Reflection 11

Socrates was a Greek philosopher and a very important founder of the Western philosophical traditon. His major contribution to the Western train of thoought is his method of enquiry also known as the method of elenchos. The method of elenchos is the foundation of much later Western philosophy. His main focus were the five virtues which are : piety, wisdom, temperance, courage and justice. He would question other men that were known to be wise and lead them to believe that their beliefs made no sense at all. He himself taught to be ignorant in those types of matters. However, because he was aware of his ignorance he felt that meant he was wise. Unfortunately, Socrates left no writings. The only reason we know of his work is because of his contemporaries such as, Plato and Xenophon. He lived during a transitional time from the height of the Anthenian Empire was defeated by the Spartan coalition. People who were supposed to be wise back then did not appreciate his questions. Socrates believed that the unexamined life was not worth living. To him the purpose of life was to "inquire into ethics." Socrates did not teach in schools and he did not charge for his teachings. His method of teaching was by asking questions to someone and forcing them to believe in their own beliefs of ethics. He claimed that he did not have knowledge. He felt that he only had knowledge when iot came to elenchus which dod not include epistomology. He did not see hisself as a teacher. He only taught by getting those who would listen to him to think. According to Socrates, the highest type of wisdom was practical and definitely not general. To Socrates, happiness was moral excellence. His main interest was the five cardinal virutes. When he asked questions about these virtues people would realize the flaws in their beliefs. A virtue is simply a chracter trait that is conbsidered to be the right thing to do in a society. On the contray, a vice is the corruption of a virtue. One of the five virtues that he focused on is piety. This is basically the desire and willingness to practice religious tasks. Because religion is like the only way to win the forgiveness of deitities, piety is a traditional virtue. Next, is wisdom. The definition of wisdom is the ability to incline and make choices that stand the test of time. It is very important to understand that a wise choice usually is to be made from information that is not complete. The justification does not have to be based upon a reak belief. Another virtue is temperance. It is the practice of moderation. In the Hellenic culture temperance is very vital. It can be applied to as the avoidance of crazy behavior. The fourth virtue that Socrates was interestred in is courage. Courage is the ability to overcome your fears during pain, danger, or intimidation. Last but not leastm, there is justice. It is the ability to recognize ones debts and to simply pay them.