Socrates
From Conservapedia
Socrates was an ancient Greek philosopher, who lived between approximately 470 and 399 BC. He is best known for his method of argument (elenchus), which poses questions that may expose logical errors underlying an opponent's argument, though he usually stated that his purpose was not to argue but to pursue the truth in alliance with his opponent. Socrates had served in the army in his youth, like all Greek men of his time. To modern readers he is most familiar as a character in many books by his disciple Plato or his contemporary Xenophon. If Socrates wrote any books himself they are lost. Eventually the courts of Athens found him guilty on charges of impiety and corrupting the youth, and sentenced him to drink hemlock, a poison that took his life. Socrates had an opportunity to escape from prison, but declined to do so. [1]
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The question of the historical Socrates
The major problem in studying the thought of Socrates is that we have to rely on the writings and reports of others since Socrates himself wrote nothing. There is also no historical record of anybody named Socrates ever existing; a vast majority of what we know of the man comes from his pupils, especially Plato, who wrote more about Socrates than anybody else.
Aristotle examines Socrates in his Metaphysics, and Xenophon provides some additional information. But Plato, who was Socrates' pupil, is our principal source of information. He (Plato) wrote numerous dialogues in which Socrates figures either as the main speaker or as a secondary character. The problem is separating out from these dialogues what is Socrates and what is Plato. And the chief question is the origin of Plato's "Forms Theory".
Coopleston, in his History of Philosophy, takes the traditional view, largely accepting Aristotle who stated that Socrates did not "separate" the Forms. On this view, although the historical Socrates is presented, especially in the early dialogues, the fully developed theory of Plato's is an elaboration or development of Socrates' views and, especially in his later writings, Plato has used the character of Socrates to expound these views.
There are two aspects of the historic Socrates' life that can be reasonably assumed to be true because they appear to be consistent among most accounts: that he was a critic of Athenian democracy and that he was executed by the state because of it.
Some famous Socrates quotes[2]
- The unexamined life is not worth living.
- Death may be the greatest of all human blessings.
- Do not do to others what angers you if done to you by others.
- Having the fewest wants, I am nearest to the gods.
- I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance.
See also
References
- ↑ http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/socrates/socratesbio.html
- ↑ http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Socrates
Plato, Christopher Gill, The Symposium. London: Penguin Books, 1999
