1. Socrates
Early Greek Philosophy and the Leaders Who Brought Philosophy to the Foreground

2. Early Greek Philosophy
When life is good, it’s easy to ignore large questions about the meaning of life
When times are tough, it seems that the questions about life are much more urgent
As the Athenian Empire collapsed, Athenian philosophy blossomed

3. Early Greek Philosophy
Early philosophy consisted of questions such as, “How can we understand the world around us?” or, “How did the universe start?”
These questions were often answered in the form of the gods
The world was full of troubles because, according to Greek mythology, of Pandora’s box

4. Early Greek Philosophy
By 6th century BCE, some people were no longer satisfied with these explanations
People began to use reason to try to understand the world, which was the beginning of philosophy
The word philosophy means “love of wisdom.”
A philosopher is a lover of wisdom, one who uses reason to try to acquire wisdom about life or the universe

5. Early Greek Philosophy
Heraclitus: everything in life is always changing
Thales: everything in the universe comes from water
Empedocles: everything comes from the combination or separation of the four elements of earth, air, fire, and water.

6. Socrates Lived from 469 BCE to 399 BCE
Grew up during the Golden Age of Athens and fought in the Peloponnesian War
Socrates, himself, wrote nothing down
Less interested in questions about where the world came from and what it might be made of
Interested in how humans ought to behave

7. Socrates
He would go to the agora and talk with other Athenians, instead of sitting around and writing about his ideas
He tried to get others to examine their lives
He wanted them to realize that they were not living according to the ideas and moral values they said were important.

8. Socrates “The unexamined life is not worth living”
He tried to get them to understand by asking them questions instead of giving direct answers
This became known as the “Socratic Method”
He did not get paid for teaching; he didn’t want money for his ideas

9. Socrates
Conversations based on two principles: it is important never to do any wrong, even indirectly, and that people who really understood what was right and good could not possibly choose the wrong thing
Many found him irritating
Nobody likes to be reminded of their shortcomings, especially in front of others

10. Socrates Some felt he had misled the young men of the city
He was accused of failing to teach the young proper respect for older people and for the gods
He was also accused of encouraging the young men to be selfish and power hungry

11. Socrates Socrates was put on trial where he defended himself
He was found guilty of corrupting the minds of the young men of Athens by a vote of 280 to 221 and sentenced to death
He refused to break the law, even when it condemned him
He was executed by being made to drink hemlock

12. Socrates
Hemlock causes numbness of the limbs, choking, slurring of speech, convulsions, and uncontrollable vomiting
Plato wanted Socrates to be remembered as a “man of whom we may say that of all whom we met at the that time he was the wisest and most just and best”