Socrates

470 BCE – 399 BCE

Ancient Greek

Socrates (c. 470–399 BCE) was a classical Greek philosopher from Athens who is credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy. Unlike earlier philosophers who focused on cosmology, Socrates turned philosophy toward questions of ethics and how one ought to live. He developed the Socratic method—a form of cooperative dialogue in which he would ask probing questions to expose contradictions in his interlocutors' beliefs, leading them toward deeper understanding. Socrates himself wrote nothing; his ideas survive primarily through the dialogues of his student Plato and the writings of Xenophon. He believed that wisdom begins with recognizing one's own ignorance, famously claiming to know only that he knew nothing. His relentless questioning of Athenian leaders and conventions eventually led to his trial on charges of impiety and corrupting the youth. Found guilty, he was sentenced to death by drinking hemlock. His calm acceptance of the sentence, and his refusal to flee when given the chance, cemented his legacy as a martyr for free inquiry and the examined life.

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Socrates