Socrates was a man of every age. He transcended his state. He was a proud citizen of Athens, but Athenians alone could not claim this man. He was too big for Athens. He was too big, and the city felt threatened by him. Eventually, they sentenced him to death. His crime was a crime for those who cannot stand the truth. His crime was a crime which he had spent all his life pursuing.
Socrates believed nothing should be too sacred. Yes, nothing should be above questions. He had realized that questions were more important than answers. He had a question about everything. Rather than accept the conventions of his day, he calmly poked holes at them. For Socrates, one can never know enough; in fact, the wisest person is the person who knows that he doesn’t know enough. Unsurprisingly, when the Oracle of Delphi was asked who the wisest man was, the oracle answered, “Socrates.” The man knew that he knew nothing. He knew that no question had a settled answer; each question deserves to be investigated. It was this that men who came after him called “The Socratic Method” the most powerful way of learning.
Without this, much of the foundation of Western philosophy will be barren. By questioning things, Socrates showed future generations how to arrive at solutions.
But can people live this way? Can people live with the truth? Can humans rise above their politics, emotions, sentiments, and biases to use questions to arrive at genuine answers?
For the men and women of Socrates’ day, the answer was a firm “NO.” Socrates became mired in the politics of his day. The people of his day could not stand this man who always wanted the truth. They accused him of trying to corrupt the youth. They accused him of atheism. They accused him of trying to destroy their city. Just to say, Socrates was teaching the youths the way of wisdom, Socrates was a believer in the gods, and Socrates loved Athens more than anything.
When he was sentenced to death and imprisoned, his friends begged him to escape. They devised a plan for his escape. It would have been interesting if Socrates escaped and established a school of philosophy in another city, but that would not be our Socrates. Socrates refused to escape. He stayed to meet his fate in the city that he loved. It seems that he was telling the world he was willing to stand at his favorite place and die, knowing he lived and taught the truth he believed in. And so, Socrates took the Hemlock and died.
In dying, he did not have any intentions of being remembered. Socrates didn’t believe in writing. His only error is in the pursuit of wisdom. But Jesus said something profound, “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”. That is what happened to Socrates. By dying for what he believed in, he became proof of his teachings and inspiration for future generations.
He had once told his students, “The unexamined life is not worth living”. At his dying moment, he told his wife and friends to send a thanksgiving animal to the gods for the gift of a long life.
He had lived well, and in the face of death, he was not afraid. An examined life is worth living. And when death comes, fear is gone.SOCRATES
Socrates was a man of every age. He transcended his state. He was a proud citizen of Athens, but Athenians alone could not claim this man. He was too big for Athens. He was too big, and the city felt threatened by him. Eventually, they sentenced him to death. His crime was a crime for those who cannot stand the truth. His crime was a crime which he had spent all his life pursuing.
Socrates believed nothing should be too sacred. Yes, nothing should be above questions. He had realized that questions were more important than answers. He had a question about everything. Rather than accept the conventions of his day, he calmly poked holes at them. For Socrates, one can never know enough; in fact, the wisest person is the person who knows that he doesn’t know enough. Unsurprisingly, when the Oracle of Delphi was asked who the wisest man was, the oracle answered, “Socrates.” The man knew that he knew nothing. He knew that no question had a settled answer; each question deserves to be investigated. It was this that men who came after he called “The Socratic Method” the most powerful way of learning.
Without this, much of the foundation of Western philosophy will be barren. By questioning things, Socrates showed future generations how to arrive at solutions.
But can people live this way? Can people live with the truth? Can humans rise above their politics, emotions, sentiments, and biases to use questions to arrive at genuine answers?
For the men and women of Socrates’ day, the answer was a firm “NO.” Socrates became mired in the politics of his day. The people of his day could not stand this man who always wanted the truth. They accused him of trying to corrupt the youth. They accused him of atheism. They accused him of trying to destroy their city. Just to say, Socrates was teaching the youths the way of wisdom, Socrates was a believer in the gods, and Socrates loved Athens more than anything.
When he was sentenced to death and imprisoned, his friends begged him to escape. They devised a plan for his escape. It would have been interesting if Socrates escaped and established a school of philosophy in another city, but that would not be our Socrates. Socrates refused to escape. He stayed to meet his fate in the city that he loved. It seems that he was telling the world he was willing to stand at his favorite place and die, knowing he lived and taught the truth he believed in. And so, Socrates took the Hemlock and died.
In dying, he did not have any intentions of being remembered. Socrates didn’t believe in writing. His only error is in the pursuit of wisdom. But Jesus said something profound, “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”. That is what happened to Socrates. By dying for what he believed in, he became proof of his teachings and inspiration for future generations.
He had once told his students, “The unexamined life is not worth living”. At his dying moment, he told his wife and friends to send a thanksgiving animal to the gods for the gift of a long life.
He had lived well, and in the face of death, he was not afraid. An examined life is worth living. And when death comes, fear is gone.
