Socrates

c. 470 BCE – 399 BCE · died at about 71^[1][2]

Philosophy & Thought

Fun Facts About Socrates

• Socrates, asked at his trial to propose his own punishment, suggested according to Plato that Athens give him free meals every day in recognition of his worth.^[1]
• Socrates never wrote down his teachings. Everything known about him comes from others, mainly his pupils Plato and Xenophon and the comic playwright Aristophanes.^[1][3][4]
• Socrates was notoriously ugly, with a flat turned-up nose, bulging eyes, and a large belly. He rarely bathed, walked barefoot, and owned only one ragged coat.^[1]
• According to Plato's Phaedo, Socrates's last words were "Crito, we owe a rooster to Asclepius. Don't forget to pay the debt."^[1]
• When the Thirty Tyrants ordered Socrates and four others to arrest Leon of Salamis for execution, Socrates alone refused, risking the tyrants' revenge.^[1]
• Confucius died in 479 BC, only about nine years before Socrates was born in Athens.^[1][2][5][6]
• Socrates was alive at the same time as Hippocrates — their lives overlapped for about 61 years (c. 460 BCE–399 BCE).^[1][2][7][8]
• Socrates lived to about 71, from c. 470 BCE until 399 BCE.^[1][2]

Socrates was an ancient Greek philosopher from Classical Athens, perhaps the first Western moral philosopher, and a major inspiration on his student Plato, who largely founded the tradition of Western philosophy. An enigmatic figure, Socrates authored no texts and is known mainly through the posthumous accounts of classical writers, particularly his students Plato and Xenophon. These accounts are written as dialogues, in which Socrates and his interlocutors examine a subject in the style of question and answer; they gave rise to the Socratic dialogue literary genre. Contradictory accounts of Socrates make a reconstruction of his philosophy nearly impossible, a situation known as the Socratic problem. Socrates was a polarizing figure in Athenian society. In 399 BC, he was accused of impiety and corrupting the youth. After a trial that lasted a day, he was sentenced to death. As related by Plato, he was put to death by administration of poison after refusing offers from allies to help him escape.^[1]

Contemporaries

Sophocles

64 yr overlap

Hippocrates

61 yr overlap

Herodotus

45 yr overlap

Plato

29 yr overlap

Questions About Socrates

When was Socrates born?

Socrates was born about 470 BCE and died in 399 BCE.

How old was Socrates at death?

Socrates died in 399 BCE at about 71 years old (c. 470 BCE–399 BCE).

What was Socrates known for?

Socrates was known for: Founder of Western moral philosophy. Socrates was an ancient Greek philosopher from Classical Athens, perhaps the first Western moral philosopher, and a major inspiration on his student Plato, who largely founded the tradition of Western philosophy. An enigmatic figure, Socrates authored no texts and is known mainly through the posthumous accounts of classical writers, particularly his students Plato and Xenophon. These accounts are written as dialogues, in which Socrates and his interlocutors examine a subject in the style of question and answer; they gave rise to the Socratic dialogue literary genre. Contradictory accounts of Socrates make a reconstruction of his philosophy nearly impossible, a situation known as the Socratic problem. Socrates was a polarizing figure in Athenian society. In 399 BC, he was accused of impiety and corrupting the youth. After a trial that lasted a day, he was sentenced to death. As related by Plato, he was put to death by administration of poison after refusing offers from allies to help him escape.

Who was alive at the same time as Socrates?

Socrates's closest contemporary was Sophocles. Their lives overlapped for 64 years.