Socrates is considered one of the founders
of Western Philosophy, but you might not have guessed that from his early life. Socrates was born to a working-class family
in ancient Greece, around 470 BC. His father was a sculptor who cut stone for
the Parthenon and taught Socrates the stone-cutting trade. As an adult, Socrates worked as a stonemason,
as well as serving in the military during three campaigns. It wasn’t until he retired that Socrates
took up the occupation he is best known for - teaching. What are the great works of Socrates everyone
should read? Well... there aren’t any. Socrates did not write. What we know of Socrates comes from the works
of his students, Plato and Xenophon, as well as the playwright Aristophanes, who was a
contemporary of Socrates. This is sometimes referred to as the “Socrates
Problem” - we know about Socrates only through second-hand accounts. The Socrates Problem is compounded by the
nature of the writing from this time. There is very little of what we would consider
histories written during the Classic Era. Rather, they are mostly dramatised works - plays
and philosophical dialogues. For instance, in Aristophanes’ play “The
Clouds,” Socrates is depicted as a swindler who teaches his students clever acts of deception. But that was a satirical comedy, so should
we believe that depiction? Plato said the play was slanderous. By contrast, Plato’s and Xenophon’s works
presented a kinder portrayal of Socrates’ character, but even their accounts differ
in many particulars. We are left to piece together what the man
was like, finding common ground in the various depictions. Socrates’ reputation as a towering intellect
began when one of his followers made a pilgrimage to the Oracle of Delphi. This was a priestess at the Temple of Apollo,
who served as a medium through which the god of Apollo spoke. People traveled from all over Europe to hear
her prophecies. The Oracle proclaimed no one was wiser than
Socrates. When Socrates heard this statement, he took
it to be a puzzle. He set out to find who WAS the wisest man. He interviewed the people of Athens who were
most admired for their wisdom - teachers, politicians, artists - but he concluded that
they all had a fatal flaw. These men all believed they knew a great deal,
but were ignorant of what they did NOT know. Socrates said that he was as ignorant as any
other man, with the very slight advantage that he at least KNEW he was ignorant - and
in that way, he was the wisest of an entire population of ignorant people. Socrates said, “What I do not know I do
not THINK I know." This is referred to as the “Socratic Paradox.” It may surprise you that Socrates, “the
wisest man in Athens,” was not known for expounding and making speeches. Rather, he would ask questions; question after
question, to pin down what did someone actually know. Often, logical inconsistencies in the answers
would point out faulty lines of reason. In this way, both the teacher and student
were led to knowledge. This was a new form of discourse that came
to be known as “The Socratic Method.” It is still used to this day as one of the
most successful teaching methods ever found. Sadly, this habit of pointing out people’s
mistakes in reasoning may have won Socrates few friends in Athens. It didn’t help matters that he was also
unappealing in appearance. In Plato’s “Symposium,” Socrates is
described as quite unattractive - short and stocky, with bulging, staring eyes. He was said to have odd religious views, as
well. What might have been the final straw was Aristophanes’
play “The Clouds,” which suggested that Socrates was associated with the Sophists. This was a group of teachers whom older generations
feared were teaching the youth to be wild and disrespectful. In the end, his list of offenses grew too
long. Socrates was charged with being an atheist
and corrupting the youth of Athens. Socrates represented himself in the trial. As described in Plato’s “Apology,” and
Xenophon’s “Apology of Socrates to the Jury,” Socrates denied being a Sophist,
and gave evidence of his attempts to encourage virtue and elevated behavior from Athenians. But in true Socratic fashion, he did not try
to win over the jury, but rather point out how poor their thinking was. The jury found him guilty and sentenced him
to death. In Athens at this time, convicted criminals
could propose an alternative to their punishments. Socrates jokingly suggested that he instead
be given free meals at the Prytaneum, an honour reserved for the most admired citizens of
Athens. The jury was not amused. Socrates’ followers wept, and encouraged
him to flee (which was not an unusual occurrence at these sorts of trials). But, as if to dramatically win his argument
that he always obeyed the rule of law, Socrates went to his death with no outward appearance
of fear. He willingly drank the cup of deadly hemlock
that was the means of his execution. He was 70 years old. Athens had put to death the man Plato called
“the wisest and most just of all men.” Socrates the man may have died, but his ideas
lived on through his disciples. The writings of Plato and Xenophon brought
their teacher back to the world. Socrates’ philosophy continued to be studied
through the Middle Ages, and reached a new peak during the Renaissance. To this day, the Socratic Method is used by
teachers everywhere to find out what you know, and what you DON’T know. For our part, we strive to honour his memory
at Socratica.
