It's Greek to You

Friends, yesterday was Father's Day, a fitting time for us to reflect on our philosophical forebears (as well as our actual ones). So, wanting to do something special for our ancient academic ancestors, we at KnowledgeNews decided to declare this entire week "Greek Week."

For the next five days, we'll introduce you to nine leading lights of ancient Greek thought--thinkers who helped give birth to western culture. We'll start with three big philosophers--Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle--then we'll get to know the math and drama Greeks, too. Before you know it, you'll be shouting "Eureka!" and performing soliloquies. But not before we show you a picture of Socrates.

A Picture of Socrates

One of history's great thinkers, Socrates never wrote a word. Instead, this philosophical father preferred a good face-to-face chat, as he wandered around ancient Athens talking to anyone whose mind he could engage.

In fact, most of what we know about Socrates' life comes from the writings of his friends Xenophon and Plato (yes, that Plato). Both recount--with lots of license--conversations that Socrates may have had with various citizens. Here's a look at Socrates' life, based on what his friends say he said.

Average Athenian

Socrates was born around 470 BC, when Athens was fast becoming ancient Greece's cultural and political epicenter. His father was probably a stonemason; his mother, a midwife. (Socrates compared his own trade to his mom's, since he helped folks give birth to ideas.)

Like other Athenian youths, Socrates got a run-of-the-mill education and served in the military as a hoplite, or armored infantryman. He reportedly fought bravely in several important battles.

After his army days, Socrates may have begun a career as a sculptor. But if so, he later quit, propelled by a "divine voice" toward an itinerant life of conversation and questioning. He aimed to prod others into examining their own ideas and beliefs. After all, "the unexamined life is not worth living."

World's Wisest Man

Socrates examined life so much that Greece's most popular prognosticator--the Oracle at Delphi--purportedly called him the world's wisest man. But Socrates protested, insisting that he knew nothing at all.

Instead, he asked other folks to answer his questions: "What is justice?", "What is piety?", and so on. By carefully reducing their responses to basic premises, he showed how little most people--even smart ones--examine the assumptions that underlie their fundamental opinions and beliefs.

While skillfully applying this method, Socrates claimed to see himself merely as a humble inquisitor--a man with many questions who might, now and then, accidentally stumble across the truth. But not everyone bought the humble bumbling bit. Not when his self-styled ignorance positioned him to win practically any argument.

Hemlock and the Hereafter

Socrates' continual questioning made him a controversial and, in some circles, deeply despised figure. When he was about 70, he was accused of religious offenses: denying the Athenian gods, introducing new gods of his own, and corrupting the minds and morals of the youth. Socrates defended his conduct, denied the charges, and refused to flatter the jurors, who ultimately condemned him to death.

According to Plato, Socrates spent his last weeks consoling friends. Philosophy had convinced him that the soul was immortal, and that there was a good chance he would get to converse with great figures from ages past in the afterlife.

His friends arranged for his escape, but he refused to cooperate, arguing that it was wrong to break the law just because it had done him wrong. When the time came, Plato says, Socrates calmly drank down a poisonous cup of hemlock, sure that his soul would live on. We'll hear much more from Plato tomorrow.