Socrates is considered one of the founders of Western Philosophy, but you might not have
guessed that from his early life. Socrates was born to a working-class family in ancient Greece,
around 470 BC. His father was a sculptor who cut stone for the Parthenon and taught Socrates
the stone-cutting trade. As an adult, Socrates worked as a stonemason, as well as serving in
the military during three campaigns. It wasn’t until he retired that Socrates took up the
occupation he is best known for teaching. What are the great works of Socrates everyone
should read? Well... there aren’t any. Socrates did not write. What we know of Socrates comes
from the works of his students, Plato and Xenophon, as well as the playwright Aristophanes,
who was a contemporary of Socrates. This is sometimes referred to as the “Socrates Problem”
- we know about Socrates only through second-hand accounts. The Socrates Problem is
compounded by the nature of the writing from this time. There is very little of what we would
consider histories written during the Classic Era. Rather, they are mostly dramatised works –
plays and philosophical dialogues. For instance, in Aristophanes’ play “The Clouds,” Socrates is
depicted as a swindler who teaches his students clever acts of deception. But that was a
satirical comedy, so should we believe that depiction? Plato said the play was slanderous. By
contrast, Plato’s and Xenophon’s works presented a kinder portrayal of Socrates’ character,
but even their accounts differ in many particulars. We are left to piece together what the man
was like, finding common ground in the various depictions. Socrates’ reputation as a towering
intellect began when one of his followers made a pilgrimage to the Oracle of Delphi. This was a
priestess at the Temple of Apollo, who served as a medium through which the god of Apollo
spoke. People traveled from all over Europe to hear her prophecies. The Oracle proclaimed no
one was wiser than Socrates. When Socrates heard this statement, he took it to be a puzzle.
He set out to find who WAS the wisest man. He interviewed the people of Athens who were
most admired for their wisdom - teachers, politicians, artists - but he concluded that they all
had a fatal flaw. These men all believed they knew a great deal, but were ignorant of what
they did NOT know. Socrates said that he was as ignorant as any other man, with the very
slight advantage that he at least KNEW he was ignorant – and in that way, he was the wisest of
an entire population of ignorant people. Socrates said, “What I do not know I do not THINK I
know." This is referred to as the “Socratic Paradox.” It may surprise you that Socrates, “the
wisest man in Athens,” was not known for expounding and making speeches. Rather, he would
ask questions; question after question, to pin down what did someone actually know. Often,
logical inconsistencies in the answers would point out faulty lines of reason. In this way, both
the teacher and student were led to knowledge. This was a new form of discourse that came
to be known as “The Socratic Method.” It is still used to this day as one of the most successful
teaching methods ever found. Sadly, this habit of pointing out people’s mistakes in reasoning
may have won Socrates few friends in Athens. It didn’t help matters that he was also
unappealing in appearance. In Plato’s “Symposium,” Socrates is described as quite unattractive
- short and stocky, with bulging, staring eyes. He was said to have odd religious views, as well.
What might have been the final straw was Aristophanes’ play “The Clouds,” which suggested
that Socrates was associated with the Sophists. This was a group of teachers whom older
generations feared were teaching the youth to be wild and disrespectful. In the end, his list of
offenses grew too long. Socrates was charged with being an atheist and corrupting the youth
of Athens. Socrates represented himself in the trial. As described in Plato’s “Apology,” and
Xenophon’s “Apology of Socrates to the Jury,” Socrates denied being a Sophist, and gave
evidence of his attempts to encourage virtue and elevated behavior from Athenians. But in
true Socratic fashion, he did not try to win over the jury, but rather point out how poor their
thinking was. The jury found him guilty and sentenced him to death. In Athens at this time,
convicted criminals could propose an alternative to their punishments. Socrates jokingly
suggested that he instead be given free meals at the Prytaneum, an honour reserved for the
most admired citizens of Athens. The jury was not amused. Socrates’ followers wept, and
encouraged him to flee (which was not an unusual occurrence at these sorts of trials). But, as if
to dramatically win his argument that he always obeyed the rule of law, Socrates went to his
death with no outward appearance of fear. He willingly drank the cup of deadly hemlock that
was the means of his execution. He was 70 years old. Athens had put to death the man Plato
called “the wisest and most just of all men.” Socrates the man may have died, but his ideas
lived on through his disciples. The writings of Plato and Xenophon brough their teacher back to
the world. Socrates’ philosophy continued to be studied through the Middle Ages, and reached
a new peak during the Renaissance. To this day, the Socratic Method is used by teachers
everywhere to find out what you know, and what you DON’T know. For our part, we strive to
honour his memory at Socratica.