Socrates

Socrates Seven Surack 9/30/07

Socrates, accredited as one of the greatest philosophers of his time, accomplished this by through his unwavering commitment to truth and critical reasoning. Socrates was a Greek philosopher who laid the foundation for most of western philosophy. He left no written records, and the only thing that is left is in the dialogues of Plato and the records and works of Xenophon. Socrates’ main contribution to the philosophical world was his idea for the Socratic Method, a method in which one seeking to find an answer must first ask a question, and have an answer to that question. He was sentenced to death for “not worshipping city sanctioned gods, imposing divinities of his own, and corrupting the youth”. He died when he drank hemlock in the presence of his friends and disciples.

I. Socrates was born in the city of Athens a. His parents were Sophroniscus and Phaenarete. b. It is believed that he earned a living by way of Stonemasonry. 1. Phaenarete was a midwife. 2. It is unknown what his father did for a living.

II. Socrates has no written record of his discoveries, or even his existence! a. There are very few written references, none of which written by him. b. The references to him come from three primary sources. 1. The written records are merely references by Plato and Xenophon. 2. The three sources are the dialogues of Plato, the writings of Xenophon, and the plays of Aristophanes.

III. Socrates had three sons. a. He was dedicated to the education of the citizens of Athens, yet indifferent to his own sons. b. For this, he was chastised by his friend Crito. 1. His sons’ names were Lamprocles, Sophroniscus and Menexenus. 2. Their mother was Xinthappe, Socrates’ wife.

IV. Socrates provided a foundation for Western philosophy. a. He came up with a method of solving problems called the Socratic Method. b. He was morally, intellectually, and politically at odds with his fellow Athenians. 1. The Socratic Method consists of asking questions that bring out the group’s underlying beliefs and extent of their knowledge. 2. In his trial, he used this method to try to prove to the judges that their moral beliefs were wrong.

V. Socrates was sentenced to death. a. Apparently, his crimes were so heinous as to deserve death. b. Socrates could have escaped with the help of his friends, but chose not to. 1. Socrates was convicted of “Imposing divinations of his own, failing to worship the gods the city worships, and corrupting the youth”. 2. Socrates died when he drank hemlock with his friends and disciples.

Socrates was born in the city of Athens, his parents being Sophroniscus and Phaenarete. His father was Sophroniscus, and his mother was Phaenarete. His mother Phaenarete was believed to be a midwife, and it is unknown what profession his father had. After he was on his own, it was written by Plato that he was a Stonemason. There are almost no written references of his works or even his existence! The very few records there are of him come from three primary sources; the Dialogues of Plato, the writings of Xenophon, and the plays of Aristophanes. Socrates’ wife Xinthappe bore him three sons, Lamprocles, Sophroniscus and Menexenus. As written by Plato, he is dedicated to the education of Athens, but indifferent to his own sons. It is also written that his friend Crito chastised him for this. Socrates’ work provided a foundation for most of western philosiphy. His most famous work was the invention of the Socratic Method: the Socratic Method is when a group of people asks questions to discover the underlying beliefs and extent of their knowledge. He felt he was morally, politically, and intellectually at odds with the rest of the Athenians. Because of this, he tried to prove that the judges’ moral preferences were wrong during his trial. Socrates was sentanced to death because he “failing to worship the gods that the rest of the city does, imposing divinations of his own, and corrupting the youth of the city”. He died when he drank hemlock in the presence of his friends and disciples, ending his legacy forevermore.

Need to Know: 1. Socrates was a philosipher. 2. He was a father of three. 3. He came up with the Socratic Method. 4. He provided a foundation for most of western philosiphy. 5. He died drinking hemlock.

Book resources: “An Introduction to Greek philosophy” by J.V. Luce “The Story of Philosophy” by Bryan Magee “The journeys of Socrates” by Dan Millman “//Apology//” by Xenophon “The Last days of Socrates” by Kent Anderson

Internet Resources: “Socrates” en.wikipedia.org/wiki/**Socrates** “Socrates” www.philosophypages.com/ph/socr.htm “Socrates” www.wsu.edu/~dee/GREECE/**SOCRATES**.HTM “Socrates” www.newadvent.org/cathen/14119a.htm “Socrates” **socrates**.clarke.edu/aplg0260.htm