Socrates

A MAN FORM GREECE
Socrates was the son of Sophroniscus, a sculptor, and Phaenarete, a midwife, whose careers were to serve as rich metaphors for Socrates thoughout his life, as he used the skills of practical wisdom to shape the mind and help others give birth to new understanding. Socrates was interested in the psychology of the mind and developed the Socratic method. A method that used a dynamic approach of questioning and intellectual analysis to draw answers out of people rather than lecture them. It was a form of inquiry and discussion between individuals, based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and to illuminate ideas. Although Socrates was not very physically attractive he was regarded as one of the wisest men in Greece.

In ancient Greece, an oracle was a religious shrine where a specially designated priestess would provide answers on behalf of the gods to questions asked by visitors. The most famous oracle was the oracle at Delphi, housed in the great temple to the god Apollo. This temple was the most sacred sanctuary for the ancient Greeks. The oracle would descend into a basement cell and breathe in sacred fumes (ethylene). Then in a trance, she would answer questions, give orders and make prophesies. The oracle's announcements exerted wide influence and one of the most famous and admired was that no man was wiser than Socrates, a pronouncement delivered when he was only thirty years old. Socrates did not accept this authoritative statement at face value. Consistent with his commitment to rational investigation, he set out to gather evidence to prove or disprove its truth. Rather than basking in the glow of the oracle's pronouncement that there is no wiser man than he, Socrates immediately begins thinking critically.

For Socrates everything in human experience should be open to critical scrutiny, in the constructive effort to achieve clearer understanding. Socrates is convinced that reason is the path to the truth, and he is willing to follow rational inquiry wherever it may lead. Under the penetrating analysis of his questioning inquiry, Socrates discovers that those people thought to be wise are unable to articulate their ideas with clarity, logical soundness and compelling rationale. In fact, it is their smug self-certainty that has inhibited their search for wisdom. They think they've already achieved it! Socrates search reveals another element in his character: his obvious delight in unmasking pretention, deflating oversized egos, and revealing the emptiness and illogic of unexamined beliefs. Socrates concludes that his investigations have proven that he is only a little wiser than others because he recognizes his lack of true wisdom.

SOCRATES CENTRAL CONCERN: THE SOUL
For Socrates the main concern of philosophy is the soul. The core identity, your unique spirit that makes you distinctively you. According to Socrates, your soul is immortal, and after death should continue to exist in another world. Every soul seeks happiness, Socrates believes, and there is a clearly defined path to achieving happiness, though many do not choose to take it. The only people who are truly happy are those who are virtuous and wise, who live reflective "examined" lives and strive to behave rightly and justly in every area of their lives. Many people are not happy because they have not pursued virtue and wisdom. Out of ignorance they have devoted their lives to accumulating material possessions, indulging in mindless pleasures and enlarging their reputation. These are the sleep walkers, individuals who are only going through the motions of life. Their souls are diseased and corrupted, their lives lacking significance and happiness. Socrates saw himself as a physician of the soul, seeking to help cure people of the disease of their spirits.

1."The unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates was convinced that we have a moral obligation to achieve our full human potential. The gift of human reason provides us with the extraordinary ability not just to live but to critically examine our lives to make them as productive and worthwhile as possible. We must live an examines life if we are to become human in the fullest sense, achieving out distinctive potential and genuine happiness.

2."The truth lies within each of us."In our effort to improve our souls, we need only to apply the divine gift of reason to look deep within ourselves and discover immutable, universal truths. Ultimate answers lie within us. "There is no such thing ass teaching, only remembering." Socrates belief that we each possess implicit knowledge that we can discover through reflective critical analysis of our own minds fits well with his belief in immortality of the soul: We brought this knowledge with us when our souls entered this life on earth.

3."We should strive for excellence in all areas of life."The Greeks in general and Socrates in particular believed that happiness was a consequence of actively exercising all of our soul's powers. Socrates was a living example of this commitment.

4."No one knowingly does evil."It is by determined and clear headed thinking that we develop an understanding of the rigorous standards of conduct that humans should follow. Because all people want to be happy, and genuine happiness is the result of living an enlightened, examined life, then people will naturally live morally upright lives so that they can achieve authentic happiness.

5."It is better to suffer the wickedness than to commit it."Socrates said that becoming a moral person is the only way to become a truly happy, psychologically healthy person. As a thinking individual, you create yourself through the choices you make. If you create yourself as a moral person, you create a person of worth and character with an acute sense of right and wrong and the power to choose appropriately. Choosing immorality binds your hands, one loop at a time, until your freedom of movement disappears. Immoral people are corrupted at their core, progressively ravaged by a disease of the spirit.