Socrates (c. 470 - 399 BCE) was a classical Greek philosopher from Athens, credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy. He wrote nothing himself and is known chiefly through the writings of his students, above all Plato. [1]
Life
Socrates was born around 470 BCE in Athens. Little is known of his early life; he served as a soldier in the Peloponnesian War and spent his later years in the public spaces of Athens, questioning citizens about justice, virtue and knowledge. [1]
Philosophy
Socrates left no writings. His ideas survive mainly through the dialogues of Plato and the works of Xenophon. He is associated with the Socratic method, a form of cooperative argument in which questions are used to expose contradictions and refine ideas, and with the conviction that the unexamined life is not worth living. [1][2]
Trial and death
In 399 BCE Socrates was tried in Athens on charges of impiety and corrupting the youth. Found guilty, he was sentenced to death and died by drinking hemlock. His composure at his trial and execution, as portrayed by Plato, made him an enduring model of the philosophical life. [2]
