Socrates and the Art of the Question

(Section 14, Group 1)

            If we can associate Plato with the Form of the earth and Aristotle with the earth itself, with what can we associate Socrates? Perhaps with nothing else but the question. Socrates' statement, "The unexamined life is not worth living," seems to capture the essence of his philosophy. Not unlike people today, most Athenians did not want to question their lives and transcend into the unknown—or, for that matter, be pestered by Socrates. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Socrates recognized darkness as much as he recognized light, and he questioned how, if at all, the two—what we know and what we don't know—interact. If the world was indeed a world of opposites, then there be no need for us to question it. The fact that it's not only proves the essentiality of the question, the art of which he nearly perfected throughout his life.

            We compared Socrates to the Sophists—two contrasting teachers of their time. Although the Sophists were highly regarded and their teachings were reserved for the elite, they did not seek the truth as Socrates had. The Sophists did not intimidate society, nor were they accused of "corrupting" the youth. Their lessons were standardized, safe, and well within the boundaries of society's comfort zone. Socrates' teachings, unrestricted by a fear of the unknown, managed to transcend not only the boundaries of knowledge but also the boundaries of time. The Sophists were as partial to the known as Socrates was to the unknown. We agreed that although Socrates may have been annoying and persistent, he never forced his point of view upon others. He remained open-minded and even questioned the validity of his own beliefs. Whether or not he was the father of western philosophy remains debatable, but the fact that he was one of the first—and most influential—philosopher to breach the topic of humanity and existence (rather than essence or elements) does not.

            Given the cultural context of Socrates' time, had Socrates believed in the Greek gods? We can never know for sure, although Socrates repeatedly denied accusations of his disbelief. Undoubtedly, he had questioned both the existence and the significance of the gods. We'll leave it up to you to decide what this assessment led to. Our group concluded that it was likely he had been an atheist‚ or something close to its equivalent. Whether his questions caused disbelief in the known—or belief in the unknown—depends on how you perceive the world: through what is present or what is absent, or, Socratically, simply through what is.

            We wondered if Socrates, by Aristotle's standards, had been happy—if he had achieved eudaimonia. If eudaimonia remains in effect long after one's death, then we can guess that he was. We need only say his name to witness the legacy it evokes. He chose death over the cessation of asking questions—which he certainly did a lot of. It's almost as if the death of Socrates the person ultimately gave rise to Socrates the concept, which is how most of us remember him today—the embodiment of the question, for whom an unexamined life was, indeed, worse than death. If Socrates evaded death, would it have changed how we think of him today? (Discussion question)

DISCLAIMER: Comic Sans used ironically.

            Our group mused at the possibility of Socrates merely being a character created in Plato's writing. Although it's unlikely, it is sort of amusing to imagine. Talk about the longest running joke in history. But even if Socrates had not been a real person, it probably wouldn't change much. After all, what we remember often becomes what happens. Today, Socrates still lives on, not only in the ancient writings of Plato, but also in the minds of many, perpetuated by the blossoming of questions, through which a memory of him will always remain.