IPHP Group 4_ Philosopher Socrates g12 st

Socrates background

1. Socrates
Background & Contributions in
Philosophy
Group 4

2. “Knowing what is good is the same as
doing what is good.”
-Socrates

3. Background
Socrates was born in Athens in the year 469 BCE. to
Sophroniscus, a stonemason, and Phaenarete, a midwife.
He grew up during the golden age of Pericles' Athens,
served with distinction as a soldier, but became best known
as a questioner of everything and everyone.
Known as the "Father of Western Philosophy," as among the
most famous figures in history for his significant
contributions to ancient Greek philosophy.
He was not interested in mathematics or science but was
concerned with the quality of his soul and that of others.
Who is Socrates?

4. Background
Socrates worked as mason for many years before he
devoted his life to philosophy.
Socrates married Xanthippe, a younger woman, who bore
him three sons: Lamprocles, Sophroniscus and Menexenus.
Socrates was a widely recognized and controversial figure
in his native Athens, so much so that he was frequently
mocked in the plays of comic dramatists.
Who is Socrates?

5. Background
He authored no texts and is known primarily through
posthumous accounts of classical writers, particularly his
students Plato and Xenophon.
He was the first Greek philosopher to seriously explore
questions of ethics.
He was accused of impiety and corrupting the youth by
the Athenian courts but chose to die willingly, stating his
beliefs on soul immortality before drinking poisonous
hemlock on 399 BCE, Athens.
Who is Socrates?

6. Background
Socrates was also deeply interested in understanding the
limits of human knowledge. When he was told that the
Oracle at Delphi had declared that he was the wisest
man in Athens, Socrates balked until he realized that,
although he knew nothing, he was (unlike his fellow
citizens) keenly aware of his own ignorance.
WHO OR WHAT INFLUENCED SOCRATES
ON BECOMING PHILOSOPHER?

7. Socrates' Contributions
to Philosophy
His most famous student was Plato (l. c. 424/423-348/347 BCE)
who would honor his name through the establishment of a school
in Athens (Plato's Academy) and, more so, through the
philosophical dialogues he wrote featuring Socrates as the central
character. Whether Plato's dialogues accurately represent
Socrates' teachings continues to be debated but a definitive
answer is unlikely to be reached. Plato's best known student was
Aristotle of Stagira (l. 384-322 BCE) who would then tutor
Alexander the Great (l. 356-323 BCE) and establish his own
school. By this progression, Greek philosophy, as first developed
by Socrates, was spread throughout the known world during, and
after, Alexander's conquests.

8. Socrates' Contributions
to Philosophy
Expanding the purpose of philosophy from trying to
understand the outside world to trying to tease apart one’s
inner values.
Conceiving moral philosophy, which reflects on conceptions
that until then were considered acts of nature that lacked a
why.
Developing the Socratic technique, a technique for arguing
a point, which he applied to many things such as truth and
justice.
Inspiring the development of formal logic and systematic
ethics from the time of Aristotle through the Renaissance
and into the modern era.

9. Socrates' Contributions
to Philosophy
The Socratic Method: Socrates developed the
Socratic method, a way of teaching and discussing
ideas through a series of questions and answers.
Ethical Philosophy: Socrates focused heavily on
ethics and morality, emphasizing the importance of
self-examination, virtue, and moral excellence.

10. Socrates' Contributions
to Philosophy
Intellectual Humility: Socrates promoted intellectual
humility by acknowledging his own ignorance and
encouraging others to question their beliefs and
assumptions.
Individualism: Socrates stressed the importance of
individual thought and self-awareness.

11. Socrates' Contributions
to Philosophy
Moral Courage: Socrates demonstrated moral
courage by challenging conventional beliefs,
engaging in open dialogue, and defending his
principles, even in the face of persecution.
It has been said that Socrates' greatest contribution
to philosophy was to move intellectual pursuits away
from the focus on `physical science'
Socrates' contributions to philosophy in the areas of
critical thinking, ethics, intellectual humility,
individualism, and moral courage

12. Socrates' Contributions
to Philosophy
Learning: The paradox “I know that I know nothing”
is introduced in Plato’s Apology and is an indication
of Socrates’ self-awareness, as he professes to his
own lack of knowledge. Socrates believed that in
order to come to a conclusion, a person needed to
approach it with “thought, sense, judgment, viable
knowledge, [and] prudence.” He also believed that
bad behavior was the result of ignorance, and those
who made mistakes did so because they knew no
better.

13. Thank You!