More languages
More actions
Socrates of Alopeke Socrates | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 470 Athens, Greece |
| Died | 399 Athens, Greece |
Socrates was a philosopher born in Alopece, Athens, to an influential, wealthy family; his influential father, Sophroniscus, might have been a stonemason, and his mother a midwife. Since Socrates never wrote anything down, most information about him originated from his students and contemporaries, who provided varying descriptions of him. Many attributed their own information and achievements to him, while most documents have been lost. Socrates is considered one of the three most influential Western philosophers for his establishment of Western ethics.[1]
Socrates spent his time as a philosopher travelling around Athens barefoot and engaging others in discussions of ethics; he was able to do this full-time due to his inheritance from his wealthy father.[1]
Socrates philosophized in a slave-owning state, with wealth, slavery, and imperialism being the foundation for society and thus the superstructure. Socrates' philosophy served more as providing individual and normative moral insight as opposed to challenging the structure itself, though he did challenge the ancient Greek religion, Athenian elites, and militarism.[1]
Philosophy[edit | edit source]
Core Pillars[edit | edit source]
Socrates, unlike other philosophers, spent most of his time philosophizing about the natural world and practical ethics, as opposed to his contemporaries and their interests in metaphysics and the creation of the universe.[1]
As Socrates viewed himself as not knowing anything, rather than giving lectures, he primarily taught through conversations using his method of questioning people's preconceived notions. He mainly spoke about how a good life should be lived; through conversations about virtue, justice, and morality, he typically used questions to lead the person to an answer that would contradict their original definition of a concept.[1]
Socrates argued that no one does evil willingly, that humans are naturally drawn to the good, and that those who do commit evil only do so due to their desire for what they perceive as good: "wealth, power, and pleasure." He viewed the path to becoming a virtuous person as linked to education.[1]
Socrates viewed the true self of all of us as not our physical body, but rather our soul. He criticized the Athenians for their interest in wealth, reputation, and physical appearance, and for ignoring the health of their souls, as he viewed any immoral action as damaging one's soul, which is worse than physical harm and even death.[1]