Life Of Socrates Research Paper

Socrates once said, “I know that I am intelligent, because I know that I know nothing.” For a man who thought he knew nothing, Socrates made great strides in the world of philosophy. Socrates is a complex man and to understand how his work influenced philosophy it is important to look at his background, what he studied, and finally look at the philosophers who followed him. Socrates was born, during 469 B.C.E. in Athens, Greece, to a stone mason and a midwife (Ambury 1). It is said that Socrates was very ugly (Ambury 1), and when he turned 18, Socrates was forces to sign up for the military just like every other man in Athens (Ambury 1). While in the military, Socrates fought bravely in many battles, including the Peloponnesian War against Sparta (Ambury 1). The Peloponnesian War is very important in Socrates’ history because many people Socrates’ fought with became sympathetic for Sparta or even traitors to Athens, which threw a doubt over Socrates’ loyalty to Athens (Ambury 1). Later in Socrates’ life he if put on trial for teaching his wisdom to the young people of Athens, Socrates denies the charges by saying he has no wisdom to teach (Ambury 1). Socrates ends his own life in 399 B.C.E. by drinking hemlock during …show more content…
Socrates never wrote any of his philosophical works down, so for the world to know anything about Socrates people had to look at the works of those who spoke about him. For the best representation of who Socrates was as a philosopher many historians look at the writings of Plato. The main work that is attributed to Socrates is the Socratic Method which later laid the groundwork for Western systems of logic and philosophy. Socrates learned much about those around him by spending hours in the local shopping area just asking people questions, he didn’t try to teach others what he knew but to instead open there minds to want to learn more (Ambury