The reason why this is applicable is because Socrates was never anything other than a man. Socrates said he did not fear death, because he knew nothing about it. Socrates has a unique place in the history of happiness, as he is the first known figure in the West to argue that happiness is actually obtainable through human effort. Subsequently, question is, what is Socrates known for? The vast majority of Plato’s “exchanges” might be simply the thoughts of Socrates reinterpreted by Plato, and several researchers think Plato adapted the Socratic style to make Socrates and the other characters difficult to recognize. an 'illiterate' conversationalist? 1. The beliefs of Socrates, separate from those of Plato, are hard to define as little in the way of solid proof exists to separate the two. It was not only Plato who wrote about him, but also Xenophon, Aeschines etc., and the Socratic dialogue... vid. Furthermore, they claim that by virtue of those laws, Socrates owes his existence and his upbringing to Athens, and accordingly violence against the city is no more appropriate than violence against his parents (50d1-51c3).” Contract Socrates imputes no fault to the laws that concern conception, marriage, nurture, and education. June 15, 2004 8:34 PM Subscribe. Did Socrates really exist, or was he "invented" by Plato? 175 Love Yourself Quotes That Will Increase Your Self Esteem Dr. Nikki Martinez, Lead Contributor . In it, Socrates is written to argue for the existence of an immortal soul, distinct and separate from the body. I don’t know if Socrates actually existed or whether he never existed. Even though he might have been a great scholar, his way of teaching was wrong, and he was the reason why there was always a dangerous of an uprising. There is no proof for the existence of Socrates's god or any other god. General History European History North American History South American History Asian History Middle Eastern History African History History Periods History Themes History Help History Chamber Because Socrates did not leave any writings. Keeping this in view, where did Socrates get his education? SOCRATES: Please don’t hold out on me, my fine fellow. If there were no afterlife, dying would be like falling asleep, and if there were an afterlife it would enable a higher stage of discourse—it would be heaven. Much later, while the Hebrews did not accept the concept of a distinct soul, the Christian tradition had moved beyond the Hebrews and into Gentile culture, in which it took on some different aspects to which they could relate. Do we legitimate historical account of his existence ? PAUL: Well, it runs like this. He was teaching his students things that didn't comply with the rules of the society that they lived in. Chancellor. Or is he just a conceptual character used by Plato and his friends from Athen’s intelligentsia ? Socrates, one of ancient Athens’ most famous (or perhaps infamous) residents, lived a life centered around the belief in the existence of a set of higher moral truths. Linschoten. If God is omnipotent, omniscient, and morally perfect, he would eliminate all the evil in the world. All that we know about these three was written 1000 years after they died. He is known for creating Socratic irony and the Socratic method (elenchus). Teaches Falsehood One accusation brought against Socrates was that he "is an evil-doer, and a curious person, who searches into things under the… In fact, it was his faith in an ultimate reality that allowed him to face life, and finally death, unflinchingly. was a classical Greek philosopher who is credited with laying the fundamentals of modern Western philosophy. Thirdly, comparing the ideas and greatness of the two is clearly wrong, as Sesus preached faith, Socrates preached reason, Jesus claimed divinity, whilst Socrates knew he was mortal. Archived. ... Virtue and wisdom were the same thing to Socrates, since one cannot exist without the presence of the other. Did Socrates really existed ? Athens . He was born in Athens, Greece in 460 BC; like most ancient peoples, the Greeks had a rather pessimistic view of human existence. Did you know? As such, Socratic irony is intended to conceal Socrates’ true message. All that is known about him has been inferred from accounts by members of his circle—primarily Plato and Xenophon—as well as by Plato’s student Aristotle, who acquired his knowledge of Socrates through his teacher.The most vivid portraits of Socrates exist in Plato’s dialogues, in most of which the principal speaker is “Socrates.” He studied in Plato's Academy, where he was later taught politics and rhetoric.Plato (428-347 BC) ranks ninth.. Additionally, did Aristotle come before Socrates? hide. He has had a profound influence on Western philosophy, … Jesus, however, was always a demigod and we have zero information on any man. It was a search for these absolute truths that set the course his life would take. He was born in 469 BCE at a place called Deme Alpoece, Athens. Which of the quotes was your favorite? Does any serious scholar hold that Socrates was in fact a creation of Plato, in order to form an able... Linschoten. Nevertheless one can try to follow Socrates' advice to make aware one's own limits. Here are the three main charges. We would love to hear all about it. Another interpretation is that Socrates did not have much to lose by dying—he was already an old man. Socrates, father of western philosophy, was executed by his government, not for murder, assault, or robbery, but because of several non-violent charges brought against him. Socrates lived during a very important period in Athenean history, and he was an important figure in the society. Also, who was born first Socrates Aristotle or Plato? That's a kind of enlightenment. The people who try to bring this up usually do so to try to prove the existence of Jesus. Method: How Did Socrates Do Philosophy? Inspirational Quotes . [Philosophy] Did Socrates exist? Question: Did Socrates Exist? The existence of a valley is a sufficient condition for the existence … He likely did exist however we can't be sure of his actual teachings. Do we have any evidence outside of Plato that Socrates existed? 3 comments. On this reading, Socrates’ irony consisted in his refusal to display his superiority in front of his inferiors so that his message would be understood only by the privileged few. And to strive for knowledge and acting accordingly. Socrates (/ ˈ s ɒ k r ə t iː z /; Ancient Greek: Σωκράτης Sōkrátēs [sɔːkrátɛːs]; c. 470 – 399 BC) was a Greek philosopher from Athens who is credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, and as being the first moral philosopher of the Western ethical tradition of thought. SOCRATES: A somewhat shorter argument than I expected for such a significant metaphysical conclusion. share. He also argued that death is not the end of existence. Socrates wrote nothing. Tell us in the comment section below. 5. Perhaps Socrates in his grand quest to know thyself suspected the mind is the world’s greatest problem-solving machine without which there couldn’t exist a single problem! In my opinion, Socrates did deserve to die. posted by quarantine to Religion & Philosophy (3 answers total) Apparently, there's quite a bit of documentation. Is it at all possible that Socrates was a literary construct? Did Socrates, Plato and Aristotle really exist? 3. Maybe they were just part of Greek mythology. Did Socrates Exist? Did you enjoy these Socrates quotes? Socrates, Plato, and Augustine were all dualists who believed the soul to be immortal. Here is a brief bit on Wikipedia about the Socratic Problem (it actually has a name) Socrates did not mean that when one committed an evil act they did so in some sort of state of complete unawareness, but rather that such an individual was unaware that their action was evil. Related Articles. Socrates (469-399 B.C.) Socrates believed the soul is immortal. Although he never outright rejected the standard Athenian view of religion, Socrates' beliefs were nonconformist. What is the proof? I argue that if one is to deny the existence of Jesus their burden of proof is so high that we should argue that Socrates did not exist. Posted by u/[deleted] 2 years ago. save. Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. I sought to pattern my legal education and career around the so-called Socratic Method. Socrates also did not develop "the land of forms" as you called it (actually called the realm of forms), it was Plato. Actually he did and we know he was in fact an actual historical person with a high degree of certainty. Particularly in the Apology, as Socrates is accused of corrupting the youth with atheism or beliefs in other gods, he consistently dodges the question, almost uncertain of his stance (Plato 77-78). Hidalgo, placed Aristotle (384-322 BC) at sixth.Aristotle, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great, was born in Stageira, Chalcidice. But evil exists, so there is no God. Rather than actively defend the existence or non-existence of gods, Socrates instead appears to dodge around laying out a firm belief on the topic. Did Socrates exist? Apparently, there's quite a bit of documentation. 1)The controversy about Socrates isn't really that surprising, biographers of that time weren't really limited by... 2)OH SHIT SOCRATES IS ONE OF THE PATRIOTS! Socrates was one of the greatest Greek philosophers by a wide margin. Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. Of course this really irks people, except that this was a legitimate question in the scholarly arena. Gentlemen, It seems that we have some issues with the historicity of the existence of Socrates. For the entirety of his life, this classical Greek philosopher devoted himself to finding the most ideal way of living a moral life. 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