As you might have guessed from the painting, this article is about Socrates, The father of western philosophy. Surprisingly, Socrates never wrote a line in his life! All what we know about him is from the writings of his student Plato who also went on to become a great philosopher. Plato tutored Alexander the Great who would then be responsible for spreading the Greek philosophy (as developed by Socrates) throughout the known world through his conquests. Socrates was born in c. 469/470 BCE to the sculptor Sophronicus and the mid-wife Phaenarete. He studied music, gymnastics, and grammar in his youth and became a sculptor like his father. "True knowledge comes from one's inner self" Socrates often compared philosophy to what his mother was doing, a midwife: She wasn't responsible for "giving birth" but responsible for helping in "giving birth". Well, if you're someone who studies math you'll understand this very well! knowledge in books is only responsible for "giving birth" to the true knowledge you have in your "inner self", which we call intuition! you can't really understand much in mathematics or physics without some sort of intuition. Textbooks only help you to bring your "own" knowledge into life. That was Socrates' mission, to help people "give birth" to true knowledge and not just smack them in the face with it. Socrates spent most of his time with those whom he met in streets or the market, he loved to play the role of the ignorant or the dumbest, aka Socratic Mockery, just to force people to think. He would force people to realize the flaws and idiocy in their own beliefs. If you met him by accident in the market, then may God help you, you're going to be the laughing stock of Athena. That's why a lot of people found him annoying, especially those who were in authority. Athena was a lazy horse and Socrates was like an annoying fly that was trying to keep this horse alive. And what do we do with an annoying fly? I mean, Socrates was of course not trying to be annoying, but there was something inside him that left him no choice, "A divine inner voice" as he said was pushing him. He was accused of corrupting the minds of the youth of Athena. He was accused of not believing in the gods of the state and bringing new gods into Athena. What happens when someone tries to demolish the old gods of the state? He was sentenced to death by the drinking of a mixture containing poison hemlock. He could have asked for mercy, he could have saved his life if he accepted to leave Athena, but if he did that, he wouldn't be true to himself. He valued truth and his conscience more than he valued his life. He drank the poison and died next to his friends and his students. The trial of Socrates and the trial of Jesus bear great resemblances. Both of them could have saved their lives, but they carried a message and they needed to carry this message to the very end, even if this meant their death. Their tragic death caused millions of people to follow them. Now, I will leave you with Socrates' speech in front of the jury after being sentenced to death. With his final words, he lays down a philosophy for living. "I go to die, and you to live"
