SOCRATES
FACTS ABOUT THE MAN:
· HE WAS A WELL KNOWN STONE CUTTER
· HE WAS 70 YEARS OLD
· HE WAS CONSIDERED NOT VERY GOOD LOOKING
· HE WAS MARRIED WITH THREE SONS
· HE WAS A SOLDIER IN THE ARMY WHERE HE FOUGHT IN SEVERAL MAJOR BATTLES FOR HIS COUNTRY
· AS HE GREW OLDER, HE ADMITTED THAT HE CAME TO HATE MONEY AND WHAT IT DID TO PEOPLE
· AT THE END OF HIS LIFE, HE SPENT MOST OF HIS TIME IN THE MARKETPLACE DISCUSSING LIFE WITH ANYONE WHO WOULD TALK WITH HIM
· He was not rich, but he made enough money to support his family
Opinions of Socrates’ followers/ supporters
· Admired by his students for challenging them to think deeply about the nature of society, politics, and virtue.
· He gave up all of his worldly things to dedicate himself to the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom
· He wanted to help everyone else to do the same
· He helped his students learn by asking questions that lead them to draw their own conclusions about information
· He taught his students to know themselves and examine their deepest beliefs
· He taught his students the importance of questioning everything and thinking for themselves
· Taught students for free, which was not a common practice
· Claims to live his life according the words of a higher being
Opinions of Socrates’ accusers/ opponents
· He would point out to educated people that they knew far less than they thought they did, thus embarrassing them
· Many people were comfortable in their beliefs and did not want to question the ways things were
· Taught the sons of important people to question their parents’ wisdom
· He would construct his questioning and arguments to favor his own opinions
· He taught students that money was a bad thing, and that it corrupted anyone who kept it
· He taught that wisdom and truth were more important than being physically fit or athletic
· Athens had just been defeated in a war against enemies that Socrates expressed sympathy for
· Many believed that his questioning of the way things were was a serious threat to civic order
· Socrates admits to not believing in the gods of athens
Famous Sayings of Socrates
• The unexamined life is not worth living.• All I know is that I know nothing.
• Wisdom is knowing how little we know.
• Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.
• Could I climb to the highest place in Athens, I would lift my voice and proclaim, "Fellow citizens, why do you turn and scrape every stone to gather wealth and take so little care of your children to who one day you must relinquish it all?"
• False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil.
• Let him that would move the world first move himself.
• We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is a habit.
• Wisdom begins in wonder.
• Be of good cheer about death and know this as a truth, that no evil can happen to a good man, either in life or after death.
The trial of Socrates
Socrates was brought to trial to face charges of impiety, or sinfulness, and corrupting the youth of Athens. Do you agree that he is guilty of either one or both of these charges? Use the documents provided to form your own opinion.
Start by addressing the charge of sinfulness. What does that word mean to you? What evidence are you given that shows that he has or has not been sinful? Identify and Explain any evidence from the documents that back up your opinion. End with a direct statement about whether he is innocent or guilty of the charge.
Next, address the charge that he corrupted the youth of Athens. What does it mean for a child to be corrupted or harmed? How would you know if a child’s mind had been corrupted? Identify and Explain any evidence from the documents that back up your opinion. End with a direct statement about whether he is innocent or guilty of the charge.
Finally, restate your opinion on whether or not Socrates should be found guilty of either charge. If yes, what should his punishment be?