SOCRATES

 


Socrates was born in Alopeke (spelt Alepece also), Athens, Greece. Alopeke was a district of the city of Athens. It was an area of the phyle tribal group, located outside the city of Athens. Socrates was an influential philosopher active in ancient Athens in the 5th Century B.C. He is famous for his 'Socratic method,' a dialectic method of inquiry whereby a series of questions is asked to establish a person's beliefs or knowledge.

Socrates is also remembered for the manner of his death. On 15 February 399 B.C., he was convicted in Athens of corrupting the minds of the youth of Athens and of impiety (nonbelief in God). His pupils and associates Plato and Xenophon recorded his end in a series of written dialogues. Socrates was sentenced to death by hemlock poisoning. Ancient Greeks used poison hemlock, extracted from trees, to execute prisoners. It is very toxic to humans and livestock. Socrates refused to accept the offer to escape and choosing to respect the state's wishes willingly drank the hemlock.

Controversial in his own time, Socrates had a profound effect on philosophy in the ancient world and beyond and is regarded today as the Father of Western Philosophy.



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