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Socrates (470 – 399 BCE)

Socrates (470 – 399 BCE). Socrates. Socrates the man (the “historical Socrates”) Socrates’ philosophical project Socrates’ main ideas. The Historical Socrates I. A working class man, served in the army, a bricklayer by trade The Oracle at Delphi labeled him “The wisest man in Athens”

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Socrates (470 – 399 BCE)

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  1. Socrates (470 – 399 BCE)

  2. Socrates • Socrates the man (the “historical Socrates”) • Socrates’ philosophical project • Socrates’ main ideas

  3. The Historical Socrates I • A working class man, served in the army, a bricklayer by trade • The Oracle at Delphi labeled him “The wisest man in Athens” • Socrates did not believe he was wise, so he set out to prove the oracle wrong • “There must be someone wiser than I, since I am not wise at all”

  4. The Historical Socrates II • Most of the men he questioned were Sophists, wealthy men whose profession was to teach aristocratic young men how to be successful • According to the Sophists, success was the ability to gain and hold onto • Wealth • Fame • Power

  5. The Historical Socrates III • Socrates believed that the Sophists were wrong • Wealth, fame, and power are not important • What matters most in life is our moral goodness • In order to be morally good, we need to think and re-evaluate our moral values

  6. The Historical Socrates IV • Eventually Socrates got in trouble with the wealthy, famous, powerful forces in Athens • He was accused of two crimes – lacking respect for the city’s gods and of poisoning the young men’s minds • Questioning values was the crime; the penalty was death

  7. The Death of SocratesDavid, 1786

  8. Socrates’ Approach to Philosophy • Socrates did not write anything. • Everything we know about him was written by others • He pursued values in conversation with others – Goodness, Justice, Truth, Self-Knowledge • He criticized the self-satisfied Sophists because they claimed to possess the final answers to all questions – wealth, fame, power

  9. Socrates - His Main Ideas I • Our interior life – our “psyche” or “soul” – is the most important part of life • Our psyche is “healthy” when it seeks goodness, truth, justice, and self-knowledge • A soul in search of wealth, fame, and power becomes weak, sickly, ignorant

  10. Socrates – His Main Ideas II • Being ignorant is to mistake the appearance of good for the reality of it • All evil is caused by ignorance • People who cheat, lie, steal, harm others are always motivated to do so by their own ignorance concerning what is good • They don’t know what is important in life, so they seek wealth, fame, power, and in doing so they find they must cheat, lie, steal, and harm others

  11. Socrates – His Main Ideas III • “THE UNEXAMINED LIFE IS NOT WORTH LIVING” • If we spend our lives examining and criticizing ourselves, our psyches become strong • In seeking goodness, justice, truth and self-knowledge, we will not become self-satisfied, bigoted, and ignorant • We may not find what we seek, but the life we live will be one that strengthens our inner selves

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