Socrates Unit 8 Study Guide

Unit 8 – Final Exam

1. For Socrates, the entire world was strictly defined as only a human world (Navia 160). In other words, Socrates’ level of thinking was strictly focused on only other human beings, other people just like him, that’s what Socrates’ entire philosophy was fundamentally focused on. Everything else in the world, such as different objects and animals, did not interest Socrates at all because his entire existence was essentially human, nothing else. And to be human basically means to possess the power to be conscious. To be conscious basically means to be alive and aware of our surroundings. However in terms of Socrates’ philosophy it has a deeper meaning, as Socrates describes consciousness to be our psyche or our soul (Navia

According to Navia, the Socratic elenchus takes the form of a refutation in which the interlocutor examines and assesses some statement made at the beginning of the conversation by eliciting further statements, in which the original statement contradicts itself or appears unsound (Navia 203). The elenchus is basically Socrates’ main method of philosophic investigation. The elenchus basically consists of a series of questions and cross examinations used to come to a final conclusion. Even used in today’s modern world, Socrates has established a universal standard for acquiring knowledge and ideas through question-and-answer cross examination until a clear definition is achieved, also known as the Socratic Method (Morrison 111). We first see this in Plato’s Euthyphro, when Socrates questions Euthyphro on the true meaning of piety, which leads Euthyphto to eventually find out that he does not actually know the true meaning of piety and is just giving examples. Another example of when Socrates uses this form of questioning is also seen when Socrates is in the Agora, or public place, acting as a “public philosopher” and questioning several bystanders (Morrison 335). Here Socrates questions poets, and craftsmen, as well as other citizens of Athens. Socrates tests them to see if they are truly experts in their professions and in turn realizes that these people are just as lost as he is about said topics. That was not always the case however, as Socrates sometimes only pretended to be ignorant. Eventually Socrates concludes that people are unaware of themselves and claim to have knowledge when they really don’t. They merely “utter sounds that say