Socrates - The Greatest Philosopher Of All Time - Research Paper Example

? Why I feel Socrates is the greatest philosopher of all time “The unexamined life is worth nothing” said Socrates and he proved it when he ended his life by drinking a cup of hemlock (Brainy quotes, 2011). Widely regarded as the greatest philosopher of all time Socrates did not leave behind any literary works of his own. His life and philosophical theories are mostly accounted by contemporary writers and his students. Socrates has been mainly portrayed in the works of Plato a contemporary philosopher and his student. Although the authenticity of his portrayal has been questioned at times, Socrates’ contribution to the philosophy has been acknowledged by all philosophers alike. Such was his influence on the philosophical world that the era before him has been named the pre Socrates era. Socrates set the standard for all the western philosophers to come. His methods were employed by all the great philosophers later including Plato and Aristotle to name a few which makes a case in itself for him being the greatest. A thorough analysis of his life, teachings and philosophical viewpoints will further establish my claim for him being the greatest philosopher of all time. Life Born to Sophroniscus a sculptor by profession in 469 BC, Socrates was both short and unattractive (socrates a closer look at the greatest thinker). Though little is known about his early life it is reported that he was educated in literature, music, gymnastic and sculpture which were the integral constituents of elementary education at that time in Athens. Socrates had many teachers. Socrates mentioned that he was taught “love” by diotima of mintineia. Socrates also mentioned that he learned rhetoric from Aspasia and music from Connus. However, others argue that his principal teacher was Anaxagorean Archelaus. Despite having so many teachers his undying lust of knowledge lead him to develop his own method of inquiry known as the Socrates method of questioning. Despite being short and unattractive, Socrates was married to Xanthippe, a much younger woman than himself. Several sources claim that he had a second wife as well whose name was Myrto. It is known that his wife was an ill tempered and rude woman. According to various theories Socrates inherited stone masonry as a profession from his father and used it for a living. In his dialogues Plato has also discussed the military life of Socrates. He reported that Socrates when he was young was a brave soldier of the Athenian army and fought valiantly in the battles of Potidaea, Amphipolis and Delium (socrates a closer look at the greatest thinker). His valour in the battle of delium was even acknowledged by the general of that time. Later on however, he completely devoted himself to philosophy by refraining from the pursuits of the physical world. He spent most of his life in Athens roaming around and questioning the moral and ethical beliefs of the young men of the city. He used to teach people without demanding any financial gain which was perhaps the reason why he had an ardent sense of loyalty among his students. Aristophanes a contemporary playwright wrote a comic play in 423 BC called clouds (socrates a closer look at the greatest thinker). The play portrayed him as a clown. In the play Socrates used to worship scientific wonders and clouds instead of the gods worshipped in Greece. The play spread a very austere view of Socrates among the Athenians. In the following years, a wave of hatred and disapproval against Socrates ran around the city. Athenian began to dislike Socrates because of his criticism of popular beliefs and the ways of the current government. He used to approach the wise men of Athens at that time and questioned them in ways which made them look foolish. His influence on the youth began to grow which along with all the other reasons became the main subject of his trials. Hence in 399 BC Socrates was held on trial and was charged for being responsible for disobeying the gods of the state and corrupting the minds of the youth (Kemerling, 2006). According to apology by Plato Socrates gave a speech in his defence in front of the jury in which he gave an explanation on why he believed what he believed and refuted his portrayal in “the clouds”. Nonetheless he was found guilty and was sentenced to death. In their respective accounts xenophone and Plato both agree that during his imprisonment Socrates’ (Kemerling, 2006)followers had planned an escape for him which he declined for several reasons. Later on it has been stated that despite having an option of going into exile he served his sentence by drinking poison. Philosophical Ideas One of his most famous sayings is that “all I know is that I know nothing” (Brainy quotes, 2011). Socrates believed that true knowledge comes from knowing ones ignorance. He also believed that no one does evil knowingly and it is the ignorance which causes all evil. He was once told by a clairvoyant that he was the wisest man of Greece which he refused to believe. In order to test what the fortune teller said he approached several wise men of the city and questioned them about what they knew. He cross questioned people and refuted their own beliefs which were formed by popular opinions. He concluded that these people who claimed to know a lot actually knew very little. Although he thought of himself as someone who knows nothing, the fact that he was aware of his ignorance lead him to conclude that the fortune teller was indeed right. This method of cross questioning people was later known as the famous Socrates method, one of his most valuable contributions to philosophy. The Socrates method was a dialectic form of inquiry which examined the underlying beliefs and knowledge of the people (socrates a closer look at the greatest thinker). He then contested those beliefs by contradicting them with alternative hypothesis. The method was first described by Plato as breaking down the problem to a number of questions, answer to which would yield a solution (socrates a closer look at the greatest thinker). The Socrates method was later adopted by almost all the philosophers who followed him in the post Socrates era and it was this contribution of his which earned him his mantle as the father of western philosophy. Socrates was a man of great values and emphasized on truth and justice throughout his life. He believed that material wealth was of least importance and self development was necessary for the well being of the populace. Virtue was in his opinion the most valuable possession. As for the material wealth he said,” He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature” (Brainy quotes, 2011). He proved this by denying any material compensation from his students who he taught and lead a very simplistic life contended with what he had (Kemerling, 2006). In his answer to whether virtue can be taught he concluded that it is not teachable and is something one is born with. Conversely the only escape in his opinion was to acknowledge what one knows. This was later called the doctrine of recollection. This recollection involved examination of one’s own life. He also thought that it is the duty of a philosopher to aid in this recollection of the ignorant. This notion of his about philosophers later on caused his ridicule in “the clouds”. His political beliefs are still subject to much doubt due to the lack of authentic resources. On one end of the spectrum where some philosophers argue that he was against the democratic rule of Athens on the other some claim that Socrates was too indulged in philosophy to have any political viewpoints. To support the later Socrates says himself, “I was really too honest a man to be a politician and live” (Brainy quotes, 2011). However it should not be neglected that it is widely believed that Socrates thought it is only possible for a nation to prosper if it was ruled by wise people with philosophical awareness. His objection to democracy can also be seen in his beliefs which were in disparity with the fellow Athenians of the time and his constant criticism of the government and appreciation of the Spartans points us towards his disagreement with the rule of that time. Conclusion To sum up Socrates was in my opinion the greatest philosopher of all time. His intellectual brilliance, love for wisdom and truth, courage and personal magnetism made him the first of his kind. He was the first to raise questions about ethics and morals and gave western philosophy its basic question. His concepts changed forever how philosophy was to be conceived. After his demise it was his students who formed most of the fundamental branches of philosophy. Later on his theories were revived by the philosopher of the medieval Europe and Islamic Middle East. After almost 2500 years his influence is still felt far beyond philosophy and his admiration can only be compared to that of the founders of religious sect. His only competitors for his title of being the greatest are his students which itself produces an argument for him being the greatest. What distinguishes him from the others is that he asked the right questions which were complex and deep. Sometimes he did not even have answers to his own questions but yet he asked them to defy the false moral and ethical beliefs of the people. His method of cross questioning known as the Socrates method formed the basic practice of western philosophy and even the scientific hypothesis method followed by scientists throughout the world today. He followed his principles to such an extent that he refused to escape the jail and even drank the poison to embrace his sentence. He never acted against the law and spread his knowledge without any gain of material need and yet declared that he knew nothing. And perhaps it was only his knowledge of his ignorance that made him the greatest of all time. Works Cited Armstrong, K. (n.d.). Philosophy Resource. Retrieved july 20, 2011, from BBC Radio: http://www.biographyonline.net/spiritual/socrates.html Brainy quotes. (2011). Retrieved july 20, 2011, from Brainy quotes: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/socrates_2.html Kemerling, G. (2006, august 9). Socrates. Retrieved july 20, 2011, from Philosophy pages: http://www.philosophypages.com/ph/socr.htm Nails, D. (2009, november 7). Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy. Retrieved july 20, 2011, from Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/socrates/ socrates a closer look at the greatest thinker. (n.d.). Retrieved july 20, 2011, from college term paper: http://www.collegetermpapers.com/TermPapers/Philosophy/Socrates_A_Closer_Look_at_the_Greatest_Thinker.shtml Read More