Socrates way of doing things may sound irrational and weird not just in that era but even in today’s time but when enough time is given to his thoughts and ideas it became clear why he is considered as one of the wisest of all time.
We all seem to be familiar with the idea that there is so much knowledge in the world and we humans have barely scratched the surface but Socrates is the one who practised this thought every second of his life. When he observed in Athens that people do not care that their beliefs and ideas hold any logical ground or not, it startled him. He began to pursue others by asking them questions and engaging them in debates. His lifetime efforts finally caused the wave which later formed the basis of philosophy in the west. Now a well known art of logic and reasoning to derive conclusions.
Socrates had not written anything about his thoughts and whatever we know comes from the writings of his students, most notably from Plato. There were some decisive moments in his life that seem foolish and irrational. One such occasion was the time when he was in prison before the death punishment his friends came to rescue him but he refused them. He composedly explained how he could foresee where his actions would lead him to and how he look forward to experience so called death.
Another ineffable moment was when he was given the cup of poison. Instead of fearing or shivering, he remained calm as usual. Yet those present there were crying and making a scene. He then humbly requested everyone to either be quiet or leave just because he believed that a person should die in peace. Later when he consumed the poison even then he busied himself speculating the effect of poison. Maybe even those last moments were invested in filling his thirst to know.
Such was the demeanour of the mighty Socrates stating ” I know that I know nothing”.
The following writing was inspired from ‘Apology, Crito, and Phaedo of Socrates by Plato’.
