Socrates - aphorisms, quotes, sayings. Socrates - quotes, sayings and aphorisms of great people Socrates about what needs to be said
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About Socrates
I know that I don't know anything
“I know that I know nothing,” said Socrates. “But people imagine that they know something, but it turns out that they know nothing.” So it turns out that, knowing about my ignorance, I know more than everyone else.
Donkeys are not offended
Once during an argument, Socrates' opponent could not restrain himself and hit him. Frightened by what happened, he began to persuade the philosopher not to sue him.
- If I was kicked by a donkey, would I sue him? - Socrates said to the one who struck.
Cooking of Socrates
Socrates laughed at those who cared only about their material needs.
- I eat to live. “And some people live to eat,” he said.
Walking through the market, Socrates said:
- There are so many things in the world that you can do without! People buy themselves expensive pleasures in the market, and I get free pleasures from my soul.
The reason for the good mood
One day a student asked Socrates:
- Explain to me why you are always in a good mood?
Socrates replied:
“Because I don’t have anything that I would regret if I lost it.”
It's easier down than up
Hetaera Callisto once mockingly told Socrates that if she wanted, she would lure all his friends and students to her, but he would not be able to do this with her friends.
“Of course,” said the philosopher. - It’s easier for you: after all, you’re calling to go down, and I’m calling to go up.
Borrow from yourself
Once, an acquaintance of Socrates, known for his extravagance, asked who he could borrow money from.
“Borrow from yourself and reduce your expenses,” Socrates told him.
Thunder and rain
After a learned conversation with friends, Socrates returned home. His wife Xanthippe greeted the philosopher with abuse, then doused him with water.
“That’s how it should be,” Socrates said calmly to his students. - First there is thunder, and then there is rain.
To marry or not to marry?
One of his students addressed Socrates:
- I decided to get married. What advice do you have for me?
The philosopher replied:
- Beware of the fish who, once caught in a net, strive to break free, and when in freedom, strive for the net. No matter what you do, you will still regret it later.
When Socrates read the writings of the philosopher Heraclitus, he said:
- What I understood is wonderful. Apparently it is also beautiful that I could not understand.
Cloak for Death
Socrates was sentenced to death on charges of disrespect for the gods. He had to drink the cup of poison. One of his friends visited the philosopher on the eve of his execution and offered him his luxurious cloak.
- Was my cloak only suitable for life, but not suitable for death? - Socrates objected.
Who cares
Xanthippe was allowed to see Socrates, who was sentenced to death, for the last meeting. She wailed:
- You are dying innocently!
Socrates replied:
- Would you like me to die guilty?
What's better?
Speaking at his trial after he was sentenced to death, Socrates said:
- Well, I'm leaving to die. You will stay to live. And which of these is better, man does not know.
(from the book "World History in Persons" by V. Butromeev)
Everyone knows the wise ancient philosopher Socrates (469 - 399 BC). But interesting facts from his biography are not familiar to everyone, even an educated person. We offer you some of the most memorable facts and sayings of Socrates.
It is reliably known that the philosopher was distinguished by his physical bearing and took great care of his physical health. In his teaching on non-resistance to evil, he thought a lot and compared various facts.
Once, during a campaign against Potidaea, he stood in one place all night, immersed in thought. There is an opinion among historians that he practiced such standing quite often, accustoming his body to ideal obedience to his mind. Truly have great quirks!
Many people know Socrates’ wife, Xanthippe. She was extremely grumpy and angry. This is probably why Socrates answered the question of whether to marry or not: “Whether you marry or not, you will still regret it.” However, in fact, his friends were very surprised how he tolerated his wife’s behavior.
One day, right in the market, she began to tear his cloak and shout something. One of his comrades advised him to defend himself with his fists, to which Socrates said: “If I do that, then we will beat each other, and you will look at us as if we were in a jar and shout, like, come on Socrates, come on Xanthippe!”
He had to listen to a lot about why he lived with such an evil woman. The sage said: “On Xanthippe I learn how to deal with other people, just as riders on wild horses learn to deal with ordinary horses.”
It happened once that after another beating, the neighbors advised Socrates to sue his wife. However, the philosopher said: “If a donkey kicked me, would I go to court to complain about him?”
Here is another very interesting fact and the famous saying of Socrates. Trying with all his might to learn patience from his wife, the sage tried to teach her lessons of restraint and calmness. They say that after another scandal, Xanthippe poured a bucket of slop on her husband’s head. However, our hero only uttered the phrase: “After such a storm there is always a thunderstorm with rain.” Isn't it amazing patience!
It happened that a woman brought her one-year-old child to Socrates so that he would take him into his care. “Yes,” said the teacher, “a whole year has been lost, what is needed here is not education, but re-education!”
At the end we will give one interesting fact and very wise saying of Socrates. One day an old friend came to him and said that he wanted to tell the philosopher something about their mutual friend.
“Wait,” Socrates tells him, “first answer my three questions.”
“Okay,” the guest agreed.
“So, are you sure that the story you want to tell me is true?”
- No, I don’t think so because I heard about it from others.
“Okay,” the philosopher continued, “then tell me, you want to tell me something good, right?”
“I think it’s unlikely, rather the opposite...” the sage’s friend said, already embarrassed.
“So you want to tell me something bad that you’re not sure is true!” But one more question remains: will what you intend to tell me benefit me?
“It’s unlikely that he’ll bring it,” said the newcomer, completely confused.
“So,” Socrates summed up, “you want to tell me a bad story, which is unlikely to be true and, moreover, will not bring me any benefit!” Why should I listen to this?!
Driven into a corner by irrefutable arguments, the guest left the house, leaving Socrates alone with his deep reasoning.
At the end of his life, Socrates was sentenced to death by a Greek court. Some believe that he was subjected, although this was not the case. It is believed that the main reason for his guilt was the doctrine of monotheism (monotheism).
He calmly took the cup of poison and drank it in the presence of his disciples. Thus, not only the life, but also the death of this outstanding philosopher became extraordinary.
Sayings of Socrates
- I know that I don't know anything.
- Nature has endowed us with two ears, two eyes, but only one tongue, so that we look and listen more than we speak.
- It is better to work without a specific goal than to do nothing
- Get married no matter what. If you get a good wife, you will become an exception; if you get a bad wife, you will become a philosopher.
- “You are dying innocently,” his wife told him. Socrates objected: “Would you like it to be deserved?”
- In your clothes, try to be elegant, but not dandy; the sign of grace is decency, and the sign of panache is excess.
- Walking through the market one day, Socrates exclaimed: “There are so many things in the world that I can live without!”
- Those who want, look for a way, those who don’t want, look for a reason.
- The love of a woman is more to be feared than the hatred of a man. This is poison, all the more dangerous because it is pleasant.
- You need to eat to live, not live to eat.
- Drunkenness does not give birth to vices: it reveals them. Happiness does not change morals: it emphasizes them.
- Man is the measure of all things. If you think, you are free!
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Socrates, gritting his teeth and gathering his will into a fist, endured the bullying and the offensive kick. When the sage was asked about restraint, they heard an original answer: “Do they sue a donkey when it inadvertently hits passers-by with its heavy hoof?”
It is useful for young people to look in the mirror: for handsome people, to see the beauty of their souls, and for ugly people, to brighten up their ugliness with education and kindness of heart.
True happiness has nothing to do with ecstasy, pleasure, wealth and luxury. The bliss of the gods is what you need to strive for with all your soul, or at least get closer to the ideal, even one iota.
Stupid people live to fill their bellies by eating and drinking, smart people eat and drink to live meaningfully.
Studying and borrowing ancient manuscripts, tomes and rarities, which are filled with wise thoughts and common sense, is considered a great profit for oneself and humanity. – Socrates
If a person values his health, protects and cherishes it, he does not need an aesculapius. For he knows better than any healer what is harmful and what is good for health.
I act in accordance with my individual understanding of philosophy, principles, morality, ideology, and at the same time I become part of worldview knowledge.
Read the continuation of Socrates' beautiful quotes on the pages:
A good start is not a small thing, even if it starts with a small thing.
The highest wisdom is to distinguish between good and evil.
There is only one good - knowledge and only one evil - ignorance.
There is only one good - knowledge and only one evil - ignorance.
There are so many things in the world that I don’t need!
An unknown life is not worth living.
However, there are so many things that I don’t need.
Nothing over the top.
Hunger is the best seasoning for food.
Without friendship, no relationship between people has value.
It is better to be exposed to injustice than to commit it yourself.
All I know is that I don’t know anything, but many people don’t even know that!
Drunkenness does not give birth to vices: it reveals them.
Speak so I can see you.
The fewer desires I have, the closer I am to the gods.
There is only one good - knowledge. There is only one evil - ignorance.
In your clothes, try to be elegant, but not dandy; the sign of grace is decency, and the sign of panache is excess.
Health is not everything, but without health everything is nothing.
It would be good for a person to examine himself, how much he is worth to his friends, and to try to be as valuable as possible.
There is sun in every person. Just let it shine.
We do not live to eat, but we eat to live.
Speak so I can see you.
I want to use whole body gymnastics to make him more balanced.
Kindness does not come from owning many things; on the contrary, only kindness transforms a person's possessions into dignity.
Health is not everything, but without health everything is nothing.
He is richest who is satisfied with little, for such contentment testifies to the wealth of nature.
Beauty is a queen who reigns for a very short time.
There are so many things you can live without!
Death is the greatest illusion of humanity. When we live, it is not yet there, when we die, it is no longer there.
Just as one person enjoys caring for his land, another enjoys caring for his horse, so I enjoy becoming a better person every day.
It is impossible to live better than by spending your life striving to become more perfect.
Wisdom is the queen of heaven and earth.
Beauty is a queen who reigns for a very short time.
The best seasoning for food is hunger.
An evil person harms others without any benefit to himself.
It is better to die courageously than to live in shame.
Good people should be trusted by word and reason, and not by oath.
Get married no matter what. If you get a good wife, you will be an exception, and if you get a bad wife, you will become a philosopher.
What kind of person, being a slave to pleasure, will not pervert his body and soul?
Education is a difficult matter, and improving its conditions is one of the sacred duties of every person, for there is nothing more important than the education of oneself and one’s neighbors.
People find it easier to hold a hot coal on their tongue than a secret.
There are many ways to overcome dangers if a person is at least willing to say and do something.
The love of a woman is more to be feared than the hatred of a man. This is poison, all the more dangerous because it is pleasant.
Education is a difficult matter, and improving its conditions is one of the sacred duties of every person, for there is nothing more important than the education of oneself and one’s neighbors.
What I understood is wonderful, from this I conclude that the rest that I did not understand is also wonderful.
He is richest who is satisfied with little, for such contentment testifies to the wealth of nature.
Be careful also that people, noticing your disrespect for your parents, do not begin to despise you together, and that you are not left completely without friends, because as soon as they notice your ingratitude towards your parents, no one can be sure that, having done you a good deed will receive gratitude.
Nature has endowed us with two ears, two eyes, but only one tongue, so that we look and listen more than we speak.
All I know is that I don't know anything.
If, with friends, looking through the treasures of the ancient men, which they left to us in their writings, we come across something good and borrow it, then we consider it a great profit for ourselves.
Since we do not know what death is, it is illogical to be afraid of it.
The only thing that every honest person should be guided in his actions is whether what he does is fair or unfair, and whether it is the act of a good or evil person.
Nothing can harm a good person, either in life or after death.
Whether you marry or not, you will repent anyway.
A sculptor must express the state of his soul in his works.
The less a person needs, the closer he is to the gods.
The sun has one drawback: it cannot see itself.
There is sun in every person. Just let it shine.
Get married no matter what. If you get a good wife, you will become an exception; if you get a bad one, you will become a philosopher.
There is only one good - knowledge and only one evil - ignorance.
In your clothes, try to be elegant, but not dandy; the sign of grace is decency, and the sign of panache is excess.
You cannot heal the body without healing the soul.
Evil people live in order to eat and drink, virtuous people eat and drink in order to live.
A good advisor is better than any wealth.
No one can learn anything from a person they don't like.
In your clothes, try to be elegant, but not dandy; the sign of grace is decency, and the sign of panache is excess.
Get married no matter what. If you get a good wife, you will become an exception; if a bad one, you will become a philosopher.
Whether you marry or not, you will still repent.
There are many ways to overcome dangers if a person is at least willing to say and do something.
Whoever wants to move the world, let him move himself!
I eat to live, and other people live to eat.
Without friendship, no communication between people has value.
If a person takes care of his own health, then it is difficult to find a doctor who would know better what is beneficial for his health than he does.
The flame is kindled by the wind, and attraction by proximity.
It is better to work without a specific goal than to do nothing.
Wealth and nobility do not bring any dignity.
An accurate logical definition of concepts is a condition for true knowledge.
When the word does not hit, then the stick will not help.
Those who want, look for a way, those who don’t want, look for a reason.
Be careful also that people, noticing your disrespect for your parents, do not jointly despise you, and that you are not left without friends at all, because as soon as they notice your ingratitude towards your parents, no one can be sure that, having done you good business will receive gratitude.
Socrates Socrates
(470-399 BC) philosopher, student of Anaxagoras, from Athens No one can learn anything from a person they don't like. In his prayers, he (Socrates) simply asked the gods to grant good, for the gods know better than anyone what good consists of. (Socrates) advised avoiding foods that tempt a person to eat without feeling hungry. (...) He joked that Circe (Circe) must have turned people into pigs, treating them to such dishes in abundance; and Odysseus (...) refrained from using them excessively and therefore did not turn into a pig. (About braggarts:) It is unprofitable to be considered rich, brave and strong without being so: demands are made on them (...) exceeding their strength. Those who want to have a lot of trouble themselves and cause it to others, I (...) would put in the category of those fit for power. If, living among people, you do not want to either rule or be ruled and do not voluntarily serve the rulers, then I think you see how strong (...) and entire communities are able to keep everyone separately in slavery. It is not very easy to find a job for which you will not hear reproaches; It is very difficult to do anything without making mistakes. Envious people (...) are only those who grieve over the happiness of their friends. It is difficult (...) to find a doctor who would know better than the person himself (...) what is good for his health. (Before the trial of Socrates, one of his friends asked:) “Shouldn’t (...) think about what to say in your own defense?” - Socrates (...) answered: “Wasn’t (...) my whole life a preparation for defense?” An ardently devoted to Socrates, but a simple-minded man, a certain Apollodorus, said: “But it is especially hard for me, Socrates, that you are sentenced to death unjustly.” Socrates, they say, stroked him on the head and said: “Would you (...) be more pleased to see that I was sentenced fairly?” I went to the poets (...) and asked them what exactly they wanted to say, so that, by the way, I could learn something from them. It’s a shame (...) to tell you the truth, but it’s still worth telling. (...) Almost everyone present there could better explain what was done by these poets than they themselves. (...) They can do what they do not with wisdom, but with some innate ability and in a frenzy, like fortune-tellers and soothsayers; After all, these people also say a lot of good things, but they don’t know at all what they are talking about. The wisest is the one who, like Socrates, knows that his wisdom is worth nothing in truth. There is no such person who could survive if he began to openly oppose (...) the majority and would like to prevent all the many injustices and lawlessness that are committed in the state. No, whoever really stands up for justice, even if he is destined to survive for a short time, must remain a private person and should not enter the public field. (Socrates) used to say that he himself eats to live, but other people live to eat. If someone were to take that night on which he slept so much that he did not even see a dream, compare this night with the rest of the nights and days of his life and, after thinking, say how many days and nights he lived better in his life and more pleasant than that night, then, I think, not only every simple person, but even the Great King himself would find that counting such days in comparison with the rest is worth nothing. So if death is like this, I (...) will call it gain, because in this way it turns out that the whole life is no better than one night. Think less about Socrates, but mainly about the truth. (Last words:) We owe Asclepius a rooster. So give it away, don’t forget. (The rooster was brought to Asclepius, the god of healing, by those recovering. Socrates believed that death for his soul was recovery and liberation from earthly hardships.) They say that Euripides gave him (Socrates) the work of Heraclitus and asked his opinion; he replied: “What I understood is great; which I probably didn’t understand either.” Often he (Socrates) used to say, looking at the multitude of market goods: “How many things there are that you can live without!” It’s surprising: every person can easily say how many sheep he has, but not everyone can say how many friends he has - they are so not valuable. (Beauty is a) short-lived kingdom. (Socrates) said (...) that he only knows that he knows nothing. To the man who asked whether he should marry or not, he (Socrates) replied: “Do what you want, you will repent anyway.” When he (Antisthenes) began to show off a hole in his cloak, Socrates, noticing this, said: “Through this cloak I see your vanity!” Socrates once had to exhort (...) (Alcibiades), who was timid and afraid to give a speech to the people. To encourage and calm him, Socrates asked: “Don’t you despise that shoemaker over there?” - and the philosopher called his name. Alcibiades answered in the affirmative; then Socrates continued: “Well, what about this peddler or the craftsman who sews scarves?” The young man confirmed again. “So,” continued Socrates, “the Athenian people consist of similar people. If you despise everyone individually, you should despise everyone collectively.” When he (Socrates) was told: “The Athenians condemned you to death,” he replied: “But nature condemned them themselves.” Seeing that the government of thirty (tyrants) was killing the most glorious citizens and persecuting those who possessed significant wealth, Socrates (...) said: “(...) Never was there such a brave and daring tragic poet who brought onto the stage a chorus doomed to death ! When Socrates fell ill in old age and someone asked him how things were going, the philosopher replied: “Wonderful in every sense: if I manage to get better, I will make more envious people, and if I die, more friends.” It is not difficult to praise Athenians among Athenians. Socrates, when he was already sentenced to death and imprisoned, hearing a musician singing the verses of Stesichorus to the accompaniment of the lyre, asked him to teach him while there was still time; When asked by the singer what benefit it would give him when he had to die the day after tomorrow, Socrates replied: “To die, knowing a little more.” The sun has one drawback: it cannot see itself. All I know is that I don't know anything. The less a person needs, the closer he is to the gods. Whoever wants to move the world, let him move himself! A good start is not a small thing, even if it starts with a small thing. Education is a difficult matter, and improving its conditions is one of the sacred duties of every person, for there is nothing more important than the education of oneself and one's neighbors. There is only one good - knowledge and only one evil - ignorance. The highest wisdom is to distinguish between good and evil. Wisdom is the queen of heaven and earth. People find it easier to hold a hot coal on their tongue than a secret. A good advisor is better than any wealth. Good people should be trusted by word and reason, and not by oath. Speak so I can see you. It is better to die courageously than to live in shame. Without friendship, no communication between people has value. It would be good for a person to examine himself, how much he is worth to his friends, and to try to be as valuable as possible. The love of a woman is more to be feared than the hatred of a man. This is poison, all the more dangerous because it is pleasant. The flame is kindled by the wind, and attraction by proximity. Beauty is a queen who reigns for a very short time. Marriage, to tell the truth, is evil, but a necessary evil. Get married no matter what. If you get a good wife, you will be an exception, and if you get a bad wife, you will become a philosopher. In your clothes, try to be elegant, but not dandy; the sign of grace is decency, and the sign of panache is excess. When the word does not hit, then the stick will not help. What kind of person, being a slave to pleasure, will not pervert his body and soul? He is richest who is satisfied with little, for such contentment testifies to the wealth of nature. I want to use whole body gymnastics to make him more balanced. The best seasoning for food is hunger. You cannot heal the body without healing the soul. If a person takes care of his own health, then it is difficult to find a doctor who would know better what is beneficial for his health than he does.
(Source: “Aphorisms. Golden Fund of Wisdom.” Eremishin O. - M.: Education; 2006.)
Socrates(Socrates) Socrates (470 - 399 BC)
Athenian philosopher, son of the stone-cutter (sculptor) Sophroniscus and the midwife Fenareta. He was distinguished by great meekness in everyday life and extraordinary courage in the fight for the truth of his convictions. In his younger years he served in the army. At the Olympic Games he took part in fist fights. He didn’t write anything himself; he usually taught in the streets and squares. He believed that philosophy should not be divorced from human life. The directness of his judgment and denunciation of his contemporaries created many enemies for him, who accused him of corrupting youth and denying the state religion. At the end of his life he was put on trial for “introducing new deities and corrupting youth.” The main accuser of Socrates was the rich and influential democrat Anytus. Plato preserved his speech before the court. Sentenced to death, Socrates courageously drank the cup of poison, refusing the escape offered to him by his friends. You can judge him from the dialogues of Plato and Xenophon. The expression "platonic love" refers to an episode from Plato's Symposium, when Alcibiades talks about his innocent relationship with Socrates. Aphorisms, quotes Evil people live in order to eat and drink, virtuous people eat and drink in order to live. We do not live to eat, but we eat to live. All I know is that I don't know anything. The most perfect of people can be considered the person who strives for perfection; The happiest of people can be considered the one who realizes that he is already achieving his goal. Speak so I can see you. There is only one good - knowledge and only one evil - ignorance. When the word does not hit, then the stick will not help. The sun has one drawback: it cannot see itself. Whether you marry or not, you will still repent. Drunkenness does not give birth to vices: it reveals them. Hunger is the best seasoning for food. Get married no matter what. If you get a good wife, you will become an exception; if you get a bad wife, you will become a philosopher.
(Source: “Aphorisms from around the world. Encyclopedia of wisdom.” www.foxdesign.ru)
Consolidated encyclopedia of aphorisms. Academician 2011.
Synonyms:See what “Socrates” is in other dictionaries:
- Σωκράτης Portrait of Socrates by ... Wikipedia
- (Socrates) from Athens (469 399 BC) antique. philosopher, teacher of Plato. S.'s teaching was oral; He spent all his free time talking about good and evil, the beautiful and the ugly, virtue and vice, about whether it is possible to learn to be good and how... ... Philosophical Encyclopedia
Socrates- and the foundation of the philosophy of Western morality The life of Socrates and the problem of sources Socrates was born in Athens in 470/469 and died in 399 BC, executed on charges of blasphemy, unbelief and disrespect for local gods, and corruption of youth. However, for... Western philosophy from its origins to the present day
- (c. 470/469 399 BC), Athenian philosopher, honored with a truly eternal monument of Plato's dialogues, in which Socrates is the main character. Socrates' parents were the sculptor (or stonemason) Sophroniscus and Phenareta. Father probably... Collier's Encyclopedia
Socrates- Socrates, son of the sculptor Sophroniscus and the midwife Phenareta (according to Plato in Theaetetus 2 19), an Athenian, from the deme of Alopeka. They thought that he was helping Euripides write; therefore Mnesilochus says this: Phrygians is the name of the drama of Euripides,... ... About the life, teachings and sayings of famous philosophers
Socrates as an object of study presents significant difficulties for the historian. There is no doubt that in relation to many historical figures we know very little, while in relation to others we know a lot; as for Socrates, we are not sure whether we know very little or very much about him. It is certain that he was an Athenian citizen of small means who spent his time in debate and taught philosophy to the youth, but not for money, as the Sophists did. It is reliably known that in 399 BC, when Socrates was about 70 years old, he was convicted, sentenced to death and executed. It is also certain that he was a well-known figure in Athens, since Aristophanes caricatured him in his comedy The Clouds. But beyond these facts, information about Socrates becomes controversial. Two of Socrates' students, Xenophon and Plato, wrote about him a lot, but very different things are said about him. Barnet expressed the idea that even in those cases when they agree with each other on something, this is because Xenophon repeats Plato. When they disagree, they are alone believe one, others believe the other, and still others believe neither of them.I will not venture to take one side or the other in this dangerous dispute, but will only briefly outline these various points of view.
Let's start with Xenophon, a military man, not very generously endowed with intellect and generally inclined to adhere to traditional views. Xenophon is upset that Socrates was accused of impiety and corruption of youth; he claims that, on the contrary, Socrates was very pious and that his influence on youth was completely beneficial. Apparently, his ideas were far from destructive, being rather boring and banal. This defense goes too far, since it leaves the hostility towards Socrates unexplained. As Barnett says, “Xenophon's defense of Socrates is too successful. Socrates would never have been sentenced to death if he had been as Xenophon described him."
There was a tendency to think that everything Xenophon said must be right, because he was not smart enough to think anything was wrong. This line of argument is completely unfounded. A stupid person's retelling of what a smart person says is never correct, because he unconsciously turns what he hears into something he can understand. I would rather have my words conveyed by my worst enemy among philosophers than by a friend ignorant of philosophy. Therefore we cannot accept what Xenophon says if it involves any difficult question in philosophy or is part of an argument aimed at proving that Socrates was unjustly condemned.
Nevertheless, some of Xenophon's memories are quite convincing. He reports (as does Plato) that Socrates was constantly occupied with the question of how to ensure that power in the state belonged to competent people. He used to ask the following questions: “If I wanted to repair a shoe, to whom should I turn?” To this question, some sincere young men answered: “To the shoemaker, O Socrates.” He used to go to carpenters, blacksmiths, etc. and asked some of them, for example, the question: “Who should repair the Ship of the State?” When he entered into a fight with thirty tyrants, their leader, Critias, who was familiar with the views of Socrates, since he studied with him, forbade him to continue teaching youth, saying: “No, you will have to, Socrates, give up these shoemakers, carpenters, blacksmiths: I think they are completely worn out because they are always on your tongue.” Xenophon of Athens. Socratic writings. This occurred during the brief period of oligarchic rule established by the Spartans at the end of the Peloponnesian War. But most of the time Athens had democratic rule, so that even military leaders were elected by lot. One day Socrates met a young man who wanted to become a military leader and convinced him to learn the art of war. Following this advice, the young man left and took a short course in tactics. When he returned, Socrates playfully praised him and sent him back to continue his studies. Socrates forced another young man to study the basics of the science of finance. He tried to carry out this kind of plan on many people, including the strategist; but it was decided that it would be easier to silence Socrates with hemlock than to get rid of the evil of which he complained.
Plato's description of the personality of Socrates raises a difficulty of a completely different kind than the description of Xenophon, namely, it is very difficult to judge to what extent Plato wanted to portray Socrates as a historical figure and to what extent he transformed the person
called “Socrates” in his dialogues, into an exponent of his own opinions. Plato was not only a philosopher, but also a talented writer, possessed of a vivid imagination and charm. No one assumes, and Plato himself did not seriously claim that the conversations in his dialogues happened exactly as he states them. Nevertheless, at least in the earlier dialogues, the conversation is conducted quite naturally and the characters of its participants are quite convincing. It is Plato's outstanding skill as a writer that makes him doubtful as a historian. His Socrates is consistent and an extremely interesting character, such as most people could not invent, but I believe that Plato could have invented him. Whether he actually did so is, of course, another question.
The dialogue which is considered by the vast majority to be historical is the “Apology”. This is a reproduction of the speech that Socrates delivered at the trial in his defense. Of course, this is not a verbatim account, but only what was preserved in Plato’s memory several years after this event , - collected together and literary processed. Plato was present at the trial, and it is quite clear that what he wrote represents Plato's recollection of what Socrates said, and that Plato intended, generally speaking, to create a work of a historical nature. This, with all the reservations , is sufficient to give a very definite description of the character of Socrates.
The basic facts of Socrates' trial are beyond doubt. The prosecution was based on the accusation that “Socrates violates the law and labors in vain, testing what is under the earth and what is in heaven, presenting lies as truth and teaching others the same” H. wmo H. Apology of Socrates Works The real reason for the hostility towards Socrates was, in all likelihood, the assumption that he was connected with the aristocratic party, most of his disciples belonged to this group, and some of them, while in power, did great harm.But this reason could not be made an argument as a result of the amnesty. By a majority vote, Socrates was found guilty, and, according to Athenian law, he could propose that he be given some punishment less severe than death. If the accused was found guilty, the judge
had to impose one of two punishments proposed by the prosecution and defense. Therefore, it was in the interests of Socrates to offer such a severe punishment that the court could accept as corresponding to his guilt. Socrates proposed a fine of 30 minutes, which some of his friends (including Plato) were ready to pay for him. This was such a light punishment that the court was irritated and sentenced Socrates to death by a majority greater than the majority that found him guilty. Socrates undoubtedly foresaw this result. It is clear that he had no desire to avoid the penalty of death by making concessions that might seem to admit his guilt.
Socrates' accusers were the democratic politician Anytus, the tragic poet Meletus, “young and unknown, with smooth hair, a scanty beard and a hooked nose,” and the unknown rhetorician Lycon. They argued that Socrates was guilty of not worshiping the gods he recognized state, but introduces other, new deities and that he is guilty of corrupting the youth, since he taught them the same thing.
Leaving aside the insoluble question of the relation of Plato's Socrates to the real Socrates, let us see what makes Plato say it in response to this accusation.
Socrates begins by accusing his accusers of oratory and refuting this charge when applied to himself. He says that the only oratory skill he is capable of is telling the truth. And they should not be angry if he uses his usual way of expression and does not utter “decorated speech, decorated, like theirs, with various turns and expressions.” Plato. Apology of Socrates, p. 83. He was already over 70 years old, and he had never been in court before; therefore they must excuse his unjudicial manner of speech.
He then said that, in addition to his official accusers, he had many unofficial accusers, who, from the time when these judges were still children, said that “as if there was one Socrates, a wise man who tests and examines everything that above the earth, and everything that is underground, and passes off lies as truth." They believe, says Socrates, that such people do not believe in the existence of gods. This old accusation from public opinion is more dangerous than the official accusation, especially since Socrates does not know who these people are from whom it comes, with the exception of Aristophanes. In Aristophanes’ comedy “Clouds,” Socrates is depicted denying the existence of Answering these old hostile arguments. Socrates points out that he is not a scientist, and declares that this kind of knowledge “does not concern me at all,” that he is not a teacher and does not charge tuition fees. He ridicules the sophists and denies them the knowledge they claim. After which he says: “And I will try to show you what exactly gave me fame and brought slander upon me.
Apparently, the Delphic oracle was once asked if there was a wiser man than Socrates, and the oracle replied that there was not. Socrates declares that he was completely at a loss, since he did not recognize himself as wise at all, although God cannot lie. So he went to the people reputed to be wise to see if he could convince God of his mistake. First of all, Socrates went to a statesman who “only appears wise to many other people, and especially to himself.” Socrates soon discovered that this man was not wise, and politely but firmly explained this to him. “Because of this - then he himself and many of those present hated me.” After this, Socrates turned to the poets and asked them to explain to him certain passages in their works, but they were not able to do this. “Thus, I learned about poets in a short time that it is not thanks to wisdom that they can do what they do, but thanks to some natural ability, as if in a frenzy...” Then Socrates went to the artisans, but they also disappointed him " In the process of this activity, he says, he made many dangerous enemies. Finally, he came to the conclusion that “But in essence, Athenians, God turns out to be wise, and with his saying he wants to say that human wisdom is worth little or nothing." even nothing, and it seems that He does not mean Socrates specifically, but uses my name for the sake of an example, just as if he said: “Of you people, the wisest is the one who, like Socrates, knows that he is worth nothing.” his wisdom." This activity, which consisted of exposing people who pretended to be wise, took up all of Socrates' time and contributed to his extreme poverty, but he considered it his duty to confirm the words of the oracle.
Young people, the sons of the richest citizens, says Socrates, who have the most leisure, listen with pleasure to how he tests people and often, imitating him, try to test others and thereby contribute to an increase in the number of his enemies. “...They don’t really want to tell the truth, I think, because then it would be revealed that they are only pretending to know something, but in fact they know nothing.” This concerns the first accusers. Now Socrates moves on to consider the arguments of his accuser Meletus, "... a good man, and a lover of our city, as he assures... Socrates asks Meletus who are the people who make young people better. First Meletus names the judges, then under pressure he was forced step by step to admit that all the Athenians, except Socrates, make better young people, after which Socrates congratulates the city on its happy fate.Further Socrates says that it is better to live with good people than with evil ones, and therefore he could not would be so crazy as to deliberately corrupt his fellow citizens. If he does not corrupt them intentionally, then Meletus should not have brought him to trial, but should have instructed and admonished him. The accusation said that Socrates not only does not recognize the gods whom recognizes the state, but introduces others, its own gods. However, Meletus says that Socrates is a complete atheist, and adds: “...he claims that the Sun is a stone and the Moon is earth...” Socrates responds that Meletus apparently thinks that he is blaming Anaxagoras, whose views can be heard in the theater for one drachma (in all likelihood, in the plays of Euripides.) Socrates, of course, notes that this new charge of complete atheism contradicts the official charge itself, and then moves on to more general considerations.
The rest of the “Apology” is essentially couched in religious tones. Socrates recalls that when he was a warrior and was ordered, he remained at his post. “If now, when God put me in line, obliging me, as I I believe, to live, to engage in philosophy and to test oneself and people ... ", it would be just as shameful to leave the formation as before during the battle. The fear of death is not wisdom, since no one knows whether death for a person is not the greatest of all the best. If he were offered to save his life on condition that he ceased to engage in philosophy, as he had done hitherto, he would answer: “I am devoted to you, Athenians, and I love you, but I will obey God rather than you, and, as long as I breathe and remain strong, I will not stop philosophizing, persuading and convincing each of you whom I meet... I can assure you that God commands so, and I think that in the whole city you have no greater good, than my service to God." He continues further:
“Do not make noise, Athenians, fulfill my request: do not make noise, no matter what I say, but listen; I think it will be useful for you to listen to me. I intend to tell you something else that will probably make you cry, but don’t do it in any way.
Be sure that if you execute me, such as I am, you will harm yourself more than me. After all, there will be no harm to me either from Meletus or from Anytus - and they cannot harm me, because I do not think that the worse would be allowed to harm the better. Of course, he can kill, or expel, or dishonor. He or someone else, perhaps, considers this a great evil, but I don’t think so: in my opinion, what he is doing now is much greater evil, trying to unjustly condemn a person to death.”
Socrates says that he defends himself not for his own sake, but for the sake of his judges. He is a kind of gadfly whom God has assigned to the state, and it will not be easy to find another person like him. “But it may very well happen that you, angry, like people suddenly awakened from sleep, will slam me and easily kill me, listening to Anita. Then you will spend the rest of your life in hibernation, unless God, taking care of you, sends you someone else.”
Why did he give this advice only privately, and not publicly give advice on state affairs? “The reason here is what you have often heard from me everywhere: something divine or miraculous often happens to me, which Meletus laughed at in his denunciation. It started for me in childhood: some voice arises that every time deviates me from what I intend to do, but never persuades me to do anything. It is this voice that forbids me to engage in state affairs." He goes on to say that an honest person cannot live long if he is involved in state affairs. He gives two examples of how he was unwillingly drawn into state affairs: in the first case, he resisted democracy, in the second - thirty tyrants; and in each case when the authorities acted illegally.
Socrates notes that among those present at the trial are many of his former students, as well as their fathers and brothers. Not one of them was called by the prosecutor as a witness that Socrates was corrupting the youth (this is almost the only argument in the Apology that a lawyer would sanction). Socrates refuses to follow the custom of bringing his crying children to court in order to soften the hearts of the judges; such the pitying scenes, he says, make both the accused and the city equally funny.His goal was to convince the judges, and not to ask them for mercy.
After the verdict is announced and the judges refuse to impose the 30-minute sentence proposed by Socrates (in connection with this, Socrates names Plato as one of his guarantors, who is present at the trial), he makes his last speech:
“And now, Athenians, I would like to predict the future for you who have condemned me. After all, for me the time has already come when people are especially capable of divination - when they are about to die. And so I affirm, O Athenians, who killed me, that immediately after my death a punishment will befall you that is heavier, I swear by Zeus, than the death with which you punished me.
In fact, if you think that by killing people you will force them not to blame you for living wrongly, then you are mistaken. This method of self-defense is neither entirely reliable nor good, but here is the best and easiest way for you: do not shut the mouths of others, but try to be as good as possible yourself. "... Then Socrates turns to those of his judges who voted for his acquittal, and tells them that during that day his divine sign never opposed him either in action or word, although on other occasions it kept him in the midst of speech many times. "I tell you: perhaps all this happened for my good, and it is clear that the opinion of all those who think that death is evil is wrong.” Because death is either a dreamless sleep, which is an amazing benefit, or the transmigration of the soul to another world. “And what would I not give?” each of you is in favor of being with Orpheus, Musaeus, Hesiod, Homer! Yes, I am ready to die many times if all this is true..." In another world, he will talk with other people who died as a result of an unjust decision, and, in addition, he will continue to gain knowledge. “In any case, they won’t execute you for this. Besides everything else, those who live there are more blessed than those here because they remain immortal all the time, if the legend is true...
But it’s time to leave here, for me to die, for you to live, and which is better, no one knows except God.”
"The Apology of Socrates" gives a clear picture of a certain type of man: a man who is self-confident, generous, indifferent to earthly success, who believes that he is guided by a divine voice, and who is convinced that the most important condition for a virtuous life is clear thinking. If we exclude the latter point, then Socrates resembles a Christian martyr or a Puritan. In the last part of his speech, in which he discusses what happens after death, it is impossible not to feel that he firmly believes in immortality and that the uncertainty he expresses is only feigned. He is not worried, like Christians, fear of eternal torment; he has no doubt that his life in the afterlife will be happy. In “Phaedo,” Plato’s Socrates gives reasons for belief in immortality. Whether these foundations really influenced the historical Socrates cannot be said.
There can hardly be any doubt that the historical Socrates claimed to be guided by an oracle or a demon. It is impossible to determine whether this is analogous to what a Christian would call the inner voice, or whether it appears to him as an actual voice. Joan of Arc was inspired by voices, which is a common symptom of mental illness. Socrates was subject to cataleptic trances; in any case, this seems to be a natural explanation for an incident that once happened to him while he was on military service: “One morning he thought about something, and, immersed in his thoughts, froze in place, and since things were not going well for him, he did not stop his search and stood and stood. It was already noon, and the people who strikingly, they said to each other in surprise that Socrates had been standing in one place since the morning and thinking about something. Finally, in the evening, having already had dinner, some Ionians - it was summer - took their bedding out into the air to sleep in the cool and at the same time observe Socrates, whether he would stand in the same place at night. And it turned out that he stood there until dawn and until the sun rose,” and then, having prayed to the Sun, he left."
Facts of this kind were less common among Socrates. At the beginning of the Symposium, Plato describes how Socrates and Aristodemus went to dinner together, but Socrates, being absent-minded, fell behind Aristodemus. When Aristodemus arrived, the owner of the house, Agathon, asked: “Why didn’t you bring Socrates to us?” Aristodemus was surprised to find that Socrates was not with him; they sent a slave to look for Socrates, and he found him at the next door “Socrates, they say, turned back and is now standing in the entryway of the neighboring house, but refuses to answer the call,” said the slave. Those who knew Socrates well explained that “this is his habit - he will go somewhere aside and stand there.” They left Socrates alone, and he came when dinner was half over.
Everyone agrees that Socrates was very ugly; he had a snub nose and a big belly. He “... is the ugliest of all the strong men in satirical dramas. He was always dressed in old, shabby clothes and went barefoot everywhere. His indifference to heat and cold, hunger and thirst surprised everyone. In Plato's Symposium, Alcibiades, describing Socrates in military service, says the following:
“...In endurance he surpassed not only me, but everyone in general. When we found ourselves cut off and involuntarily, as happens on campaigns, starving, no one could compare with his endurance...
In the same way, he endured the winter cold - and the winters there are cruel - with amazing fortitude, and one day, when there was a terrible cold and others either did not go outside at all, or went out, putting on God knows how many clothes and shoes, wrapping their feet in felt and sheepskins, he He went out in such weather in his usual raincoat and walked barefoot on the ice easier than others with shoes on. And the soldiers looked askance at him, thinking that he was mocking them..."
Socrates' ability to dominate all carnal passions is constantly emphasized. He rarely drank wine, but when he did, he could outdrink anyone; but no one had ever seen him drunk. In love, even under the most powerful temptations, he remained “platonic,” if Plato speaks the truth. He was a perfect Orphic saint: in the dualism of the heavenly soul and the earthly body, he achieved complete dominion of the soul over the body. The decisive proof of this domination is ultimately his indifference to death. At the same time, Socrates is not an orthodox Orphic. He accepts only the basic doctrines, but not superstitions or purification ceremonies.
Plato's Socrates anticipates both the Stoics and the Cynics. The Stoics argued that the highest good is virtue and that a person cannot be deprived of virtue due to external reasons; this theory is implied in Socrates' statement that his judges cannot harm him. The Cynics despised earthly goods and showed their contempt by avoiding the comforts of civilization; this is the same point of view that caused Socrates to go barefoot and poorly dressed.
It seems quite certain that Socrates was preoccupied with ethical issues rather than scientific ones. As we have seen, he says in the Apology that this kind of knowledge “...does not concern me at all.” The earliest of Plato's dialogues, which are generally considered the most Socratic, are devoted mainly to the search for definitions of ethical terms. “Charmides” is dedicated to the definition of moderation, or abstinence; “Lysis” - friendship; "Laches" - courage. None of them draw conclusions, but Socrates clearly says that he considers it important to consider these issues. Plato's Socrates consistently claims that he knows nothing, that he is only wiser than other people in what he knows that he knows nothing; but he does not consider knowledge to be unattainable. On the contrary, he believes that the acquisition of knowledge is of the most important importance. He maintains that no man sins consciously, and therefore only knowledge is necessary to make all men perfectly virtuous.
Socrates and Plato are characterized by the affirmation of a close connection between virtue and knowledge. To some extent this is characteristic of all Greek philosophy, as opposed to the philosophy of Christianity. According to Christian ethics, the essential thing is a pure heart, which can be found with equal probability among ignorant people and among scientists. This difference between Greek and Christian ethics continued to persist until recent times.
Dialectics, that is, the method of acquiring knowledge through questions and answers, was not invented by Socrates. Apparently, it was first systematically used in practice by Parmenides’ student Zeno. In Plato's dialogue Parmenides, Zeno subjects Socrates to the same kind of treatment that Socrates subjects others to elsewhere in Plato. But there is every reason to believe that Socrates practiced and developed this method. As we saw, when Socrates was sentenced to death, he happily reflects that in the afterlife he can continue to be asked questions forever and he will not be put to death, since he will be immortal. Of course, if he applied dialectics as described in the Apology, then it is easy to explain the hostility to his attitude: all the braggarts in Athens had to unite against him.
The dialectical method is suitable for some questions and not for others. This method probably determined the nature of Plato's research, which for the most part was such that it could be handled in this way. As a result of Plato's influence, almost all subsequent philosophy was bound by the limitations resulting from his method.
Some questions are clearly not suited to be treated in this way, such as empirical science. True, Galileo used dialogues to defend his theories, but this was done only in order to overcome prejudices: the positive foundations for his discoveries could not be inserted into the dialogue without great artificiality. Socrates in Plato's works always claims that he is only bringing to light the knowledge that the person he is testing already possesses. On this basis, he compares himself to a midwife. When in the Phaedo and Meno he applies his method to problems of geometry, he is forced to ask leading questions such as no judge would allow him to ask. This method is in harmony with the theory of recollection, according to which we learn by remembering what we knew in our previous existence. Consider, in contrast to this view, some discovery made by means of a microscope, such as the spread of diseases by bacteria; It can hardly be said that such knowledge can be revealed in a person ignorant in this regard through the method of questions and answers.
Questions that can be addressed through the Socratic method are those about which we already have sufficient knowledge to reach a correct conclusion, but due to confusion or lack of analysis have failed to logically use what we know. A question such as “what is justice?” is a good one to discuss in a Platonic dialogue. We all use the words “just” and “unjust” freely, and by studying the sense in which we use them we can inductively arrive at a definition which will best correspond to the use of these words. All that is required is knowledge of how these words are used in the question. But when our research is completed, it will turn out that we have made only a linguistic discovery, and not a discovery in the field of ethics.
However, we can usefully apply this method to some wider range of cases. When what is being discussed is more logical than factual, then discussion is a good method of bringing out the truth. Suppose one argues, for example, that democracy is good, but persons holding certain opinions should not be allowed to vote; we can convince such a person that he is inconsistent, and show him that at least one of his two statements must be more or less wrong. I believe that logical fallacies have more practical significance than many people realize: they enable the person who commits them to hold a convenient opinion on every issue. Any logically coherent theory must be somewhat painful and contradict common prejudices. The dialectical method, or more generally the habit of free discussion, leads to logical consistency and is useful in this respect. But it is completely unsuitable when its purpose is to discover new facts. Perhaps "philosophy" could be defined as the totality of such studies that can be carried out through the methods of Plato. But if the specified definition is suitable, it is explained by the influence of Plato on subsequent philosophers.