1. Socrates (470 – 399 BCE)

2. Socrates Socrates the man (the “historical Socrates”)
Socrates’ philosophical project
Socrates’ main ideas

3. The Historical Socrates I
A working class man, served in the army, a bricklayer by trade
The Oracle at Delphi labeled him “The wisest man in Athens”
Socrates did not believe he was wise, so he set out to prove the oracle wrong
“There must be someone wiser than I, since I am not wise at all”

4. The Historical Socrates II
Most of the men he questioned were Sophists, wealthy men whose profession was to teach aristocratic young men how to be successful
According to the Sophists, success was the ability to gain and hold onto
Wealth
Fame
Power

5. The Historical Socrates III
Socrates believed that the Sophists were wrong
Wealth, fame, and power are not important
What matters most in life is our moral goodness
In order to be morally good, we need to think and re-evaluate our moral values

6. The Historical Socrates IV
Eventually Socrates got in trouble with the wealthy, famous, powerful forces in Athens
He was accused of two crimes – lacking respect for the city’s gods and of poisoning the young men’s minds
Questioning values was the crime; the penalty was death

7. The Death of Socrates David, 1786

8. Socrates’ Approach to Philosophy
Socrates did not write anything.
Everything we know about him was written by others
He pursued values in conversation with others – Goodness, Justice, Truth, Self-Knowledge
He criticized the self-satisfied Sophists because they claimed to possess the final answers to all questions – wealth, fame, power

9. Socrates - His Main Ideas I
Our interior life – our “psyche” or “soul” – is the most important part of life
Our psyche is “healthy” when it seeks goodness, truth, justice, and self-knowledge
A soul in search of wealth, fame, and power becomes weak, sickly, ignorant

10. Socrates – His Main Ideas II
Being ignorant is to mistake the appearance of good for the reality of it
All evil is caused by ignorance
People who cheat, lie, steal, harm others are always motivated to do so by their own ignorance concerning what is good
They don’t know what is important in life, so they seek wealth, fame, power, and in doing so they find they must cheat, lie, steal, and harm others

11. Socrates – His Main Ideas III
“THE UNEXAMINED LIFE IS NOT WORTH LIVING”
If we spend our lives examining and criticizing ourselves, our psyches become strong
In seeking goodness, justice, truth and self-knowledge, we will not become self-satisfied, bigoted, and ignorant
We may not find what we seek, but the life we live will be one that strengthens our inner selves