Sokrates (Socrates)

Ancient Athenian philosopher, c. 470 - 399 BCE

Biographical Material:

Sokrates was the son of Sophroniskos and Phaenerete, working class citizens of the tribe Alopeke. Sophroniskos was a stone mason/sculptor, and Phaenerete was a midwife (Sokrates was known to refer to himself as a “midwife” of ideas).

Sokrates had two wives (Murto, and Xanthippe), and three sons (Menexenos, Lamprokles, and Sophroniskos).

Sokrates was a student of, or was influenced by Anaxagoras, (during his sojourn in Athens, c. 480-450), and Damon (a musicologist), who also taught Perikles. D. Laertius relates a story that he may have been employed for a time by Krito (who became a life-long admirer and friend; D.L., “Lives of the Philosophers,” I:2).

Sokrates fought as a hoplite for Athens during the Peloponnesian War at the battles of Delium and Potidaea, where he was noted for his unwavering courage and stamina. Again according to D. Laertius, it was at the battle of Delium where Sokrates saved the life of Xenophon who was thrown from his horse.

Sokrates had many followers over the course of his philosophical activity, including Kritias (who served on the Council of Thirty) and Alkibides (the disgraced Athenian general and traitor). It was undoubtedly these relationships that provided the grounds, at least in large part, for the charge of “corrupting the youth”.

Sokrates was executed in 399 BCE on the charges of “corrupting the youth”, and “failing to believe in the Athenian gods”.

Philosophy:

Sokrates did not write Philosophy, though he was, like the majority of Athenian citizens, literate. The only surviving contemporary accounts of his life and thought come from Aristophanes (the poet), Plato (the disciple of Sokrates), and Xenophon (the historian). Aristotle (the student of Plato) provides some disambiguation of Sokrates’ and Plato’s thought.

Sokrates was the first major philosopher to consider Axiology, particularly moral philosophy.

If we accept the Platonic account of Sokrates’ style, he employed elegxos (cross-examination) as his primary methodology. This proceeds by eliciting statements of belief on a subject from an interlocutor, then examining those beliefs for logical consistency. Sokrates had a knack for finding inconsistency among the beliefs of those he examined.

Sokrates seems to have been primarily interested in questions about aretai (virtue, or human excellence), and in particular what are known as the “Cardinal” virtues: wisdom, justice, courage, temperance, and piety. He seemed to have believed that being virtuous was solely a matter of knowing the definition of the virtues. He also seems to have believed that all of the virtues were in some fundamental way, the same knowledge. Paradoxically, he consistently claims (at least in the Platonic corpus) not to have the knowledge that he seeks. Instead, he goes to those who claim to have knowlege of human excellence (i.e., virtue) and cross-examines them about their beliefs (e.g., Euthuphro, who claims to be an expert in piety).

According to Plato, Sokrates was motivated to do Philosophy by the Oracle of Delphi (Ap. 20e) who, in response to a query by his childhood friend, Xairophon, said, no man was wiser than Sokrates. He took the statement as a riddle (since he didn’t think he was wise at all) that he was responsible for solving. Again according to Plato, he ultimately concludes that he was in fact wiser than others, but only because he is aware of his lack of knowledge of virtue (i.e., he knows that he does not know). While we have no idea when Xairophon went to the oracle, it was probably when Sokrates was between 30 and 40 years of age.