Socrates: Father of Western Philosophy

The Philosopher Who Challenged Athens

On May 9, 399 BCE, Socrates stood trial in Athens, accused of impiety and corrupting the youth. This event would change the course of Western philosophy. Socrates' method of questioning, as recorded by his student Plato, revealed the contradictions in his opponents' arguments, leading many to reevaluate their understanding of truth.

What Everyone Knows

Most people think Socrates was a solitary figure who challenged the status quo with his radical ideas about truth and morality. The standard story goes that he was a charismatic teacher who attracted a devoted following of young men, including Plato and Xenophon, and that his methods were so effective that they threatened the established order in Athens. However, this narrative oversimplifies the complexities of Socrates' philosophy and the historical context in which he lived.

What History Actually Shows

Historian Diogenes Laertius records that Socrates was born around 470 BCE and served in the Athenian army during the Peloponnesian War. By 432 BCE, Socrates had already gained a reputation as a formidable debater, as evidenced by the writings of Aristophanes, who caricatured him in his play "The Clouds" in 423 BCE. Socrates' method of questioning, as described by Plato in his Apology, was designed to expose the contradictions in his opponents' arguments, leading to a deeper understanding of the nature of truth. Socrates' most radical idea was that truth is relative, and that knowledge can only be acquired through self-examination and criticism. Historian Xenophon, in his Memorabilia, portrays Socrates as a master of dialectic, who used his method to challenge the conventional wisdom of his time. By 405 BCE, Socrates' teachings had attracted a devoted following, including Plato, who would go on to found the Academy in Athens, one of the earliest institutions of higher learning in the Western world. As the trial of Socrates approached, the Athenian statesman Meletus, backed by the politician Anytus, brought charges against him, accusing him of impiety and corrupting the youth, setting the stage for a dramatic confrontation that would change the course of Western philosophy.

The Part That Got Buried

Historians and scholars have actively contributed to the suppression of this story by focusing on more prominent figures of ancient Greece, such as Plato and Aristotle, while sidelining philosophers like Protagoras, who challenged traditional views. The Athenian elite, who saw Protagoras' ideas as a threat to their power, deliberately destroyed many of his writings, leaving behind a scarcity of primary sources. Specifically, the philosopher Plato, who disagreed with Protagoras' relativism, wrote extensively about his own ideas, overshadowing Protagoras' contributions to Western philosophy. As a result, the details of Protagoras' trial and exile have been difficult to reconstruct, and his legacy has been largely overlooked in favor of more "respectable" philosophers. The fact that Protagoras' book "Truth" was publicly burned in Athens has further limited our understanding of his philosophical ideas.

The Ripple Effect

The trial and exile of Protagoras had a direct impact on the development of Western philosophy, as it led to a shift away from relativistic views and towards more dogmatic thinking. This, in turn, influenced the work of later philosophers, such as Immanuel Kant, who grappled with the concept of objective truth. One specific modern thing that traces directly back to this event is the concept of objective journalism, which was, in part, a response to the relativistic ideas of ancient Greek philosophers like Protagoras. The notion that truth can be objective and verifiable is a direct counterpoint to Protagoras' idea that truth is relative.

The Line That Says It All

Protagoras was sentenced to exile and his books were burned in the public square, marking the end of his career as a prominent philosopher in ancient Athens.

A Note on Sources

This article draws on historical records, documented accounts, and academic research related to ancient Greek philosophy and the life of Protagoras.