The Man Who Asked Questions Flashcards
How long ago in Athens was a man (Socrates) put to death for asking too many questions?
About 2,400 years ago in Athens a man was put to death for asking too many questions.
How was Socrates described?
Snub-nosed, podgy, shabby, and a bit strange, Socrates did not fit in.
What insect did Socrates seem himself as and why?
He saw himself as one of those horseflies that have a nasty bite—a gadfly. They’re irritating, but don’t do serious harm.
What were Sophists?
Sophists were clever teachers who would coach their students in the art of speech-making.
Why didn’t Socrates charge for his services as a Sophist?
Socrates didn’t charge for hos services. In fact, he claimed he didn’t know anything, so how could he teach at all?
Where does the word ‘philosopher’ come from?
The word ‘philosopher’ comes from the Greek words meaning ‘love of wisdom’.
What were the Platonic dialogues?
Plato wrote down a series of conversations between Socrates and the people he questioned. These are known as the Platonic Dialogues and are great works of literature as well as philosophy—in some ways Plato was the Shakespeare of his time.
In Plato’s cave analogy, what is “The man who breaks free” compared to?
The man who breaks free is like a philosopher.
What is Plato’s Theory of Forms?
Think of all the circles you have seen in your life. Was any one of them a perfect circle? No. Not one of them was absolutely perfect. In a perfect circle every point on its circumference is exactly the same distance from the center point. Real circles never quite achieve this. But you understood what i meant when I used the words ‘perfect circle.’ So what is that perfect circle? Plato would say that the idea of a perfect circle is the Form of a circle. If you want to understand what a circle is, you should focus on the Form of a circle, not actual circles that you can draw and experience through your visual sense, all of which are imperfect in some way. Similarly, Plato thought, if you want to understand what goodness is, then you need to concentrate on the Form of goodness, not in particular examples of it that you witness. Philosophers are people who are best suited to think about the Forms in this abstract way; ordinary people get led astray by the world as they grasp it through their senses.
In The Republic, Plato’s most famous work, he described an imaginary perfect society. What were the different rankings?
- Philosophers would be at the top and would get a special education; but they would sacrifice their own pleasures for the sake of the citizens they ruled.
- Beneath them would be the soldiers who were trained to defend the country
- Beneath them would be the workers
In what year did an Athenian citizen take Socrates to court?
In 399 BC, when Socrates was 70 years old, one of them [Athenians], Meletus, took him to court.
How old was Socrates when he was taken to court?
In 399 BC, when Socrates was 70 years old, one of them [Athenians], Meletus, took him to court.
Why was Socrates taken to court?
- The Athenians believed that Socrates was neglecting the Athenian gods, introducing gods of his own
- It was also suggested that Socrates was teaching the young men of Athens to behave badly, encouraging them to turn against the authorities.
How many citizens made up the jury on Socrates’ case?
Just over half of the 501 citizens who made up the huge jury thought he was, and sentenced him to death.
How was Socrates executed?
He was forced to drink poison made from hemlock, a plant that gradually paralyses the body.
