Socrates Essay

The Apology of Socrates Essay examples
Socrates is at the age of seventy and appearing in a law court for the first time. For the people of
Socrates time is accusing Socrates, for miss leading the youth corrupting them and boasting about
being wise, causing him to become very unpopular. Socrates says to the jury I am going to speak the
whole truth, for it is me by myself that I have to defend. He says my accusers are many and I don't
know them, they say, "you should be careful not be deceived by an accomplished speaker like me"
(Cohen, Curd, & Reeve, 2000). The accuser goes on to say that Socrates is accomplished speaker;
Socrates starts to praise them, because their lies are so good well put together, that Socrates himself
is almost convinced but then he says that they do not...show more content...
This made Socrates very unpopular. "As a result of this investigation, gentleman of the jury, I
acquired much unpopularity, of a kind that is hard to deal with and is a heavy burden; many
slanders came from these people and a reputation for wisdom, for in each case the bystanders
thought that I myself possessed the wisdom that I proved that my interlocutor did not have" (Cohen,
et al., 2000).
Socrates says that the young men follow me, but not on my account they try to imitate what I say,
which causes their fathers to be angry with me. Socrates says I have been accused of corrupting
the youth, but I say Meletus is guilty of such things. For it is Meletus who does not believe in the
gods of the city and corrupting the youth, Socrates and Meletus start to argue about the rights and
wrongs of the law. Socrates proves his point by saying that Meletus contradicts himself, for he say
that Socrates doesn't believe in gods but Socrates I do believe in the gods.
Socrates then tells the story of Troy and how Hector son of a king heir to the throne kills Achilles
friend Patroclus, during the battle. This made Achilles very vengeful; his mother the goddess
warned Achilles if you kill Hector out of vengeance you too will die. Achilles said to go home
would be a coward move and it will be a great disgrace. What Socrates is trying to say even
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Biography of Socrates Essay
Socrates is known in todays world as one of the greatest philosophers in history. He brought many
revolutionary ideas to ancient Athens during his life and even after his death. He had many
followers that beloved him even till death. His tragic death only led him to become a martyr for
philosophy. Socrates never wrote anything down so what we know of his life is the from the
records left by his followers, mainly Plato.Socrates was born around 470 B.C. in Athens to a family
with moderate wealth. His father was a mason and his mother was a midwife. He followed his
father's footsteps and became a stone mason as his first job. He was a mason for a few years before
he decided to become a philosopher. Because of his family's wealth, he was...show more content...
Socrates was after the pursuit of truth. Because of this he called everything into
question(Philosophypages.com). He believed that ultimate wisdom came from understanding
oneself. He believed that the perfect government would come about if it was led by people that
had a complete understanding of themselves because they would be able to make the best choices.
He believed that knowledge and virtue were inseparable. He said that you could define virtue as
right knowledge, and that right thinking and right doing can be distinguished from each other, but
they can not be separated.(Sproul 31) Socrates also developed the Socratic Method which is still
used to this day. The Socratic Method is the method in which you ask provocative questions in order
to try to get your opponent and your audience to think through the problem and to develop their own
conclusion(Biography.com). He searched for specific definitions by asking people around the city,
from the common to the richest of nobles. Socrates also created ethics based on human reasons. He
was deemed the wisest man in Athens by an oracle, but after much thought he realized that he was
ignorant but unlike the common man, was wiser for accepting his ignorance and he came to the
conclusion that ignorance was the beginning of knowledge. He believed that logic was what was left
when the facts are exhausted. "One of the greatest

Socrates Essay
SOCRATES Socrates was a Greek philosopher who lived between 470–399 B.C. He turned Greek
attention toward questions of ethics and virtue and away from those of the heavenly bodies. Socrates
spent much time in the Agora (marketplace) where he held conversations with townspeople. Socrates
believed that real truth could be found out through thought and collaboration with others. He was
known for exposing ignorance, hypocrisy, and conceit. Despite having many followers, Socrates was
disliked by most Athenians. At the age of 70, he was convicted of atheism, treason and corruption of
the young. He was originally ordered to leave Athens, but chose to drink poison instead. This great
man valued the law over his life, and so he chose to drank...show more content...
But after Athens lost her empire by losing the Peloponnesian War and had undergone two oligarchic
reigns of terror at the hands of the gilded, Socratified rich kids, her patience with Socrates ended.
Socrates was charged in 399 B.C. with "impiety against the gods of the city" and with
"corrupting the young." He was guilty on all counts. Socrates' basic premise of
government –– according to Xenophon's "Memorabilia" –– was "that it is the
business of the ruler to give orders and of the ruled to obey." So the ruler should have total,
unaccounted power. The second charge against Socrates, that he had corrupted the youth of Athens,
was even more damning. The foremost examples of the gilded youth he led astray was Alcibiades
and Critias, although Socrates' effect on the rich young aristocratic fops was already mentioned in
Aristophanes' "The Birds," written in 414 B.C., fifteen years before he was called to
account: Why, till ye built this city in the air, _____ line 1280 All men had gone Laconian–mad;
they went __ [Spartan–mad] Long–haired, half–starved, unwashed, Socratified, With scytales in their
hands; but Oh the change! They are all bird–mad now, and imitate ____ line 1284 Alcibiades was
Socrates' favorite pupil. Socrates saved his life on a battlefield. But the lesson Alcibiades learned
from Socrates was that the rulers have no duty to their country; that their

Socrates Role Of Philosophy
In 399 BC, Socrates was condemned to death by the city of Athens. At this time, Socrates was
around 70 years of age and had served the city of Athens in politics and the military. (Plato
1959:64–65) While he was on trial for his crimes, Socrates introduced multiple different roles of
philosophy in society. In this discussion, I aim to identify and explain some of these roles of
philosophy as shown by Socrates in The Apology, mainly revealing and maintaining truth,
purification of the soul and education.
The first and very basic roles of philosophy that was identified is revealing and maintaining truth in
all circumstances. This is clear when Socrates says of his accusers "they are being convicted of
pretending to knowledge when they are entirely...show more content...
(Plato 1959:61) Perfection of the soul will come from an improved moral good, getting rid of
fault and comes from searching for truth. If a person wants truth, they will automatically reflect on
their own life, improving their morals. This introduces an understanding of the self and of the
surrounding as the search for truth continues. Socrates introduces this reflection as a spiritual
exercise that was practiced in ancient Greece, and is described as the condensation of the 'I'.
(Hadot 2002:REFERENCE) However, the city of Athens did not support the idea of improving
moral good and seeking the truth with understanding, which lead Socrates to believe that the city is
not safe for the lives of philosophers and later lead Plato to form his Academy outside the city as an
ideal place for philosophers to learn and practice their discipline, arguments and spiritual exercise.
(Hadot 2002:57);(Arendt 1990:75) Exercise for the perfection of the soul, according to the
Pythagoreans was to practice mathematics, in particular geometry, as it was the purest form of life;
thus purifying the soul when given devout attention to the subject. (Parker 1916:72–73) Although
this may be an individual achievement, it will affect the city as a whole if everyone lives for moral
improvement and the city will benefit from truth in justice as a

Socrates and his Philosophy Essay
Socrates and his Philosophy
Socrates makes a profound impact in our minds through his wisdom, power of critical thinking,
moral strength and intelligence. It is Plato who immortalizes Socrates in the popular imagination as
a man of profound knowledge. Socrates' effectiveness as a philosopher depended as much on the
strength and interest of his personality as on the power of his mind. Socrates' philosophy was based
on discovering the truth, understanding moral life and talking about the elements that make up a
good life. According to my judgment, one of the most important things about Socrates' quest was,
indeed, the unceasing habit and practice of being critical and thoughtful– of not being truly blind to
one's...show more content...
On one extreme, there are views according to which only certain definite kinds of lives or in the
most extreme versions only a single kind of life is best. On the other extreme, there are views
according to which there is no objective answer at all as to what sort of life is good, so that the
only relevant consideration is the person's own judgment. If people think that they are living good
or satisfactory lives, then they are, and there is nothing more to be said. Between those two
extremes life varies from person to person and perhaps other dimensions as well. There are some
objective conditions or requirements that must be satisfied for a life to be good. One may think that
the good life is one that contains lots of pleasurable experience and few if any painful ones.
Happiness seems to be the standard for measuring the good life to them. But Socrates believed
that, happiness cannot be the standard for the good life; the good life has to be gained through
avoiding bodily pleasure, because body always misguides us from gaining the real truth about our
lives. So, the definition of the good life completely depends on the people's own ideas, judgments
and beliefs. Socrates showed us in his very own way how wisdom interrelated with one's life and
afterlife as well. Pursuit of wisdom should be given most priority because wisdom makes people
aware

Essay on Socrates: A Great Philosopher
Socrates was a philosopher who taught many young minds. Socrates even taught Plato another great
philosopher. This great philosopher lived in the fifth century B.C. Socrates was wrongly accused
and sentenced to death, but his knowledge lives on.Socrates was born around 470 B.C. Socrates was
born into a poor family. Socrates was born in a village on the side of Mount Lycabettus. His father
was a sculptor who was excellent at his job. When he was old enough his father taught him how to
be sculptor but his creations always came out less than acceptable in the eyes of the clients. His
mother was a mid wife. She helped deliver a lot of the children in Athens. In Athens it was common
for young men like Socrates to have an elementary level...show more content...
At the age of fifty he married a woman and had three sons. While Socrates was teaching he would
ask very hard questions, like "What is wisdom" Obviously none of the students could answer but
most of them thought that the where right. Socrates came out and said," I have yet to find the
answer if there is one" His greatest achievement was his method of questioning. Among all of his
teachings and quotes he never wrote about his own life. This is the reason why so little is known
about him. Any sources found today have been written by second hand sources such as Plato
(Lim97). Socrates was admired by many who understood his ideas. This showed that he was a
good man in the eyes of the Athenian people. Socrates went on and asked all of his students to
question themselves and see how many different points of views they would come up with. Many
found that they had contradictory opinions for one question. This leads to many historians to
think that Socrates was the one who originally said "An unexamined life isn't worth living."
Socrates may not have said this but he did say, "There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil,
ignorance." Socrates believed that absolute standards did exist for truth and justice. But this isn't
how the people of Athens saw it.(Beck138) Socrates is known for his questions and how hard they
seem to be. He's also none for his quotes. Some of his quotes he doesn't even know

Socrates Essay examples
Socrates
Philosophy was both serious and dangerous, Socrates chose to ignore both. Ignoring the first made
him one of the most engaging of all philosophers, ignoring the second was to cost him his life. He
was born in a middle class home in Athens, in 470 BCE. His parents were Phaenarete and
Sophroniscus. His mother had a reputation for her patient and intuitive skill in delivering babies in
and around the neighborhood. The latter, his father was a craftsman, stonecutter by trade.
As a young boy, Socrates was teased in school about his appearance, and often would prey to the
Gods to make him beautiful both inside as well as outside. He was known for asking many
questions as a child, because he was very...show more content...
He and his father along with many other people, including prisoners, foreigners and the
unemployed had taken up a public contract to build the Acropolis. The Athenians were proud
mostly of Pericles, because he was the one who founded and organized it. Anaxagoras, a scientist
nicknamed "the mind", who walked around Athens daily, had found a rock that had
fallen from the sky and had concluded that there were no gods, but that the sun was hot metal and
the moon earth. He was put on trial by the majority, who was religious, but Pericles sent him away
to Asia Minor where he lived to the last of his days in peace. Socrates agreed with Anaxagoras, but
wanted more answers and explanations. He listened to many other scientists and philosophers, but
when Anaxagoras' book came out in writing, he read about the "Mind" and that it was
the control of all living things, everything else was a "mixture". Socrates read on to
many other writings, but soon found himself confused in all the abstract concepts. Then, he
understood that he had to ask himself the question "why" instead of how, which
developed his philosophical view and style.
At the time when Socrates was reaching his late thirty's he became more prudent about life.
Chaerephon, one of his friends, went to the Oracle at Delphi to ask it if Socrates was the wisest.
The Oracle said he was. When this

Essay about Defense of Socrates
Plato's "Defense of Socrates" follows the trial of Socrates for charges of corruption of the youth.
His accuser, Meletus, claims he is doing so by teaching the youth of Athens of a separate spirituality
from that which was widely accepted.
Socrates' argument was unique in that he tried to convince the jury he was just an average man and
not to be feared, but in actuality demonstrated how clever and tenacious he was. He begins with an
anecdote of his visit to the Oracle of Delphi, which told him that there was no man smarter than he.
He, being as humble as he is, could not take the Oracle's answer for granted and went about
questioning Athenians he felt surpassed his intelligence. However, in questioning...show more
content...
And he supplements this with his second premise– if he did want to live amongst those he corrupted;
it could only be because he was mad, and therefore unintentional. He reasons that those who are mad
should not be killed, but institutionalized instead.
Socrates goes on to refuse changing his ways in order to avoid death for two reasons. The first
being that he feels he is doing the work of the gods, and the second being that what he does promotes
a higher level of thought and wisdom; changing his ways would go against the fundamentals Athens
was built upon.
However Socrates does not fear death. He figures that death could mean an afterlife that rewards
those who are good– and since he feels he has been a good person, death would be welcoming. His
other theory is that death equals non–existence, which most likely resembles a deep sleep. So both of
these end results are not worthy of being feared.
Because of his stoic perception of death, he offers a ludicrous counter–proposal: the first being free
meals for him in the Prytaneum. A bit later, his supporters convince him to settle on a moderate fine
of 30 minas. His reasoning for proposing such ridiculous counter–penalties is that because he feels
death would be good, he has no reason to subject himself to a far worse fate, such as exile.
Socrates' analysis of death is not extraordinary, and is

Philosophy and Socrates Essay
By: Mark
E–mail: Urealysuk9@aol.com
SOCRATES THE PHILOSOPHER Socrates is a noteworthy and important historical figure as a
philosopher, because of his and his pupils' influence on the development of the philosophical world.
His teachings, famous arguments, and ideas began the outgrowth of all later western philosophies.
Born in 469 BC just outside of Athens, Socrates was brought up properly, and thoroughly educated.
He was raised as most Athenians; developing both physical and mental strengths. Socrates then went
on to learn from Archelaus the philosopher. Here he studied astronomy, mathematics, and was
introduced to philosophy, which was a new concept at the time. Archelaus taught of explanations for
the world with a scientific...show more content...
Debating in the marketplace of Athens was not Socrates' only daily activity. He also taught his
philosophies to a group of students in a small classroom. These students were much like disciples.
They respected and followed in the philosophies of their teacher. Socrates' most famous pupil,
Plato, went on to become a great philosopher like his mentor. Socrates lived through and fought in
the Peloponnesian War. After Athens' defeat, the democracy was replaced by a tyranny. This did
not bother Socrates much because his belief in government was a rather simple and apathetic one.
He thought that no matter what kind of government subsists; it should be followed solely because
a form of law and order must exist in a society to control it. One of the tyranny's leaders was a
former pupil of Socrates and hated his teacher. He tried to make life harder for Socrates by banning
the teaching of philosophy in the streets. Socrates ignored him. In response to this, the tyrant tried to
kill Socrates; but the tyranny was overthrown right on time to prevent this. A new democratic
government came into power, the leader of which, Anytus, also hated Socrates because his son, who
was the philosopher's pupil, turned away from the family's business to become a philosopher. Anytus
had Socrates arrested on charges of corrupting Athens' young and turning them away from Paganism,
the Greek religion involving a belief in many gods. Anytus

Essay On Socrates
Born in Athens, Socrates was a philosopher who was considered the wisest man of his time. He
created the Socratic method, which is the question and answer technique that is used in arguments
and debates today. Socrates stated that all real knowledge is within each person and saw things for
themselves for their own reasons. Over time he was soon accused of corrupting the youth of Athens,
because he was an atheist and introducing new spiritual ideas. He was placed on trial and later
sentenced to death due to his "corruptions" of society.
The Peloponnesian War weakened Athens as a city–state and impacted its empire as a whole.
Socrates was placed on trial in 399 BC after the Peloponnesian War and was accused by Anytus,
Lycon and Meletus. Allegedly, Socrates was...show more content...
When democracy was revived in Athens, it was easy to call out those who were involved in the
thirty tyrants, often known as the troublesome. Socrates was an easy target because he proposed
ideas unfavorable to democracy and did it openly, to say the least. The behavior of Socrates could
have been triggered by various beliefs. Socrates incentive was to education the youth of Athens and
point out their shortcomings also. His disagreement with democracy gave him the drive to show
people that democracy was a problem. Through investigation, Socrates went to the men who were
considered wise and test their wisdom. Examples such as craftsmen, proved Socrates right in such
that they believed that since they could succeed in one task, they could in others. These
investigations led Socrates to the idea that democracy was a problem and incentivized people to
agree. With Athens being a democratic institution and Socrates being against democracy, he may
have felt threatened by the system and therefor took it upon himself to educate the youth with his
ideas. His behavior motivated his accusers to bring him to trial

Socrates Essay
Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about the life of Socrates.
Central Idea: I plan on telling the audience what Philosophy is, who Socrates was, and the methods
he used in teaching his philosophy.
INTRODUCTION
Attention Getter: "The unexamined life is not worth living." This is the most famous
quote of the most popular philosopher of all time: Socrates.
Reveal Topic: I plan on telling you what philosophy is and how Socrates viewed philosophy.
Credibility: I am able to speak on this topic because I have taken a philosophy course, and I have
done extensive research in to Socrates life.
Central Idea: I plan...show more content...
G. He believed that he received a calling to pursue philosophy and thought the way he could serve
his country would be by teaching and getting the Athenians to engage in self–examination to find
their souls.
H. He believed the only way to achieve a perfectly happy life would be to seek and bring out the
insights and values of people.
(Connective: Now let's see how he prodded all of those minds.)
III. Socrates's thoughts and teachings.
A. The oracle of Delphi was said to have proclaimed Socrates the wisest man for admitting he knew
nothing.
B. He liked to play ignorant.
C. He would usually walk into the marketplace of Athens and speak to whatever group was standing
their, someone you wanted to be interrogated, or just anyone who would listen to him. He often
annoyed many people.
D. His main goal was to prove that a person who thought they were very knowledgeable about a
subject, even claiming to know everything about it, did, in actuality, know anything.
E. He did this by first engaging in a conversation that the person though they knew a lot about. They
would tell Socrates everything they knew. However, Socrates would be constantly looking for
inconsistencies in the conversation. All of his dialogs would be just

Essay about Socrates
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 –...show more content...
Somewhere between the years of 416 and 413 B.C.E. Socrates married Xanthippe and fathered
two children, Lamprocles and Sophroniscus. In 406 Socrates stood up for the rights of a group
generals who were being unfairly sentenced to death as a group. This was unfair mainly because
the law of Athens stated that each individual was to be given a separate trial. (1) In 399 the most
famous part of Socrates' life took place, his trial. He was accused of corrupting the youth with his
philosophy by Anytus, Meletus and Lycon. (2) The extent of the corruption was said to be
denouncing the gods and thus taking away from the next generation of citizens who would
maintain the system. Socrates fought in his own defense, and lamented that he was only given a
day to do so. Socrates was eventually condemned to death having not chosen his option to pay a
fine or go into exile. He was not given his suicidal does of Hemlock until some thirty days after his
death. (1) An understanding of Socrates' philosophy is found in how he determines it is better to die
than live under restrictions and accept the will of what he believes is a wrong society (5). In saying
that he would rather die than live the unexamined life Socrates is stating that he would rather be
dead, than live a life without the ability to question his surroundings. The main question that arrives
out of this statement is if this is something that was said before he knew he had the potential

Short Essay On Socrates
Socrates
The philosopher Socrates was born 470 BC, in Athens, Greece. He worked as a stone mason for
years before finding out that he loved philosophy. His family did not support his job change
because it left him and his family in poverty. One of his students Plato says the Socrates would not
accept any kind of payment, being the reason for his poverty. Socrates was said to have always taught
about the importance of the mind and the unimportance of the body. He thought that philosophy
should get practical results, for the greater good of the human race. Socrates did not believe in
tyranny or democracies, he believed that individuals with a complete understanding of one's self
should rule. And the more a person knows, the greater his ability...show more content...
Some of the things he wrote on his travels were The Apology of Socrates, Protagoras, Euthyphro,
Hippias Major and Minor and Ion. In these writings, Plato attempts to carry out Socrates's teachings.
After writing those Plato seems to write in his own voice on the central ideas of justice, wisdom and
moderation of the individual in The Republic. A little bit later he concentrates a little more on art,
including dance, music, drama and architecture.
Somewhere around 385 B.C.E., Plato established the Academy, where he was head of until his
death. He wanted a place where he could teach young people all his knowledge that he had built up
over the years. Where he could make the future leaders of Greece. It is at the academy where he
found one of is most promising young students Aristotle, who would keep his teachings going for
years to come. Plato died in Athens around 348 B.C.E., but his teachings still last to this

Socrates Essay
Socrate's First Accusers and Athenian Law Of all confrontations in political philosophy, the biggest
is the conflict between philosophy and politics. The problem remains making philosophy friendly to
politics. The questioning of authoritative opinions is not easily accomplished nor is that realm of
philosophy – the pursuit of wisdom. Socrates was the instigator of the conflict. While the political
element takes place within opinions about political life, Socrates asks the question "What is the
best regime and how should I live?" Ancient thought is riddled with unknowns and can make
no such statement as "how should I live." The Socratic philosophy offers an alternative
and prepares the way for the alternative of...show more content...
Perhaps Socrates believs in gods, but if so, they are not the gods of the city. Socrates simply denies
that he has had any part in celestial or subterranean inquiry – he simply speaks
"elsewhere". Socrates goes on to say that those who do are reported to be atheists.
However, Socrates says that "Zeus does not eveeen exist" (Aristophanes, 367). Socrates
replaces Zeus with nature, the permanent and necessary things accessable to reason. This is an
outrage to any
Athenian. To deny the gods is to deny faith and ultimately the authoritarian opinions on which their
politics is based. Why does Socrates think that he is being unjustly punished?
Chaerophon had told Socrates that the Pythian Oracle had said that Socrates was the wisest man.
Socrates admits that
"I am conscious that I am not wise, either much or little"
(Plato, 20b). Socrates wonders what the riddle is and sets out to "refute the divination"
(Plato, 20c). This is a prime example of Socrates' impiousness as is his statement in "The
Clouds" where he states "we don't credit Gods"
(Aristophanes, 248). He is attempting to refute the god at
Delphi. Socrates tries to aid his own defense by charging that what he does is in devotion to the god.
"Even now I still go around seeking and investigating in accordance with the god" (Plato,
23b). Socrates makes this brash statement yet it is unfounded and untrue because it is not a devine

Essay about Socrates
SOCRATES THE PHILOSOPHER Socrates is a noteworthy and important historical figure as a
philosopher, because of his and his pupils' influence on the development of the philosophical world.
His teachings, famous arguments, and ideas began the outgrowth of all later western philosophies.
Born in 469 BC just outside of Athens, Socrates was brought up properly, and thoroughly educated.
He was raised as most Athenians; developing both physical and mental strengths. Socrates then went
on to learn from Archelaus the philosopher. Here he studied astronomy, mathematics, and was
introduced to philosophy, which was a new concept at the time. Archelaus taught of explanations for
the world with a scientific approach. Socrates, however, turned away...show more content...
This means, for example, that when we think of characteristics such as roundness, we only
picture ideas of it like a ball or a wheel. Therefore, he assumed that we only understand specific
things that participate in our lives. In his search for the inner truth of oneself, Socrates theorized
the explanation to the question of what the goals of life are. He concluded that everyone tries to
find the meaning of happiness and goodness in their existence. This is the purpose of life.
However, true happiness comes in many forms and is disguised in a way that people spend their
lives looking for goodness, but finding only the evil in which it is concealed. The only way to
discover true happiness, goodness, and the right way, is to fully understand oneself. Socrates did
not believe in the Greek gods or religion. He had his personal view of god. Socrates felt that there
must be some form of divine power because everyone seemed to believe in some kind of god and
religion. He also believed in a sort of immortality. He hypothesized that there was an afterlife. His
explanation for it was that people who had achieved goodness in their lives knew where they were
going afterwards, and that evil people tried to ignore the fact that immortality existed. He preached
that the soul was a person's true being, and that our goodness in life reflected on the goodness of our
souls. According to Socrates, each individual

Socrates Essay
Philosophy in ancient Greece was merely a type of argument, until a pioneer named Socrates
showed the world a new way of thinking.
Socrates was born in 469 BC in Athens (where he lived all his life) as the son of Sophroniscus, a
stonemason, and Phaenarete. In his life,
Socrates changed common philosophy, which was a study of why the way things are, into a
consideration of the virtue and health of the human soul. Rather than writing books and recording
his thoughts himself, he orally passed on his thoughts to many young people of his time, one of
which is Plato. Socrates felt so strongly bout his beliefs, that he lived by them, and in doing so,
became the first martyr in history to die for philosophical beliefs. By teaching Plato...show more
content...
It was his belief that self–conscious philosophy with correct morals would produce worthy results.
Socrates influenced Western thought through his unique method of thinking. Socrates introduced a
concern for detailed method in thought, and added an interest of logic in argument.
Socrates stressed that if man could retain knowledge than he should be able to give definitions and
details. These details should be used in argument as a reason for many thoughts. Socrates also
believed in a unity of virtues, and that they all lead to knowledge. In his arguments
Socrates always insisted on a definition that universally covers it's subject. This insight showed
reason in thinking, not just arguing without proof. This was the greatest importance for the
subsequent development of philosophy, because it led to the concept of a
"Universal." This universal was defined by Socrates as "a general quality that may
be present in many individually existing things"(Americana, 439). Another important belief of
Socrates, was his implicit assumption that any person to whom he talks, has within them the
resources to answer questions correctly. And therefore Socrates believed that he could teach by
merely asking the right questions. Schools following the "Socrates Era" were based on
this idea of learning through questioning. These characteristic thoughts of his, were Socrates' most
significant influences on philosophy.
Socrates had thoughts

Socrates Paper
PHI 150
3/11/14
Socrates Paper
Socrates is believed to be one of the greatest philosophers of all time and he is credited as being the
founder of western philosophy. This paper will explain some of his views to the most fundamental
questions of today's age. These questions will include topics about morality, the human condition,
solution, and death. After Socrates' views on these topics are explained, a critique will be done on
his answers. I will start out by explaining exactly who Socrates is, and the time that he lived in. To
start out, we will first examine Socrates' view on morality.
There are many questions that could be asked about the topic of morality. Questions like, what are
the central moral principles, who is the...show more content...
It interferes and holds back the soul's search for the truth and causes all bad things in the world. It is
not necessarily the physical body itself, as much as it is the desires that it brings with it.
With the question of human condition being answered, Socrates now can answer another one of our
fundamental questions. This question is Solution. Solution proposes a way to fix what has gone
with the world and mankind. In Socrates' eyes, the world's greatest problem was the attachment to the
human body. He proposes that this can be fixed by detaching oneself from the body. Socrates
partially explains this by saying "It seems that so long as we are alive, we shall keep as close as
possible to knowledge if we avoid as much as we can all contact and association with the body,
except when absolutely necessary; and instead of allowing ourselves to become infected with its
nature, purify ourselves from it until God himself gives us deliverance. In this way, by keeping
ourselves uncontaminated by the follies of the body, we shall probably reach the company of others
like ourselves and gain direct knowledge of all that is pure and uncontaminated – that is, presumably,
of Truth." (Phaedo 67a–b). Socrates also talks about the importance of purification of the mind as
another solution, which ends up coming back to the separation of the soul from the body. This can
be seen when Socrates

Socrates Essay
Socrates was perhaps the most interesting and influential thinker in the fifth century. He was
dedicated to careful reasoning and he wanted genuine knowledge rather than the victory over his
opponent. He learned the rhetoric and dialectics of the Sophists, the ideas of the Lonian
philosophers, and the general culture of Periclean Athens. Socrates used the same knowledge by the
Sophists to get a new purpose, the pursuit of truth. He called everything into question and he was
determined to accept nothing less than the truth.
He was well known for his skills in carrying on a conversation and his public speaking, but Socrates
never wrote a thing. We learned from his students, mainly Kenophon andPlato, about his...show
more content...
Socrates said, "The capacity for knowledge is innate in each man's mind." This simply meant to him
that when one is caught up in superficiality, then the truth does not shine through. He thought that
the people that were consumed in the shallow world would only see reality as mere shadows
compared to the truth. "The good", according to Socrates is "the source not only of the intelligibility
of the objects of knowledge, but also of their being and reality." He thought that when the mind is
preoccupied with a bad world, it does not see the truth.
Socrates thought that pleasure should not be taken to the extreme, because it will then be unhealthy
for the mind and body. He explains that the mind, body, and soul must all be in unison in order to
be healthy, then happiness will follow. Many people look for happiness by engulfing themselves in
life's highest pleasures and others look for contentment by over working themselves to be the richest.
However, these two extremes will not produce happiness but instead one should find peace by
seeking out the truth, and looking inside to find reality and true beauty.
The allegory of the cave illustrates the difference between the materialistic world and the
intelligible world. Socrates described a man with his arms and legs chained and with his neck in a
brace. This only lets the man see the wall with shadows.

Essay on Socrates
The First Advocate for Free Speech – Socrates The precise facts about how and why the great Greek
philosopher Socrates was sentenced and executed remains one of the biggest puzzles in history,
even to this day. Socrates lived and philosophized in Athens, which is said to be the ancient model
for a democracy. Yet, it seems like the Athenians sentenced to death a respected member of their
society for speaking his mind and standing by his principles. Now how democratic is that? What
makes the situation more riddling is that the only two journals for the events surrounding the death of
Socrates are written by Plato and Xenophon, who are his followers. Some historians argue the picture
they presented in their works is intended to imply...show more content...
Maybe here he draws the conclusion that people are just not ready for his way of thinking and
that philosophizing is not a part of their democracy. He in a way condemns them by saying they
will be held responsible for "having killed Socrates, a wise man" (38c). He admits that he lost the
trial only because he did not say what "would have been most pleased to hear", suggesting that he
could if he wanted to, but that would make him unworthy of what he has been standing for all
these years. "I much prefer to die having made my defense speech in this way than to live in that
way," (38e) says Socrates referring to exile and having to live as a stranger from one city to
another and be unaccepted for who he is. Possibly, his decision has something to do with the fact
that Socrates was aged 70 at the time of the trial. There is now no way for him to develop much
further and to try and establish himself, all he has left now is simply standing his ground until the
end. With the Apology of Socrates the theory about Socrates not being able to defend himself falls,
as there is an enormous discrepancy that the person who could make unjust speech sound just could
have not defended himself properly if he wanted to. The point is he did not want to and did not
need to do it. Plato's work Crito naturally transitions us to the moment when Socrates is n his cell
and is

Socrates Essay
SocratesSocrates spent his time questioning people about things like virtue, justice, piety and truth.
The people Socrates questioned are the people that condemned him to death. Socrates was sentenced
to death because people did not like him and they wanted to shut him up for good. There was not any
real evidence against Socrates to prove the accusations against him. Socrates was condemned for
three major reasons: he told important people exactly what he thought of them, he questioned ideas
that had long been the norm, the youth copied his style of questioning for fun, making Athenians
think Socrates was teaching the youth to be rebellious. But these reasons were not the charges
against him, he was charged with being an atheist and...show more content...
Socrates traveled from one group to another visiting wise politicians, poets, and craftsmen,
making enemies out of each group. After talking to the "wise" men Socrates realized they were
all arrogant for thinking themselves wise. Because Socrates knew he was not wise he believed he
was better off then them. In the end it was a representative from each group that charged Socrates
with the crimes that got him condemned to death. This "occupation" consumed his leisure as well
as his finances. Socrates told the court at his trail: "I live in great poverty because of my service to
the god"(6). Socrates compared himself to a gadfly, and the city of Athens a steed he was just trying
to stir into life (11). When a horsefly bites me I squash it, and that is exactly what the city of Athens
did to Socrates. Instead of squashing him they made him drink poison, a little bit less messy.
Socrates was a gadfly by questioning Athenians on subjects they rarely talked about, making them
think about something they normally wouldn't. He did his questioning out in the open where
Athenians congregated so the public could observe and hopefully think on whatever subject that was
being talked about. Socrates would question respectable Athenians making them look stupid too a
crowd, because they would not know what to say. Making the person being questioned very angry
towards Socrates for putting them in such a position. Socrates

Socrates Essay

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