Socrates: The Philosopher We Think He Is?

(That title sounds very much like a tabloid title, in retrospect. But I assure you, this reading is much more wholesome).

Arguably the most important philosopher that ever existed on the face of the planet, Socrates' importance to the study of philosophy is one that should not be understated. Because of him and his constant questioning of the world around us, he provoked the people of Athens to look deeper inside themselves to really question what they believed. Because of his constant badgering of the people and his just plain...weirdness, Socrates earned himself a reputation as one of Athens' most beloved scholars, much to the chagrin of those who wished not to "rock the boat".

But instead of discussing the life and accolades of our great dear leader our esteemed philosopher, our discussion decided to take another turn. In a very Socratic fashion (if I do say so myself), we decided that no one, not even Socrates, is safe from the philosophical wrath that is Socrates. Which leads me directly into our discussion topic of the day:

Is Socrates truly a Philosopher? 

Even in the darkened hallways of neglected underground corridors, a select few of the secretive Socratic Freedom Fighters for Justice continue to leave their mark on the defiled walls of humanity, avenging their long lost leader and carrying on his legacy. If your soul is one that desperately clings to the tattered veil of ignorance, hide your kids, hide your wife, and hide your husband, because they're questioning everyone out there. 

Now, I realize the gravity of what I just said (the question, not the caption) must surely have some of you scratching your heads. "How can one of the most influential figures in philosophy not actually be a philosopher?" Shocking, right? Well, to be honest, Socrates, like philosophy, is whatever you make him out to be. And because of the broad definition that we so beautifully defined in our last post, this makes nailing down the attributes of philosophers a little bit difficult. As a result, two arguments were formed: The yes camp and the no camp.

The no camp offers up an argument based on the role that Socrates actually played in developing philosophical theories. We all know that Socrates was basically one of the most infuriating and confusing men in Athens (what we call a Troll on the internet, more on this later), and that his antics, while not mainstream in the least, would gather him a school of followers that would go on to form the foundation of philosophy. But, very little is known about what Socrates actually thought about the questions he put forth, and while everyone knows he loved to question others, the debate on who this man actually is rages on to this day, nearly 2,500 years later, and we're no closer to figuring out what this man thought about the world than our ancestors were. Can a man, who never actually publicly put forth any kind of theories on the truths of the world or about human nature really be considered a philosopher? The no camp doesn't think so. 

However, the yes camp would stand to disagree. If you consider the personal journey for knowledge and the truth to be the makings of a philosopher, than we would have to accept Socrates' own quest of for the truth to others to be all the validation we need. If a man decides he wants to better himself by learning about the philosophies of others and then using those to mold his own philosophical theories about the world, but never records it or shares it with others, is that person a philosopher? The yes camp stands behind this one. 

Regardless of whether you think Socrates is just the Father of Philosophy or actually its first participant, the impact his questioning had on the Athens, on the study of philosophy, and on the development of Western thought and society cannot be underscored. Although, maybe this is one life that's better left unexamined after all. 

Freebies of the Day 

(It's amazing I'm awake enough to type these. Maybe I should coordinate with Up @ Dawn so we can post together! (I'm kidding!))

Something to Chew On - If you answered yes to this questions posed in, then the logical conclusion drawn from is that answer is that you have to consider anyone seriously searching for truth and wisdom about this world and beyond to be a philosopher. So does that make us, students of philosophy, sort of mini-philosophers as well? And for those who answered no, at what point must a person reach to "officially" be considered a philosopher? Do they just have to spread their theories around from person to person? Or must they actually have a Ph.D is Philosophy and published papers and articles on their particular thinkings? Chime in below. 

Quizzler Question! - Why is the life of Socrates so important to the early days of Philosophy?

Answer: Because Socrates was the first person to challenge people's conceptions and preconceived notions about the world, he is famous for making the people of Athens think critically about how they lived their lives

And now for a special announcement, from the people of group one to the people of the world. Despite our debate on the status of Socrates in our discussions, we all agree that the thought-provoking and engaging model of Socratic dialogue is one that was effective in getting people to think about what they really believed in. In an effort to elicit the same, thought-provoking responses from others in our discussion (with hopefully less poison in our future), as well as to honor Socrates for his method of questioning others and just being plain annoying in his work, we have decided to name our group:

TROLLFACE SOCRATES!!!

(Information for the Uninitiated and Casual Internet Users Courtesy of Wikipedia)

In the spirit of the Internet and of Philosophy, until next time. 

HOUSEKEEPING: I realize this post is three (well, four now) days late, and in the future, I will try my best to get these up within 24 hours of the end of Introduction to Philosophy. Sorry about the schedule slip.