Socrates Accomplishments

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The philosophical beliefs of Socrates are easily noted as the basis for all of sociological advancements in ancient philosophy. Deviating from his early upbringing, Socrates valued the idea of materialism, and soon fell into the field of education, where he was able to bestow upon his students his wisdom and knowledge on topes that were otherwise unheard of. With the help of his pupil Plato, the philosophies of the teacher were soon spread out into the world for all to admire and study. It was not until after his death, however, that his theories were published, and soon after he was gone did the outbreak of philosophical advancements occur. Aristotle, an aspiring philosopher, was lucky enough to study the works of the phenomenon, and carried …show more content…

Although we consider this style of thinking to be obsolete in today’s age, during the time of Plato and Aristotle, the thinking of Socrates was unlike anything ever heard before, and to many, this mindset of individuality and self-rights was remarkable. Socrates welcomed a cutting-edge approach to life that was left behind subsequent to his death for others to imitate and expand upon for years to come.

Socrates was born into a middle class family in 470 BC. His family, consisting of his father, Sophroniscus, and his mother, Phaenarete, held steady jobs as painters and sculptors, but were in no way viewed as nobles. Their son married a younger woman named Xanthippe after serving in Greece’s army, and together they had three children, Lamprocles, Sophroniscus, and Menexenus. Aiding to his moral beliefs, Socrates provided no cost to his students, viewing it an act contradiction to what he morally felt was right. “Socrates’ approach to the charges suggests an intriguing either-or: money would have been sufficient to explain his activity, so that its removal as a cause requires something else, …show more content…

He preached on these beliefs, and in so influenced his students, who luckily recorded all of his lessons. Aiding to the fact that Socrates valued greatly the individual freedoms of his people, he supported a democratic approach to society. “Socrates went around Athens asking such questions as ‘What is knowledge?’, ‘What is beauty?’, ‘What is art?’, ‘What is justice?’ and so forth. He always expected an answer that would pinpoint what is common to a certain class of objects,” (Braman). Socrates valued the ideas of others, and always took into account everyone’s opinion, an act that was rarely seen during his time. Seeing this, many of Socrates’ students and peers adapted his style to life, creating a revolutionary way to life that was unlike anyone at the time had ever