One of the most famous philosophical figures in history is a cryptic individual known as Socrates. He resided in Athens, Greece during 469-399 BCE, as a teacher of his philosophical thoughts and morals. Though never having written his own theories or ideas, Socrates’ intellect traveled across generations in ancient times and still remains scrutinized today. Much of his work is constantly being disputed and challenged due to the lack of primary evidence and overlapping contradictions, however his successor, Plato, provides one viewpoint on Socrates as a person and as a teacher.
Socrates is believed to be a man who was devoted to finding humanity’s goodness, for he believed that this would result in happiness for all people. His pathway to these goals was through the use of logic and reasoning, in which he developed his own theory called Socratic Irony. The way Socrates came about doing so was by challenging several rhetors and sophists of his time using an argumentative conversation style that utilized asking questions (Scholle). The idea was that by questioning the sophists, Socrates would expose their ignorance in what they preach, and therefore open the sophists mindset into a broader view that Socrates himself held. Socrates’ is known to have disliked the rhetorics and sophists because he believed their teachings were essentially nonsense put into persuasive words. This can be seen in Plato’s Apology when he writes under Socrates’ defense, “How you have felt, O men of Athens, at hearing the speeches of my accusers, I cannot tell; but I know that their persuasive words almost made me forget who I was – such was the effect of them; and yet they have hardly spoken a word of truth.” (1). Though Socrates himself is known to have disliked rhetors and sophists, his own technique of Socratic Irony could be argued as a form of rhetoric. By assuming ignorance and pure curiosity, Socrates was weakening his ethos and creating a falsified safe space for the sophists to practice their rhetoric on. By doing so, he was subjecting them to embarrassment as he continued to question their statements until they simply didn’t understand their own preachings. Of course, this angered the sophists and is one of the reasons Socrates’ landed on trial in Athens, leaving the world with the famous text, Plato’s Apology.
The word apology, as used during Socrates’ time, is derived from the Greek word apología, meaning defense (Merriam-Webster). It is in Plato’s Apology that Socrates is defending himself against the leaders of Athens. The main reason for his defense was not due to angering sophists, but instead being accused of challenging the gods and beliefs at the time, and pushing his beliefs onto younger generations. This can be seen as ironic because Socrates’ did not possess any literal beliefs, but instead was trying to show people that they did not truly know anything. His essence encapsulated the idea that being wise was to understand that one does not truly know anything. This came from the Delphic Oracle, in which Socrates was proclaimed as the wisest man because of his humble ignorance (Pacyga). So although Athens believed Socrates was a threat to their political belief system under the state, one could argue that Socrates was simply using philosophical thought to provoke thinking. He was, one could say, ahead of his time by challenging the societal norms and practices through the use of philosophy. Many people were subject to sophists use of persuasive rhetoric, and Socrates’ saw this a threat to democracy and the good for the people. In turn, he used conversation and arguments to provoke thoughtful analysis of his society, and as a result had gained one particular successor, Plato, to which his teachings were recorded.
Plato, as mentioned, was Socrates’ student. He developed the main written sources of Socrates’ teachings and ideas that are still scrutinized today. Therefore, it is impossible to contrast the two philosopher’s ideas, because Socrates’ theories and practices were only recorded by Plato himself. However, there exists a general understanding that Socrates’ was concerned with the good of the people, and valued virtue and happiness over all. Plato, however, was more of an idealist and absolutist (Pacyga). He was not fond of democracy, and rather advocated for a true aristocracy, or one “philosopher king”. Though Socrates and Plato held different viewpoints on how to attain the good of the people, they both agreed that there needed to be justice in order to successful achieve what they referred to as “the Good” (Pacyga). Overtime, Plato’s recording of Socrates began to shift. This became known as “Plato’s Socrates”, and was a way for Plato to push his own ideas under the façade that they were Socrates’. In a sense, Plato was falsifying his ethos, as he was intentionally using a more trusted figure in philosophy to better adapt his ideas and theories into the state.
Though an ancient philosopher, Socrates’ teachings and theories still apply to contemporary society. His ironic state of confessing his ignorance and being wise for doing so could benefit many people today. One common societal illness is that everyone thinks they know better than the next person, leading to constant debates and arguments about social, economic, and political aspects of our world. Perhaps if everyone were to take a Socratic approach to their knowledge of our world, we would be a lot happier. By humbly accepting ignorance, Socrates was a true enigma of a man who continues to puzzle philosophers, yet still holds a uniquely undying essence that is still compared to today’s rhetorical theories.