Socrates Summary

Socrates 470?-399 B.C. Greek philosopher who exerted a profound influence on subsequent critical thought and intellectual development in ancient Greece. Socrates left no writings of his own; it is onl... Read more

In the following essay, originally delivered as a lecture, Scott reviews Socrates's life and philosophic thought in order to demonstrate the influence of Socrates on Christianity. He argues tha... Read more

In the following essay, Taylor asserts that Socrates significantly influenced the development of European thought by creating the concept of the soul "which has ever since dominated European th... Read more

In the following excerpt, Guthrie assesses the contribution of Socrates to the field of philosophy, arguing that Socrates's work marked a shift in philosophic thought from contemplation of the ... Read more

Below, Haden refers to an essay by Gregory Vlastos in which Vlastos maintains that Plato's Socrates is highly reflective of the historical Socrates. Haden argues that as Plato's Socrates... Read more

In the following essay, Pappas examines Socrates's interpretation of poetry and its relation to his philosophical positions. Of course this title seems wrong. If anything is certain about So... Read more

In the following excerpt, Emerson discusses the "uncommon and admirable" character of Socrates and acknowledges the debt owed by "modern improvement" to the wisdom of Socra... Read more

Here, Wenley contrasts Socrates with Christ, stating that while there exist "points of external contact" between the two men which "render comparison by no means unreasonable,�... Read more

In the following essay, Cross points out that Socrates was known for his teaching that "in no circumstances is it just to injure anyone," including one's enemies. This concept, st... Read more

In the following essay, originally delivered as a lecture in 1922, Nelson discusses the Socratic method, defining it as "the art of teaching not philosophy but philosophizing, the art not of te... Read more

In the following essay, Dubs argues that, contrary to "the view commonly held," Plato's account of the character and philosophy of Socrates is "substantially correct.... Read more

Socrates: Law & Order What is beauty? And why is that beautiful? Could that be beauty to everyone, or just you? This aggravating, yet derivative teaching method is called the "Socratic Method" . This... Read more

Socrates leads me to believe in his speaking that the duty of a philosopher is the actions that the philosopher is suppose to do as a philosopher. Socrates thinks that the duty of the philosophers i... Read more

In the Symposium, written by Plato, Socrates and others engage in a dialogue in the home of Agathon on love. Instead of "singing the honours" (94) of love like the other participants, Socrates uses a... Read more

Throughout the course of history there have been numerous ideas and designs for the structure of a community. Democracies and dictatorships are two examples of designs for the structure of a communi... Read more

Most people would speak of Socrates as "the most influential philosopher of all-time." That statement is not necessarily incorrect - just a bit twisted. Rather than thinking of Socrates as influenti... Read more

The main character of Plato's Crito, Socrates, attempts to identify obligations a citizen has before the state in which he lives. Socrates clearly states that one cannot break a law because it will hu... Read more

Socrates and Glaucon Reflection Socrates and Glaucon come to the conclusion that there is no such thing as perfection that is of this earth. It may exist elsewhere, however, or may not. I tend t... Read more