Know thyself.
Socrates (c. 470–399 BCE) was an Athenian philosopher who founded Western philosophy without writing a single word. Known through the dialogues of his students Plato and Xenophon, he pioneered the Socratic method—relentless questioning to expose ignorance and pursue truth. Rejecting sophistry, he claimed to know nothing except his own ignorance (“I know that I know nothing”). Condemned for “corrupting the youth” and “impiety,” he chose death by hemlock over exile, embodying his maxim: “The unexamined life is not worth living.” His life fused ethics, dialectic, and civic courage, making him the eternal gadfly of the human mind.
Born in Athens during the Golden Age of Pericles, Socrates was the son of Sophroniscus, a stonemason, and Phaenarete, a midwife. Raised in the deme Alopece, he trained as a hoplite (heavy infantryman) and fought bravely in the Peloponnesian War:
Short, stocky, with bulging eyes and a snub nose, he walked barefoot, wore the same cloak year-round, and drank sparingly. Married to Xanthippe (notoriously sharp-tongued), he had three sons: Lamprocles, Sophroniscus, and Menexenus.
In 432 BCE, a friend asked the Oracle of Delphi if anyone was wiser than Socrates. The answer: “No one.” Puzzled—he claimed no wisdom—Socrates interrogated politicians, poets, and craftsmen, finding they thought they knew but did not. He concluded the oracle meant: wisdom is recognizing one’s ignorance. Thus began his divine mission:
“I go about doing nothing but persuading you… to care for virtue more than wealth.” (Plato, Apology)
| Concept | Summary |
|---|---|
| Socratic Method (Elenchus) | Ask → Answer → Refute → Revise; strip away false beliefs |
| Virtue = Knowledge | No one does wrong willingly; evil is ignorance |
| Care of the Soul | “Wealth does not bring virtue, but virtue brings wealth.” |
| No Teaching, Only Midwifery | Like his mother, he “delivered” truth from others (maieutics) |
| Irony | Feigned ignorance to draw out contradictions |
He taught in the Agora, gymnasia, and symposia—free of charge, rejecting payment like the Sophists.
Accused by Meletus, Anytus, and Lycon of:
In the Apology, Socrates cross-examined his accusers, refused to beg mercy, and proposed free meals at the Prytaneion as “punishment.” The jury of 501 citizens voted:
Imprisoned 30 days, he rejected escape plans (Crito), arguing:
“One must obey the laws or persuade them.”
On the day of execution, he drank hemlock calmly, walking until his legs failed, then lying down as numbness rose. His last words (to Crito):
“Crito, we owe a cock to Asclepius; please pay it—don’t forget.”
No statues of Socrates survive—he refused to sit for sculptors—but his silhouette (bald, bearded, snub-nosed) is instantly recognizable. The Socratic Oath (“I will question everything”) lives in every skeptic, scientist, and citizen who dares to ask why.
Socrates died, but the examined life—and the courage to live it—became immortal.