Socrates and Plato: An Analysis of their Teachings

The entire collection of philosophic knowledge developed by the ancient Greeks is due in large part to the scholastic efforts of Socrates and his student, Plato. Despite the magnitude of his influence, renowned intellect Socrates was not particularly well-known for his writing ability. Instead, it was his uncanny passion for intelligent and enlightening discourse that brought his teachings to a worldwide audience. His pupil and fellow countryman Plato was better adapted to the demands of written language, and it was through Plato that the world was exposed to the mass of collective knowledge and insight of the two men. The interaction between teacher and student certainly left quite an impression on the young Plato, but he undoubtedly developed his own unique, groundbreaking perspectives that still have an important place in modern society. From stimulating banter to governmental revision, Socrates and Plato provided the world with a wide array of intellectual tools that pushed mankind further and further along in the quest for truth.

Socrates was born in Greece to a sculptor and a midwife. From a young age, he was mentored by some of the most prominent philosophers of his time. He quickly took a liking to the question-and-answer approach to knowledge taught to him by Parmenides. Socrates differed from his fellow philosophers in that he preferred investigating the inner workings of the human mind, as opposed to the mysteries of the natural world. He did so by luring the human mind out into the open with the help of lively, thoughtful conversation. According to John Chaffee, author of The Philosopher’s Way, Socrates brought philosophy “out of the clouds and into the marketplace.” Chaffee is saying that the ancient Greek philosopher popularized an informal approach to the conversational tolerance of lofty, thought-provoking concepts. Socrates developed resentment for the people he saw living life “as if they were sleeping.” He believed that the key to happiness was living the “examined” life, meaning that one should constantly remain aware and observant of his or her surroundings. Therefore, he made a habit of sparking passionate verbal interplay with the people in his town, providing others with an easily-absorbed form of observational philosophy. Socrates believed that ideas and experiences were meant to be shared and that all parties involved in a discussion could benefit from being exposed to different points of view.

By honing the question-and-answer method first introduced to him by Parmenides, Socrates developed the Socratic Method, which is the “dynamic approach of questioning and intellectual analysis to draw answers out of people rather than lecture them.” This system of intellectual transfer, as Chaffee writes, is metaphorically represented by the fact that Socrates’ mother was a midwife. His mother did not give birth herself, but rather eased the process of giving birth for others. In that same vein, Socrates did not produce knowledge for those with whom he interacted; he simply allowed them an easier way to discover it for themselves by carefully crafting his questions. He enjoyed using his conversational skills to coax others into creating their own knowledge. As more of his interlocutors developed enlightened points of view, Socrates gained more and more knowledge from his discussions.

What made his quest for insight interesting, however, is that he believed that human knowledge was ultimately insignificant. When an oracle (whose declarations were held in high regard at the time) pronounced Socrates “the wisest of men,” he recoiled in skepticism and became determined to either verify or disprove the claim. In Plato’s The Apology, Socrates says in his own words,” But, my friends, I believe that the god is really wise and that by this oracle he meant that human wisdom is worth little or nothing.” He arrived at the conclusion that the oracle’s words were actually implying that all men are equally unwise and that he himself was only slightly more so.

Plato, the man who put this example of Socrates’ humility into the written word, was unfortunately burdened with the task of building an objective description of the trial that put Socrates to death. Plato’s mentor was highly critical of prominent Athenians of the time and he made plenty of enemies. Socrates was charged with “corrupting” the youth with his teachings as well as impiety, or not believing in the gods of the state. He put up a defiant verbal defense, maintaining his views on inquisition and examination. Nonetheless, he was sentenced to death. The silver lining to the unjust death of one of the world’s greatest philosophers was the chance for one of his brightest students to step forward. Plato knew that his written account of the trial would be carefully examined by his contemporaries, so despite his ties to Socrates, he knew he had to remain impartial and provide an honest, factual account of the trial’s proceedings. This profound integrity revealed a deeply-set devotion to his pursuit of truth that would be further developed as Plato’s life as a philosopher continued.

Plato agreed with several of Socrates’ propositions and even developed some of them to a further extent. Socrates believed in the importance of the soul, claiming that it contained the summation of all one’s thoughts, beliefs, feelings, and experiences. He believed that it was the single most important component of a person. Plato shared this conviction, even going so far as to say that life is “the imprisonment of the soul in a body.” He taught about the possibility of the soul living before and after one’s mortal life and spread the idea that it was highly beneficial to nurture one’s soul with self-examination and worthwhile experiences. One of the most famous ideas from Plato that has been handed down over time, however, is his commentary on what he believes is the ideal form of government.

Plato had seen different types of ruling bodies whimsically flourish and fail and as a result, he decided to conjure an image of his ideal type of state in his dialogue, called The Republic. Having been taught by philosophers for much of his life, Plato understood the wisdom and mental aptitude that came with years of living the examined life. He only saw it fit to assert that the ablest and appropriate leader for a republic would be, as he described it, a “philosopher-king.” Plato postulated that the best type of leadership would be a person who is politically strong and aggressive enough to be a king, but sufficiently keen and reasonable to be considered a philosopher. He was unsatisfied by the democracy in Athens because he observed that legal decisions were not often grounded in logic and observation, but rather by emotion and wealth. This was because the majority of civilians were unfit as philosophers, lacking the ability to consistently make reasonable and wise decisions regarding the views of state. It was necessary for a qualified philosopher to assume a position of power to guarantee the security and future of Plato’s ideal society.

Nonetheless, utopic political views aside, it is certain that Socrates and Plato collectively brought forth a wave of novel theories and concepts about the art of reason and logic that have been put into practice by countless societies since their time. Socrates ignited the public’s participation in the examined life with his invitations to the spirited conversation, and Plato’s written accounts of Socrates’ trial as well as his theories about government and the soul breathed new life into the field of philosophy. Even though Socrates was tragically put to death by fear and misunderstanding, Plato’s dedication to fact and truth have allowed Socrates’ teachings to survive for centuries. These two philosophers had humble beginnings that eventually bloomed into some of the most prolific intellectual advancements in mankind’s history.

Work Cited

Chaffee, John. The Philosopher's Way: A Text with Readings: Thinking Critically About Profound Ideas. Boston, MA: Prentice Hall, 2011. Print.