Search results
Explore the dramatic final moments of Socrates, the father of Western philosophy, who faced death with unwavering resolve. Accused of corrupting youth and im...
- 51 sec
- 3.6K
- Mysteries and History
In this episode of History By AI, we explore the life and legacy of one of the most influential philosophers in history—Socrates. In 399 BCE, Socrates faced ...
- 3 min
- History By AI
2 days ago · The 62-year-old, who took over control of Hamas within Gaza in 2017, is believed to be the mastermind of the 7 October 2023 attacks.. Footage shot by an Israeli drone purports to show Sinwar ...
Aug 11, 2024 · The defendant, Socrates, was a 70-year-old philosopher whose teachings profoundly influenced the city’s youth and intellectual landscape. His execution by drinking poison hemlock remains a poignant episode in Western philosophy. Understanding why Athens killed Socrates reveals much about its sociopolitical and cultural dynamics.
- Background to The Trial
- The Charges
- Socrates’ Self-Defence
- Philosophy Seen as Irrelevant
- The Verdict and Punishment
- Execution by self-poisoning
- Legacy
Socrateshad considered it his almost religious duty to engage his fellow citizens in philosophical conversation, usually by asking probing questions which often highlighted and exposed their complete ignorance of subjects – a pedagogical technique since deemed the ‘Socratic method’. Whilst Socrates was keen to profess an awareness of his own ignora...
Socrates faced two sets of charges known as the ‘old’ and ‘new’ accusations, the latter presented by the Athenian Greek Meletus who was determined to bring about a guilty verdict against the philosopher for alleged atheism and corrupting the youth of Athens.
Socrates realised his accusers such as Meletus were persuasive speakers. He denied that he was an accomplished speaker in that he purposely deceived others and maintained that he was just a truth-teller speaking in a simple manner. Socrates pointed out that he was a victim of misrepresentation by biased playwrights who had influenced his judges sin...
Socrates admitted that his investigations, asking questions in the streets had made him unpopular in Athenian society causing him to appear in court. He knew that the odds were stacked against him as he was aware that many citizens of Athens didn’t understand or appreciate philosophy. They saw it as a waste of time and impractical. The search for w...
The jury voted 280 to 221 against Socrates, who was said to have looked surprised that the vote was so close. The result indicated that the long-term bias against the philosopher and philosophy in general weighed against him. Following tradition Socrates was allowed to present his preferred punishment. But despite having been offered a pledge of mo...
The death of Socrates in 399 BC, as reported by Platoin the Phaedo, is one carried out by taking poison, possibly by drinking hemlock. The progressive paralysis that the condemned philosopher experienced, causing him to lay on his back as his legs gave way, is indicative of the drug’s effects on the body. The growing paralysis eventually reached hi...
Socrates’ philosophical legacy to his people was that he gave citizens the tools to be happy, not just play at being contented. His many famous quotes such as ‘The unexamined life is not worth living’, ‘Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle’ and ‘There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance’ first saidover sixteen h...
- Richard Bevan
Nov 9, 2009 · Viewed by many as the founding figure of Western philosophy, Socrates (469-399 B.C.) is at once the most exemplary and the strangest of the Greek philosophers. He grew up during the golden age of ...
People also ask
Who was Socrates and what did he do?
Why did Athens kill Socrates?
Did Socrates write down his teachings?
Why did Socrates die?
What is Socrates legacy?
What if Socrates was allowed to live?
Socrates, often hailed as the father of Western philosophy, was a figure whose ideas and methods have profoundly shaped the course of human thought. Born in the 5th century BC in Athens, Greece, Socrates never wrote down his teachings, yet his philosophical inquiries laid the groundwork for much of Western logic and moral philosophy. His life and teachings, passed down through the writings of ...
