SOCRATES - (469 – 399 BCE)

Without Socrates’ philosophies there would not have been any from Xenophon, Plato, Aristotle
and all other successors of his teachings. This may have changed the whole functioning and
structure of our world today, especially the western world. Socrates was the first great
thinker/philosopher the world had seen and he took them by storm. He caused doubt in the minds
of even the highest leaders of the day. A famous painting shows the death of Socrates: he is
surrounded by his weeping friends as he goes to drink the cup of poisonous hemlock. The servant
holding the cup is crying too and cannot bear to look at what he is doing. He was missed then, he
is missed now and he will always be missed in the future. Socrates knew the truth about the
injustices that are placed on us by the insecurities of ourselves that don’t let us see the truth
clearly.
SOCRATES - (469 – 399 BCE)
In society it is always healthy to have a philosopher or someone who questions the way things are
and why they are. In the time of ancient Greece about forty years before the Peloponnesian wars
broke out a boy named Socrates was born. He was born in Athens in 469 BCE to Sophroniscus
and Phoenarete. When he was very young it was recognized that he was very intelligent. Before
the wars broke out he hung out with the same intellectuals that Pericles hung out with: Damon the
musician, Archelaus the scientist, Protagorist the sophist and Aspasia.
He came from a wealthy family because when he served on three different occasions during the
Peloponnesian wars he served as a hoplite soldier, which required you to buy your own armor and
equipment. He served at Amphipolis, Potidoea (432 BCE) and Delium (424 BCE). Later in life he
married to Xanthippe, who was well known for her short temper. She gave birth to three sons,
who all helped to continue their father’s philosophies after his death.
SOCRATES - (469 – 399 BCE)
Socrates questioned everyone. He would walk through the streets and find a person that would
talk to them and begin to challenge that persons with questions that seemed to be simple. He
would then keep asking questions that would cause doubt in the persons mind. This is how
Socrates taught, with questions and answers. This method is know as Socratic dialect or just the
Socratic method. He did not write any books or papers on his philosophies. Like many
philosophers Socrates was in search of the meaning of life. He believed all philosophers were in
search of this and what happens in death. Socrates spent his life searching for questions more than
for answers. He criticized peoples’ morals by questioning them, but he did not offer other
solutions. This is one of the reasons people had resentment towards him.
Socrates was associated with two members of an oligarchy of thirty who overthrew the Athenian
democracy. Socrates did not believe in democracy, so there was another point of loathing or
resentment towards him. He believed that the government should be ruled by knowledge. He was
the first person to make up the idea of the soul, a strong belief in todays western society.
Somewhere along the line Socrates discovered that “he does not know anything except that he
does not know anything” and that “there is no truth except that there is no truth.” Socrates
understood this and this is what gave him a higher level of thinking, like all the great thinkers of
SOCRATES - (469 – 399 BCE)
Most of his life was spent privately. He did not participate with the public affairs or lead a public
life, things that were expected by a citizen especially one of such great knowledge. Socrates was a
teacher and a father for the latter part of his life. He taught many people his philosophies the most
famous of his disciples were: Xenophon and Plato. Xenophon wrote a history on Socrates. Plato
wrote several pieces about Socrates as well, including Apology, which showed Socrates’ brilliant
defense, which illustrated many of the key points in his philosophies. “[Socrates] spent his life in
search of such truth as was arrived at by logical reasoning, starting from a rational hypothesis.”
Socrates was not a leader nor a follower, he was a real philosopher. Plato writes that Socrates said
during his defense: “I have never been a teacher to any man, but if any one, whether young or old,
wished to hear me speak while carrying out my mission, I never grudged him the opportunity. ...
And whether any of my hearers become better or worse, for that I cannot justly be made
answerable...” Socrates was most definitely not a product of society in that day and he was not a
trend setter. He would simply engage in dialogue with people that would make them question
their beliefs. Although it seems quite direct he would indirectly influence people. It becomes
evident that new trends were mandatory when you have finished chatting with Socrates, but he
did no trend setting other than that.
SOCRATES - (469 – 399 BCE)
In 399 BCE Meletus accused Socrates of impiety and corrupting Athenian youth, the penalty for
these crimes was death. The impiety was because he did not recognize the same gods the state did.
He was charged with “corruption” of Athenian youth because the youth were beginning to
question the beliefs of their parents and other important social people to the point where they were
made to look frivolous. Despite his excellent defense, which was probably not understood by
many of the 501 jury members of lower class Athenian citizens, Socrates was found to be guilty
be a margin of only 60 people. Then he would not offer to be just banished from the city which is
all anyone wanted instead he offered to pay a fine. He was voted by a larger margin to receive the
original death penalty by drinking poison. His execution was postponed for the religious festival
of the sacrifice of the seven lads and seven maidens to the minotaur in the labyrinth in the temple
on the island of Crete. During this time his friends offered to fix an escape for him. He turned
them down claiming that it would go against what he has lived and taught his whole life. He saw
death as finally finding out what happens in death, which is of course the quest of all
philosophers. Plato writes that he said: “But now it is time for us to go away, I to die, you to live.
Which of us is going to a better fate is unknown to all save God.”
Wisdom of Socrates
How to solve an ethics case?
Socrates met an acquaintance who said, ’Do you know what I just heard about your friend?’
“Hold a minute,’ Socrates replied. ’Before telling me anything, I’d like you to pass a little test. It’s
called the triple filter test.’ Triple filter?’ ‘That’s right,’ Socrates continued. “Before you talk to me
about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you’re going to say.
That’s why I call it a triple filter test The first filter is TRUTH. Have you made absolutely sure
that what you are about to tell me is TRUE?’ ‘No,’ the man said ‘ actually I just heard about it
and…’’Alright.’ said Socrates. 'So you don’t really know if it’s TRUE or not. Now let’s try the
second filter of GOODNESS. Is what you are about to tell me about my friend something
GOOD? ’No, on the contrary…’’So.’ Socrates continued, 'you want to tell me something BAD
about him., but you’re not certain it’s TRUE. You may still pass the third test through, because
there is one filter left-the filter of USEFULLNESS. Is what you want to tell me about my friend
is going to be USEFUL to me?’ ‘No, it is not, ‘Well concluded Socrates, ‘if what you want to tell
me is neither TRUE nor GOOD nor even USEFUL, why do you want to tell it me at all?’
Wisdom (Intelligence) of Socrates
Questions
1. Why is critical reasoning important to solve case?
2. Why it is important to raise several questions before finding solutions?
3. What is the source of ethical solution?