SOCRATES

Socrates
BACKGROUND
BORN ON 469 – 399 BCE

A GREEK PHILOSOPHER

The father of western philosophy

He studied music, gymnastics, and grammar in his youth (the common
subjects of study for a young Greek) and followed his father's profession
as a sculptor.
SOCRATES

Never wrote down a single word

PLATO
Fat, ugly wears dirty, unemployed, doesn’t have a job to support wife and kids, does
not participate in Athen’s political life, and doesn’t care about his social status.

Could stay up all night without getting tired, can drink without getting drunk

Seemingly a superhuman, an individual who care sonly about asking questions and
more knowledge

THE ONLY TRUE WISDOM IS IN KNOWING

THAT YOU KNOW NOTHING.
 It all started when the oracle at Delphi declared that no one was wiser than socrates

Socrates set about testing the riddle by seeking out knowledge from people who claimed to
have it. But while the people thought they had good answers, Socrates’ cross-examination showed
them they were wrong. In the end, he decided that he was wise.

DEATH SENTENCE
He refused to stop philosophizing, he thought that fearing unknown
things, like death, was just another way in which we pretend to know
then, in fact we don’t.
I BELIEVED THAT:
I have a responsibility to my fellow Athenians to root out arrogance and
ignorance wherever he found it. After all, false beliefs are bad for your health.
 THE UNEXAMINED LIFE IS NOT WORTH
LIVING! YOU ARE WASTING YOUR LIVES!
Examining one’s self is the most important task that one can ever take

So, the next time you think you know something considers the wisdom of not
thinking you know something that you don’t.

THE IDEAS OF SOCRATES

- “care for your soul”
- Knowledge is necessary to become virtuous and virtue is necessary to attain
happiness
 - All evil acts are committed out of ignorance and hence involuntary
- Committing an injustice is far worse than suffering injustice

IMPORTANCE OF PHILOSOPHY
“WHAT IS THE WAY WE OUGHT TO LIVE?”

- Most people never consciously contemplate this question, in order to contemplate

this question one must strive after self-knowledge

MOST FAMOUS STATEMENT:

ONCE WE KNOW OURSELVES, WE MAY LEARN HOW TO
CARE FOR OURSLVES, BUT OTHERWISE WE NEVER
SHALL.

THE NATURE OF OUR TRUE SELF

Not to be identifies of what we own – social status

Our true self is our soul

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SOUL

State of one’s soul determines the quality of life

GOOD is what makes us happy

EVIL is what makes us suffer

Evil
- result of ignorance
- If it is only becoming virtuous can attain happiness
- An individual who commits an evil act is one who is ignorant that virtue alone is the
one true good

VIRTUE – the ultimate good

- ‘moral excellence’
- A virtue person is one whose character is made up of the moral qualities accepted
as virtues
Courage, justice, prudence, temperance

KNOWLEDGE = VIRTUE = HAPPINESS

THE