The Philosopher
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Registration date : 2008-11-21
 | Subject: Socrates Life  Mon Mar 02, 2009 12:36 am | |
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Socrates was a famous philosopher in ancient Greece. He was born in 470 BC. As an adult, he was a stone-cutter. He was married and had three sons. When he grew older, he came to hate money and what it did to people.
The Sophists, distrusted Socrates, especially because he was willing to teach young men without charging a fee, as the Sophists did. In a sense, they saw this as his taking business away from them. A source of tension between Socrates and many people in Athens was his abhorrence of wealth. He went out of his way to speak out against great wealth, he had none of his own, and he taught his students that wealth was a bad thing, that it corrupted those who had it. Athens at that time was full of wealthy people, and they didn't trust someone who didn't believe as they did, that money was something to be gotten and kept.
Socrates also taught that wisdom and the search for truth were the most important things of all, certainly more important than looking good or being physically fit or strong and athletic. He liked to argue that strength in a person came from within, not from without: It wasn't how powerful your body looked on the outside but how powerful you mind worked on the inside that mattered to him.
The one thing that put Socrates over the top into the black hole of public opinion was the charge from The Clouds that he believed in gods of his own invention.
He was charged with "corrupting the youth" and denying the existence and power of the state gods. These were serious charges but were not necessarily punishable by death.
Socrates declines to abandon his pursuit of the truth in all matters. Refusing to accept exile from Athens or a commitment to silence as his penalty, he maintains that public discussion of the great issues of life and virtue is a necessary part of any valuable human life. "The unexamined life is not worth living." (Apology 38a) Socrates would rather die than give up philosophy, and the jury seems happy to grant him that wish.
Once he was found guilty, Socrates and his prosecutors then had a chance to argue over the punishment that he would receive. Socrates offered to pay a very small fine; the prosecutors argued that he should die for his crimes. The Assembly agreed with the prosecution, and Socrates was sentenced to death.
Socrates convinced his followers that the good of the state was more powerful than the fate of one man and that, therefore, he should be punished for his crimes. Socrates participated in his own execution, drinking a poison called hemlock. He died in 399 BC, a hero to some and a villain to others. Socrates chose to honor his commitment to truth and morality even though it cost him his life. His beliefs and philosophy lived on after him and continue to inspire and fascinate people today.
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Guest
Guest
| | Subject: Re: Socrates Life Fri Mar 06, 2009 5:38 am | |
| You really have to admire a person like this: "The Sophists, distrusted Socrates, especially because he was willing to teach young men without charging a fee"Now that is integrity. Thanks for sharing this information Miro, I really didn't know much about Socrates, but clearly he was thousands of years ahead of his time.  |
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Guest
Guest
| | Subject: Re: Socrates Life Tue Mar 17, 2009 7:47 am | |
| i read the trial and death of socrates which is a great book and i think once they found him guilty socrates told the jury that his punishment should be free meals for the rest of his life lol which showed that Socrates had a great sense of humor |
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The Philosopher
Admin
Number of posts : 320
Age : 80
Job/hobbies : Engineer
Registration date : 2008-11-21
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