Socrates, one of the most prominent thinkers of classical Greece, made history in the field of philosophy.
Socrates is one of the most cited and recognized philosophers of all time. Whoever was the teacher of another influential philosopher, as Plato is considered (in whose academy Aristotle studied), had Phaedo , Antisthenes , Aeschines and Aristippus as disciples.
Thanks to the dialogues of both Xenophon and Plato and works attributed to Aristophanes, it has been possible to rescue, over the years, interesting details about this thinker who lived in Athens between 470 and 399 BC. C. approximately.
To him, who is designated as a fundamental figure of ethics , we owe the so-called Socratic method , based on an instance of Socratic irony that leads the teacher to feign ignorance) and in a second phase, maieutics , whose dynamics are oriented to Let the student himself be the one who discovers knowledge by himself. It should be noted that the current baptized as Socratic ethics aims to understand and explain the fact of doing or acting well and virtue .
Experiences of Socrates
Socrates , son of a midwife (or midwife) called Fenáreta and a man known as Sophronisco , was initially trained in gymnastics, music and literature. He later became interested in rhetoric and dialectics . According to certain documentation, Archelaus gave him lessons in morals and physics .
Thanks to texts by the philosopher and historian of Ancient Greece Xenophon ( or Xanthippe , the woman with whom Socrates formed a family with three heirs: Menexenus , Sophroniscus and Lamprocles ), it has been possible to reconstruct part of the life and death of this famous man who was brought to trial accused of keeping young people away from the bases. of Athenian democracy , corrupt their morals and try to implant new deities. The fact that Socrates had Critias among his disciples has also become popular as a reason for prosecution.
Finally, the philosopher was tried and found guilty. In this context, he was sentenced to death , which he served by ingesting hemlock , a poison that marked the end of his physical existence.
Nor has the social, political and military commitment of this thinker who was convinced of being able to serve his nation through his contributions to philosophy been overlooked. It is said that, always with the intention of respecting the laws that were in force in Athens at that time, in his role as leader of an assembly motivated by the judgment of the generals, he did not authorize voting on a proposition because he considered it unconstitutional. Furthermore, he has been presented as a hoplite who, in a battle, managed to save the life of Alcibiades , his pupil who returned the kindness by helping him in another combat that had them both as part of the Athenian ranks .
Athens saw Socrates born and consolidated as a philosopher, for whom good was associated with wisdom and knowledge, and the latter with morality and freedom.
transcendent dialogues
Various transcendent texts and dialogues have been published and disseminated throughout History that emphasize the figure of Socrates and/or experiences linked to him.
This man, who used to transmit his teachings and give examples of wisdom on public roads for free and through words, stimulating his audience to carry out examinations of conscience and reflect on realities or issues that they conceived as true, avoided leaving writings . His disciples and students were in charge of providing content through dialogues and texts such as “Apology of Socrates” (material prepared by Plato that focuses on the speech given before the court of Athens in the trial of Socrates ) and “Apology of Socrates to the jury” (signed by Xenophon ).
A short dialogue from the aforementioned Plato 's production that recreates a conversation between Socrates and Crito has also survived. Another Platonic dialogue inspired by the moments before the death of Socrates is “On the Soul” , also known as “Phaedo” in allusion to the Greek philosopher Phaedo of Elis . “Protagoras” , to add another reference, is a dialogue between Socrates and one of his friends where the nature of virtue is explored.
Plato, who knew how to guide Aristotle (a thinker who attended Plato's Academy for a long time), had Socrates as a teacher.
Legacy and influence of Socrates
The influence of Socrates on a global scale is undeniable, nor can the immense value of his legacy be ignored.
Inspired by the final stretch of this philosopher's life, for example, the French painter Jacques-Louis David developed an artistic creation in 1787 called “La Mort de Socrate” ( “The Death of Socrates” ), a painting that was taken to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art for display.
The Greek comedian Aristophanes , meanwhile, created a comedy titled in Spanish as “The Clouds.” Throughout the work, beyond offering references about Socrates , the sophists are criticized since, from the author's perspective, they corrupted young people.
It cannot be overemphasized that the Socratic method has left a deep and indelible mark on Western philosophy. Socrates showed a path of searching for the truth starting from ignorance and taking advantage of the benefits of refutation .