Born: Socrates

D.O.B.: 469/470 B.C.

D.O.D.: Died 399 B.C. (about age 71)

Cause of Death: Execution(committed himself) drinking a hemlock sip

Wife: Xanthippe

Known For: Socratic Method, Socratic Irony,  “Father of Philosophy”

Notable Quote: “True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.”

Socrates is the “Father of Philosophy” and one of the bedrocks for modern Western culture. He was a man that has influenced our modern Western world more than most people could ever realize, yet barely exists in the true history of the world. He was a teacher, philosopher, scientist, and counselor to the powerful. He challenged the status quo of his time, and he influenced countless philosophers after his lifetime. His influence goes so far as being a major reference during The Renaissance and The Age of Reason in the West.He is known as “Suqrat” in the East, where his teachings were used by Jewish kings and political leaders. His influence, more than 2000 years after his death, can still be felt in almost all western politics and philosophy.

Socrates was born into a “middle-class” family in Athens around 470 B.C., which allowed him to receive some schooling at a fairly young age. Apparently even from the age of 11 or so, it was obvious Socrates was going to be a very intelligent individual, completing the ancient Greek equivalent of college at age 15. He went on to produce some of the greatest philosophies in the history of the West, questioning the way the Greeks ran their city states. For example, Socrates was actually against the idea of democracy, which he saw as a way for a common man to inflate his own ego as he was voting on a topic. He was a major critic of the idea of a pantheon of gods controlling the world through divine powers, and frequently talked down on those who would try to convert from from his atheistic ways. Simply put, he was a realist. For example, one day Socrates’ student Plato convinced him to go to the Oracle Delphi and ask her who the smartest man alive was. After much debate, Socrates went and asked her, only to hear that HE was the smartest in the world. He did not believe this, as he thought himself as basically the same as every man. But for the record, after the Oracle told him this, he went and asked every great mind in Athens questions, only to find that none of them could answer them, while he himself saw the questions as trivial and easy.

But while Socrates was also one of the greatest minds to ever think a thought, he was not really a good man. He was harsh to his students, often berating them for not completing tasks the way he wanted them. And apparently he also had a “thing” for teenage boys(even though he had a wife and children), often hanging around the markets where they would congregate to talk and share meals with them. He was a former soldier, having served in the Peloponnesian War, and thus ran his family strictly, with very little wiggle room for anything that was not self-productive, much like the military. While his thoughts about the world, men, and life were amazing and thought-provoking, he was a harsh, ugly man, with little sympathy for those who could not help themselves or those who did not take matters seriously.

One the greatest minds in history was actually not a very nice or traditionally “good” person. Yes, this is true, but it in no way dampens what he accomplished. He helped set the bedrock for Western philosophy, which helped create our culture. His way of thinking, that we should all doubt what we truly think we know and always assume that there is someone smarter/better than us, helps us realize just how little we really do know. He went against the status quo and spoke his mind truthfully and honestly, even if some of the things he has said are very contradictory at times. He believed in these things so much, and wanted others to hear of them badly enough, that he was willing to die for them, to become a martyr for those who do not want to conform and be one of the herd. For those who want to be their own man or doubt others or use new ways of thinking, you can thank Socrates for helping set that bar here in our half of the world. He even showed us that you should be willing to accept death for the convictions you truly believe in, which is the essence of our modern philosophy. He was not the hero we wanted in 467 B.C., but perhaps the hero we deserved.