Socrates

Interested in neither money, fame, nor power, Socrates wandered through the streets of Athens in the 5th century BC. He wore a single rough woollen garment in all seasons and went barefoot. Talking to whoever would listen, he asked questions, criticized answers, and poked holes in faulty arguments. His style of conversation has been given the name “Socratic dialogue”. He was the first of the three great teachers of ancient Greece – the other two being Plato and Aristotle. Today, he is ranked as one of the world’s greatest moral teachers. His self-control and powers of endurance were unmatched. In appearance he was short and fat, with a snub nose and wide mouth. Despite his unkempt appearance, the Greeks of his day enjoyed being with him and talking with him and were fascinated by what he had to say. Socrates did not write any books or papers. The details of his life and doctrine are preserved in the “Memorabilia” of the historian Xenophon and in the dialogues of the philosopher Plato. It was chiefly through Plato and Plato’s brilliant disciple Aristotle that the influence of Socrates was passed on to succeeding generations of philosophers.