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Socrates

 

             There is no record of Socrates work. Our best sources of information about Socrates's philosophical views are the early dialogues of his student Plato. Although Socrates also appears as a character in the later dialogues of Plato, these writings more often express philosophical positions Plato himself developed long after Socrates's death. "In the Socratic dialogues, his extended conversations with students, statesmen, and friends aim at understanding and achieving virtue through critical thinking.", The Last Days of Socrates (Penguin, 1995). Destroying the illusion that we already comprehend the world perfectly and honestly accepting the fact of our own ignorance, Socrates believed, are vital steps toward our acquisition of genuine knowledge, by discovering universal definitions of the key concepts governing human life.
             Socrates was idolized by young Athenians, which will come back to haunt him and evetually be a reason for his death. "He was not interested in arguing for the sake of arguing, he wanted to discover something important, namely, the essential nature of knowledge, justice, beauty, goodness and especially traits of good character such as courage.", Philosophy The Power of Ideas (McGraw Hill 2002). .
             Socates was no liked by all. He was brought to trial and charged with four charges .
             by two different people. Anytus charged him with studing things above the sky and below the earth; dereliction and that he madethe weaker arguement look stronger. Meletus charged him with disbelieving in the gods and corupting the youth. He responded to these charges by saying he was doing it because he believes in the gods, if he did corupt the youth it was by accedent and it was not a crime and he did not want to corrupt the youth for fear that they might turn on him. .
             An Athenian jury found Socrates guilty of corrupting the youth and disbelieving in the gods and they sentenced him to death in 399 B.


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