Socrates: The Life and The Trial

Socrates the Philosopher: Life, Ideas and Legacy 

   Sunday Reading: Socrates assigned by Dilip Barad Sir 

Discovering Socrates' Life, Philosophy, Insights and Trial.

  • Introduction:

Socrates -a greek philosopher credited as one of the founders of western philosophy. Is known for his dialectical method that is known as Socratic method. He had never written any work that describes his method or style of philosophy but is widely followed and written by his disciple Plato.

  • Life of Socrates: 

The informations about life of Socrates is found in the writings of his disciples. According to mentions of plato Socrates was born around 470 BCE in Athens, Ancient Greece. Socrates was not much good looking and unimpressive. He did not possess the higher level of education or manners but became noticeable due to his acute questioning and wisdom. His early education is not much known, his living standards were also not conventional.

Socrates contributed in many wars as in his time the war between Sparta and Athens had taken place. After many years Sparta was around 404 BCE and Athens was under the rule of 30 tyrant's injusticed way many time and the complexities were grown there and he was near to death. After a little time 30 tyrants were overthrowned and Democracy evolved again. So he was saved.

Socrates continued with his questioning method of philosophy. He believed that 'he doesn't know anything'. He questions on everything to explore the truth and that's how he does philosophy. But this led him to his death as he has prisoned and given the poison in 399 BCE.

  • Socrates' philosophy:

The main focus of Socrates' philosophical research was morality and virtue. Where the pre- Socratic philosophers were interested in the natural world, Socrates was interested in questions of human behaviour and the moral considerations that arise from human life. He said, " A life without examination is not worth living," emphasizing the need for self-reflection and moral introspection.

Socrates believed in the absolute and ultimate truth that could be reached through awareness of ignorance. His famous words "I know that I am nothing" perfectly summarizes his philosophy of intellectual humility and the endless search for truth . This paradoxical wisdom emphasized that awareness of their limitations was the basis for knowing the truth.

  • The Socratic method :

The Socratic method is a form of cooperative argumentative dialogue between individuals,based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and to draw out ideas and underlying presuppositions. It is named after the Classical Greek philosopher Socrates and is one of the earliest and most widely known methods in western philosophy. Here are the points that are in use in Socratic method.

1. Questioning,
2. Critical examination,
3. Exposing ignorance, 
4. Logical reasoning, 
5. Self-directed learning.

The Socratic method is still widely used today in various fields, including law, education,and psychology. It's particularly valuable for developing critical thinking skills and encouraging deeper understanding of complex topics.

  • Plato's works on Socrates:

Plato,a student or a disciple of Socrates,wrote several works that feature Socrates as the central character. These dialogue explore various philosophical themes and socratic methods. Some of Plato's most notable works that involve Socrates include :

Apology,
Phaedo,
Gito,
Symposium,
Meno,
Phaedrus.
This dialogues provide insights into Socratic philosophy.

  • The Trial and The Death :

The trial of Socrates is written by Plato as 'Apology' but in that Socrates never apologized. The trial of Socrates explains the social and political realities of ancient Greek or specifically of Athens of that time.

Socrates had been accused of insulting the gods of Athens and corrupting the youth of Athens. In 399 BCE Socrates was given a chance to claim his innocence but he was not afraid of death amd he thought that the death is a relief from the pain or illness of life. As a result Socrates was sent to jail and given poison 'Hemlock' and led to death.

  • Last words of Socrates:

"Crito, we awe a rooster to Asclepius. Please pay it and don't forget".

  • Conclusion :

Socrates dogged quest for wisdom often at the cost of personal sacrifice,strengthens his status as an iconic philosopher. He focused on ethics, emphasizing the interconnectedness of knowledge and virtue.

  • Refrences:

AI tools references... 


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