Ancient Philosophy: Socrates
Sacrates was never really concerned with abstract ideas and concepts. Instead he focused on practical questions that affected everday lives and activities. Sacrates is also credited with creating the concept of ethics in philosohpy and the morality of people’s actions. This led him into conflict with the people of Athens who were in charge of the government.
Socrates often had lectures where he would ponder questions to an audience on the meanings of simple yet confusing terms such as “good”, “evil” or “beauty.” Through people’s definitions he would show how the definitions conflicted and the the terms were more complicated that they seemed. Socrates did this to show people not to accept the everyday definitions that were considered to be the norm.
Sacrates held the belief that ideas and thoughts, though they may be wrong, must not be censored. Through ideas, even wrong ideas, lessons can be learned and new values can be proven true. During his life, Socrates was beloved by the youth of the aristocracy who held high educations and loved to learn. Socrates was only all the more willing to teach them.
During Socrates’ life, he was brought up on trial by the government on the charge that he was “corrupting the Athenian youth” and did not pray or believe in the Athenian gods. Many critics who have studied the life of Socrates believed that the charges were brought to make Socrates denounce his citizenship or leave Athens. Instead of pleading guilty to the charges, Socrates pleaded not guilty and make a mockery of the charges in court. This outraged the Athenian government.
The court was outraged and instead of getting a slap on the wrist, they sentenced him to death. Socrates agreed to the punishment despite protests from his family and friends. The final works that Sacrates published are created and still exist today in the works of his student Plato in “Apology, Crito and Phaedo.”
