Discovering

SO C R AT E S
 Introduction
Socrates was born in Athens in the late
5th century BCE, and his full name in
Greek was Sōkrátēs ho Aischínēs,
which means "Socrates, son of
Aeschines.
Socrates nickname was Gadfly. The
term "gadfly" was used by Plato in the
Apology to describe Socrates' acting as
an uncomfortable goad to the Athenian
political scene, like a spur or biting fly
arousing a sluggish horse.
 P e r s o n a l L i f e
w i t h s o m e
i s u n c l e a r,
p r o f e s s i o n h y,
Socrates' e v o t e d t o p h i l o s o p
h e w a s d i n g
c l ai m in g t h e e a r n e d a l i v
h e r s s u g g e s n g
wh i l e o t w i t h c r e a t i
a l s o c r e d i t e d
i n g . H e w a s l i s , b u t
t e a c h n e a r A c r o p o
r a c e s s t a t u e s
t h e T h re e G b y m o d e rn
n d i s p r o v e n
h a s b e e
th i s c l ai m
s c h o l a r s.
 He is the inventor of the so-called Socratic
method or elenchus which remains one of the
most commonly used approaches not only to
answer the fundamental questions of
philosophy but it also serves as a tool for
scientific research. Ironically, the most famous
Socrates’ saying is “I only know that I know
nothing”.
 How does
Socrates view the
self?
He believed that true wisdom comes from understanding
oneself, including one's strengths, weaknesses, values, and
beliefs. Through introspection and examination of one's
thoughts and actions, individuals could attain a deeper
understanding of themselves and the world around them.
 How does
Socrates view the
self?
Socrates believed that the “self” exists in two parts. body
and soul are attached therefore making both parts of our
“self” present in the physical realm. When we die however,
our body stays in the physical realm while our soul travels to
the ideal realm, therefore making our soul immortal.
For Socrates, this means all individuals have
an imperfect, impermanent aspect to him, and
the body, while maintaining that there is also a
soul that is perfect and permanent.
Socrates had a famous statement “Know thy
self”, this statement meant for Socrates that
we must choose a good life for ourselves
through self-reflection and self-awareness.
Th a n k
you