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Socrates (/ ˈ s ɒ k r ə t iː z /, [2] Ancient Greek: Σωκράτης, romanized: Sōkrátēs; c. 470 – 399 BC) was a Greek philosopher from Athens who is credited as the founder of Western philosophy [3] and as among the first moral philosophers of the ethical tradition of thought. An enigmatic figure, Socrates authored no texts and is ...
Socrates introduced the dialectical method, a form of questioning that encouraged critical thinking and self-reflection, which became a cornerstone of Western educational thought. Plato, through his Academy , emphasized the importance of philosophical education as a means to achieve moral and intellectual excellence.
Socrates rarely used the method to actually develop consistent theories, and he even made frequent use of creative myths and allegories. The Parmenides dialogue shows Parmenides using the Socratic method to point out the flaws in the Platonic theory of forms , as presented by Socrates; it is not the only dialogue in which theories normally ...
In Plato's Republic, the character of Socrates is highly critical of democracy and instead proposes, as an ideal political state, a hierarchal system of three classes: philosopher-kings or guardians who make the decisions, soldiers or "auxiliaries" who protect the society, and producers who create goods and do other work. [1]
In fact, Socrates became famous as a martyr for free thought and critical inquiry. And the questions he asked remained on the table. His method of thinking did not belong to him, nor did his ideas.
The term is considered useful because what came to be known as the "Athenian school" (composed of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle) signaled the rise of a new approach to philosophy; Friedrich Nietzsche's thesis that this shift began with Plato rather than with Socrates (hence his nomenclature of "pre-Platonic philosophy") has not prevented the ...
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Socrates' thought was therefore influential for many of these schools of the period, leading them to focus on ethics and how to reach eudaimonia. [3] Early Platonism, known as the "Old Academy" begins with Plato, followed by Speusippus (Plato's nephew), who succeeded him as the head of school (until 339 BC), and Xenocrates (until 313 BC