Socrates

Here are the notes on Socrates, expect Plato and Aristotle soon.

Socrates

·         Most of what is known about Socrates comes from what is said by his students, mainly from Plato and Xenophon.

·         He was focused on “getting competent men into positions of power” and by doing so pointed out the foibles of society. By doing this it earned him many enemies and, according to Xenophon, led to his death.

·         This is taken from Xenophon’s account, because the information that we can gather from Plato’s account cannot always be trusted.

·         This is because we cannot be sure whether the ideas that Plato puts forward under the name of Socrates were really from him, or merely Plato attaching Socrates’ prestige to his own ideas.

·         Socrates was charged with being an “evil-doer and a curious person, searching into things under the earth and above the heaven; and making the worse appear the better cause, and teaching all this to others.’ (taken from the apology, a speech apparently made by Socrates in his own defence at his trial)

·         Socrates was found guilty, and by Athenian law had to suggest a punishment for himself. As he was sentenced to death it would’ve been sensible to suggest a harsh punishment so that the judges would view this as an equal, or at least more fitting, punishment. Socrates however, proposed a small fine, which enraged the court that therefore condemned him to death.

·         This suggests that Socrates didn’t fear death significantly enough to admit guilt insofar as he would suggest that what he did was befitting punishment.

·         He made a very convincing and succinct defence of himself, for example he pointed out that there were many of his past students present, yet none of them had been called upon to testify that he’d corrupted them. All of this despite the fact that he had never been under the threat of law before or even in a courtroom, but ultimately he was unapologetic of his philosophic life, saying “Men of Athens, I honour and love you; but I shall obey God rather than you, and while I have life and strength I shall never cease from the practice and teaching of philosophy…”

·         He showed no fear of death, saying that it would either be like a dreamless sleep, or the soul would transcend the body and go to a different place, which Socrates liked, because he wished to converse with the philosophers that came before him.

·         The image that we’re presented with of Socrates, by Plato, is almost superhuman. He tells stories of Socrates being able to withstand long periods of cold and hunger without complaint; of him seldom drinking but when he does he can drink everyone under the table. It seems to be a case of severe rose tinted spectacles or just the ultimate in hero-worship. This is also reflected in Socrates’ reported modesty, claiming that by asking questions he isn’t showing his own knowledge so much as showing the knowledge of the man to whom he is asking.