Jeff Salim HIST 111 TUES 7:30-10:10

I cannot teach anybody anything. I can only ma e them thin . -Socrates

The Athenian Socrates remains, as he was in his lifetime, an enigma, an inscrutable individual who, despite having written nothing, is considered one of the founders of Western philosophy. Through his use of critical reasoning, by his unwavering commitment to truth, and the vivid example of his own life, Socrates influence has been felt far beyond the academic discipline of philosophy. Since Socrates did not write philosophical texts, the !nowledge of the man, his life, and his philosophy is entirely based on writings by his students and contemporaries. "any claim that his student #lato comprised dialogues that are the most comprehensive accounts to survive from anti$uity. Among others who wrote about Socrates and included him in their wor!s were %enophon, a friend of Socrates& Aristophanes, a playwright who satiri'ed Socrates in The !lo"d#, a comedy& Aristotle, a pupil of #lato& #lutarch, a (ree! biographer and historian who mentions Socrates often in $a%allel &i'e#( and )iogenes *aertius, a (ree! author who lived between +,, and -,,A). *aertius wrote &i'e# and )*inion# of the Eminent $hilo#o*he%: &ife of Soc%ate#.

As the only !nowledge we have of Socrates is through the accounts of others, historians face the challenge of reconciling the various texts that come from these men to create an accurate and consistent account of Socrates life and wor!. #ainting an accurate picture of the historical Socrates and his philosophical viewpoints has been an epic problem because the ob.ective historical validity of these wor!s is $uestionable due to the fact that most are philosophical or dramatic texts rather than straight-forward histories. This issue is !nown as the /Socratic #roblem. 0n addition, difficulties are increased because all those who !new and wrote about Socrates lived before any standardi'ation of what constitutes historical accuracy was, thus the authors present their own interpretations of their characters, their beliefs, ideals, and lives in general. 1orn in 23415, almost nothing is !nown of the childhood of Socrates, but it can be assumed from his later display of learning that he attended the schools of Athens until he entered the military service at age 67. Socrates was the son of Sophroniscus, an alleged stonemason, and #haenarete, a midwife. 0n his youth, Socrates studied music, literature, geometry, and gymnastics. 8e also familiari'ed himself with the beliefs of the leading philosophers of the time, referred to as /Sophists. 8e was also a pupil of Archelaus, and supposedly showed a great deal of interest in the scientific theories of Anaxagoras, but he later abandoned in$uiries into the physical world for a dedicated investigation of the development of moral character. Socrates served with honor and valor in the #eloponnesian War against Sparta, fighting bravely at he battles of #otidaeia, )elium, and Amphipolus. At #otidaeia, he rescued his wounded friend, Alcibiades, from the battlefield. At )elium years later, he saved the life of %enophon, who had been trapped under a fallen horse.

After the war, Socrates dabbled in the political turmoil that consumed Athens, and then retired from active life to wor! as a stonemason and to raise his children with his wife, %anthippe. After inheriting a modest fortune from his father, Socrates used his marginal financial independence as an opportunity to give full-time attention to inventing the practice of a philosophical dialogue and, in turn, profoundly influencing the philosophical and moral tenor of western thought. 0t is alleged that Socrates was a critic of Athenian democracy and clashed with the current course of Athenian politics and society. Through his /free-wheeling discussions with the aristocratic young citi'ens of Athens, insistently $uestioning their unwarranted confidence in the truth of popular opinions, he became !nown a controversial political character, and the /gadfly of the state, as he metaphorically stung numerous Athenians with his pursuit of goodness and his attempts to improve the Athenian sense of .ustice. Socrates position as a social and moral critic led to an Athenian .ury finding him guilty of corrupting the youth and interfering with the religion of the city, sentencing him to death in -4415. Socrates spent one month on death row before gracefully accepting his sentence to drin! poison made from the hemloc! plant. Socrates had many a chance to escape from the prison he was being held at, but his integrity and moral rectitude would not let him. This unwavering example of integrity would later help shape modes of Western thought. Socrates philosophical beliefs were $uite provocative for his time and obviously influenced his teaching, which has aided mar!edly in sculpting Western society. Socrates wor!ed to expose his ideals and beliefs through what is perhaps his most important contribution to Western thought, !nown as the /Socratic "ethod. This dialectic method

of /elenchus employs critical in$uiry to undermine the plausibility of widely-held doctrines. To solve a problem, it would be bro!en down into a series of $uestions, the answers to which gradually distill the answer a person would see!. 0t was designed to force one to examine one s own beliefs and the validity of such beliefs. This method of negative hypothesis elimination gave way to what we !now today as /the scientific method. Socrates had a varied scope of convictions and philosophical beliefs concerning !nowledge, virtue, politics, and mysticism. 0t is claimed that Socrates never actually claimed to be wise, only to /understand the path a lover of wisdom must ta!e in pursuing it. )estroying the illusion that we already comprehend the world perfectly and honestly accepting the fact of our own ignorance, Socrates believed, are vital steps toward the ac$uisition of genuine !nowledge, by discovering universal definitions of the !ey concepts governing human life. Socrates also performed a thorough investigation of the nature of virtue itself. The idea that humans possessed certain virtues formed a common thread in his teachings, determining that virtue can t be taught. Socrates argues that !nowledge and virtue are so closely related that no human agent ever !nowingly does evil9 we all invariably do what we believe to be best. As far as his political beliefs, Socrates ob.ected to any form of government that did not conform to his ideal of a perfect republic led by philosophers, stating /ideals belong in a world only the wise man can understand, ma!ing the philosopher the only type of person suitable to govern others. According to #lato s dialogues, Socrates seems to support a mystical side, discussing mysterious religions, reincarnation, and even an intuition that is /divine, a gift from the gods that gives us poetry, mysticism, love, and philosophy itself. 0n addition, it is argued

that Socrates supported the theory that an intelligent being was behind the construction of the universe, a /teleological argument that influenced many later philosophers. 0t is still commonly taught and held with little exception that Socrates is the founder of modern Western philosophy, to the point that philosophers before him are referred to as pre-Socratic. Socrates devotion to ethics, !nowledge, wisdom, and rationalism, along with his development of the inductive method of reasoning and lin!ing !nowledge to happiness, as well as his many other beliefs have had remar!able influence that can be felt far beyond philosophy itself. #lato, one of Socrates pupils, went on to found the Academy in -7:15, which gained so much notoriety that /Academy became the base word for educational institutions. /Socratic thought had begun to overta!e many philosophical schools after Socrates iconic death. 8is teachings began resurgence in both medieval ;urope and the 0slamic "iddle ;ast alongside those of Aristotle. )uring the <enaissance and Age of <eason in ;urope, Socrates stature in Western philosophy returned in full force, influencing political theorists, such as =ohn *oc!e and Thomas 8obbes, who were, in fact, referenced by the >ramers of the 5onstitution of the ?nited States of America. Tangible influences such as satirical plays concerning the Trial of Socrates, as well as a number of paintings about his life can also be observed. "oreover, the willingness to examine and challenge traditional wisdom and answers in the pursuit of the truth and to stand in opposition to the political and social powers whose authority and legitimacy may be ethically $uestionable can nonetheless be attributed to Socrates. Socrates effectively rebutted a central tenet of the Sophists, essentially disproving that /one man s virtue could be another man s vice. 8e also awa!ened thin!ers to the need to examine and reexamine their political, moral, and

philosophical views in order to discover and root out errors and misconceptions that impede progress, always see!ing !nowledge and constant improvement. #ioneering the use of inductive reasoning to draw logical conclusions is another influence that can be felt today as use of /the scientific method. 0n addition, Socrates demonstrated that wrongdoing results from ignorance-that man inherently does what is best& thus, it is a lac! of understanding, or ignorance, which causes bad choices. 1y accepting a death sentence rather than recanting his principles, Socrates showed the world the meaning of integrity and moral commitment, and inspired philosophers of his own time and in later times to pursue the truth through /Socratic thought and use of the /Socratic method. 0t can also be said that Socrates motivation to examine the complexities of the human condition may have given rise to the invention of the novel, which was invented partly as a vehicle for examining the human psychology and social relations. 0n conclusion, Socrates developed a philosophy, which, through his own teaching and the teachings of his immediate followers, such as #lato and Aristotle, eventually won the attention and respect of /thin!ing men everywhere. Though constructing an unadulterated and ob.ective view of Socrates proves difficult, given he did not write any of his teachings and beliefs, it is evident that the Athenian Socrates monumentally influenced the philosophical and moral tenor of Western thought over the centuries.

Sources:

6.@ www.brittanica.com +.@ www.philosophypages.com -.@ www.wi!ipedia.org 2.@ www.globalpolitician.com :.@ The Stanford ;ncyclopedia of #hilosophy