates taught Plato, (of course) Plato taught Aristotle, and Aristotle taught Alexander the Great, who would later become the most powerful Greek ruler and merge the lines between East and West. The Socratic method is still used as a classroom device used by teachers and students today, and often teaches students how to think critically. The Socratic method also lead way to the scientific method, with both of them sharing very strong similarities. The scientific method is used by millions of scientists in the U.S. and around the world.
Socrates has been recognized today as one of the many great Greek philosophers. Socrates taught Plato, (of course) Plato taught Aristotle, and Aristotle taught Alexander the Great, who would later become the most powerful Greek ruler and merge the lines between East and West. The Socratic method is still used as a classroom device used by teachers and students today, and often teaches students how to think critically. The Socratic method also lead way to the scientific method, with both of them sharing very strong similarities. The scientific method is used by millions of scientists in the U.S. and around the world.