SOCRATES: ANCIENT GREECE'S PHILOSOPHICAL PIONEER · Spring 2022 · Torch: U.S.
man of Athens.² However, Socrates felt that he was wise in the sense that he believed he knew nothing, which made his teachings much more genuine. By pursuing the Socratic Method throughout his life, Socrates gained a large Athenian following and introduced a novel angle to philosophy, which is still used in present-day classrooms.
During his life, Socrates taught everything he had to offer. He was the first philosopher to investigate beliefs and morality in-depth. To accomplish this, he emphasized the Socratic Method of active questioning, which uncovered the truth behind façades. Even though they were controversial and led to his eventual execution, Socrates’ lessons evolved the philosophy and culture of the Ancient Greek civilization, promoting moral principles among the citizens. These lessons have endured and are still practiced in institutions of the modern world, making a lasting imprint on the way humans reflect on their thoughts and beliefs. Socrates' revolutionary genre of philosophy laid the foundations for his successors and earned him the title “Father of Philosophy.” The remarks of Xenophon, one of Socrates’ Athenian successors, prove Socrates’ influence on the general population and later philosophers. Xenophon commended Socrates’ intellectual persistence to develop and follow his independent thoughts despite backlash from the Athenian authorities.⁵ For this reason, Xenophon expressed sincere gratitude for interacting with such a man like Socrates and said, “If among those who make virtue their aim any one has ever been brought into contact with a person more helpful than Socrates, I count that man worthy to be called most blessed.”⁵
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“The life which is unexamined is not worth living.”
Socrates