Socrates

     Socrates (born 469BC, died 399BC) was a great philosopher who taught by asking questions. When teachers ask questions that encourage students to draw conclusions, they are using the "Socratic method" of teaching. It was once said that the gods had pronounced Socrates the wisest of the people because he knew how little he knew. Socrates asked many questions, but he gave few answers. He often denied knowing the answers to the questions he asked.

     Socrates was a well known teacher in Athens. He drifted around the city with his students, engaging many people in arguments about "justice," "bravery," and "piety." Since he was highly skilled in rhetoric, he often made the leaders of Athens look foolish. He encouraged his students to reconsider the old ways of doing things.

     The leaders of Athens did not want a critic in their city. They threatened to bring Socrates to trial for corrupting the youth of Athens by encouraging them to consider new ideas. The leaders expected Socrates to leave Athens, but Socrates, then seventy years old, stayed and stood trial. In 399BC, Socrates was found guilty and forced to drink a poison called hemlock.