Socrates was born in Periclean Athens in 470 BC. His father was a sculptor and his mother was a delivery nurse. He trained to be a sculptor but the trade did not appeal to him. He then learnt Geometry, Astronomy and Philosophy.
One day, Socrates along with his friend visited the Oracle at Delphi. The Oracle asked them as to who they are. Socrates replied, “There is only one thing I know and that is I know nothing”. His friend asked the Oracle as to who is the wisest man in the world. The Oracle said” Know thyself. There is none wiser than Socrates among men”. This made Socrates perplexed. From then onward he made it a mission to find someone else wiser than him so that the Oracle’s words are not correct.
He used to start off early morning and whomever he found on the way he held discussions. He used the method of dialectic developed by Zeno. In this a question is asked, an answer obtained-this answer is rejected by using logic and another question asked. No one could ever defeat him in a discussion.
His first question is “Tau Ti” which means, “What is it?” He always said define your terms first before starting any discussion. He said that defining a thing is knowledge and knowledge is nothing but virtue.
He called himself a Gadfly. He claimed that God made him like that so that he could bite humans and make them think and find knowledge. He also claimed himself to be a delivery nurse, one who delivers right ideas from humans.
Socrates was very ugly. He was short and fat. He had a bald head, big paunch, broad nose, a big mouth, eyes jutting out and a round face. Despite all this, once he opened his mouth people forgot his appearance. Such a wise man is he.
He never bothered about tomorrow and lived only for today. This put his wife and his three children in great difficulties, as he never bothered about them. The moment she saw him his wife used to admonish him and so he avoided going home altogether. He had food when a student invited him for food or else he went hungry.
He is not a drunkard but had liquor when some of his students offered it to him. In drinking too none could beat him. He had one old coat which he wore all the time and he had no sandals on his feet.
He suddenly used to lapse into meditation disregarding where he was. One day early in the morning he stood still at a place in one morning and went into one of his trances. People gathered around him in curiosity. He stood like that till next day morning and after coming out of the state walked off without talking to anyone watching him. There were other instances like this.
There was a tragedian named Agathon in Athens. One day he invited Socrates to a banquet. There a discussion on Love developed. Socrates in his usual fashion rejected all the theories that were presented to him defining love. He finally said Love is the souls yearning for experiencing the great beauty. A lover not only wants to see the beauty but also wants to create it. He also wants it to be permanent in the physical self. That is why man and woman love each other. That is why parents love their children. They not only bear children for perpetration of themselves but they are also their partners in search for their continuous search for beauty, their inheritors and researchers for that purpose.
What is this beauty that we are trying to give permanence through love? It is wisdom, morality, self-respect, bravery, justice, and faith. In one word beauty is truth. It is that which directly takes us into communion with God.
Socrates never wrote down his philosophical theories and that was done by Plato. Plato was a great writer and his prose is mercurial. He used the dialogues to put forth the views. There are four main dialogues of Plato. 1) Symposium- This contains the meaning of love and we described it in the earlier paras.2) Apology-In this Socrates answers the charges leveled against him.3) Crito-In this Crito the student of Socrates advises him to flee the country and the answer given by Socrates.4) Phaedo- In this the death of Socrates is described.
In all the dialogues of Plato, Socrates is the mouthpiece. It is believed by philosophers that Plato has in fact given out his own philosophy in the dialogues from the mouth of Socrates. Socrates is concerned more with ethical questions than metaphysics
Socrates criticized the Olympian Gods and was believed to be an atheist. This was actually not so but he believed that there is only one god and the soul is indestructible.
Socrates was very much against Democracy. He felt that since democracy is dependent on group strength, well thought out decisions could not be taken. After the Peloponnesian wars between Athens and Sparta Athens was defeated and Democracy was replaced by the 30 tyrants. The people rebelled on them again and Democracy was restored. The democratic Government turned against Socrates for his so called Atheism and his repulsion for democracy. They brought the charge of rejecting their gods as well as worshiping other gods on him. They also said that Socrates corrupted the youth and the fit punishment for him was death.
This charge was brought about by Anitus who was the head of the democratic Government that came to power in Athens. His son was a disciple of Socrates and defied his own father. A court of 500 judges tried Socrates and the prosecutor was Miletus. His death sentence was passed with 280 for and 220 against. The sentence was to be carried out with drinking of hemlock, a poisonous drink. As per the laws of Athens at that time for a man who was sentenced to death, there was a provision of seeking another punishment instead. He could have asked for imprisonment, he could have paid the penalty and got released or else he could have left Athens for another country. But he willfully chose death.
The defense put forward by Socrates against the death sentence was told in a beautiful narrative in a dialogue called “Apology” by Plato. In this Socrates said that he is not willing to take an alternate punishment. He said, “ I do not know death is good or bad but paying a fine or seeking imprisonment or seeking banishment form the country are indisputably bad. Why should I opt for them?”
Plato wrote about his death in a dialogue called “Phaedo” which is considered to be a gem in world literature. Socrates was finally executed by drinking of Hemlock.
