Ideas of Socrates, by Theme

[Greek, 469 - 399 BCE, Athenian. Lived as unpaid teacher. Executed for "impiety and corrupting the young". Taught Plato, Archelaus, Antisthenes. Never wrote.]

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1. Philosophy / C. History of Philosophy / 2. Ancient Philosophy / c. Classical philosophy
13773 For the truth you need Prodicus's fifty-drachma course, not his one-drachma course
1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 2. Invocation to Philosophy
343 The unexamined life is not worth living for men
1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 3. Philosophy Defined
7421 A philosopher is one who cares about what other people care about [Foucault]
1. Philosophy / D. Nature of Philosophy / 6. Hopes for Philosophy
1649 Socrates opened philosophy to all, but Plato confined moral enquiry to a tiny elite [Vlastos]
1. Philosophy / F. Analytic Philosophy / 1. Nature of Analysis
5842 Philosophical discussion involves dividing subject-matter into categories [Xenophon]
1. Philosophy / F. Analytic Philosophy / 2. Analysis by Division
648 Socrates began the quest for something universal with his definitions, but he didn't make them separate [Aristotle]
2. Reason / C. Styles of Reason / 1. Dialectic
164 It is legitimate to play the devil's advocate
2. Reason / C. Styles of Reason / 2. Elenchus
22099 The method of Socrates shows the student is discovering the truth within himself [Carlisle]
1647 In Socratic dialogue you must say what you believe, so unasserted premises are not debated [Vlastos]
115 Socrates was pleased if his mistakes were proved wrong
5844 Socrates always proceeded in argument by general agreement at each stage [Xenophon]
2. Reason / D. Definition / 6. Definition by Essence
11389 Socrates sought essences, which are the basis of formal logic [Aristotle]
4. Formal Logic / A. Syllogistic Logic / 1. Aristotelian Logic
639 Socrates developed definitions as the basis of syllogisms, and also inductive arguments [Aristotle]
8. Modes of Existence / D. Universals / 6. Platonic Forms / a. Platonic Forms
1652 Socrates did not consider universals or definitions as having separate existence, but Plato made Forms of them [Aristotle]
16. Persons / D. Continuity of the Self / 2. Mental Continuity / b. Self as mental continuity
1650 For Socrates our soul, though hard to define, is our self [Vlastos]
18. Thought / A. Modes of Thought / 5. Rationality / b. Human rationality
23252 Socrates first proposed that we are run by mind or reason [Frede,M]
20. Action / B. Preliminaries of Action / 2. Willed Action / d. Weakness of will
5843 People do what they think they should do, and only ever do what they think they should do [Xenophon]
5253 Socrates was shocked by the idea of akrasia, but observation shows that it happens [Aristotle]
195 No one willingly commits an evil or base act
199 The common belief is that people can know the best without acting on it
1653 Socrates did not accept the tripartite soul (which permits akrasia) [Vlastos]
20. Action / C. Motives for Action / 3. Acting on Reason / a. Practical reason
5839 For Socrates, wisdom and prudence were the same thing [Xenophon]
20. Action / C. Motives for Action / 3. Acting on Reason / b. Intellectualism
5867 For Socrates, virtues are forms of knowledge, so knowing justice produces justice [Aristotle]
5069 Socrates was the first to base ethics upon reason, and use reason to explain it [Taylor,R]
5836 All human virtues are increased by study and practice [Xenophon]
5840 The wise perform good actions, and people fail to be good without wisdom [Xenophon]
21. Aesthetics / A. Aesthetic Experience / 5. Natural Beauty
185 Socrates despised good looks [Plato]
22. Metaethics / A. Value / 2. Values / d. Death
344 If death is like a night of dreamless sleep, such nights are very pleasant
339 Men fear death as a great evil when it may be a great blessing
22. Metaethics / A. Value / 2. Values / g. Fine deeds
5837 Things are both good and fine by the same standard [Xenophon]
22. Metaethics / A. Value / 2. Values / i. Successful function
5838 A well-made dung basket is fine, and a badly-made gold shield is base, because of function [Xenophon]
22. Metaethics / B. The Good / 1. Goodness / e. Good as knowledge
3017 The only good is knowledge, and the only evil is ignorance [Diog. Laertius]
22. Metaethics / B. The Good / 2. Happiness / b. Eudaimonia
1646 Socrates was the first to put 'eudaimonia' at the centre of ethics [Vlastos]
22. Metaethics / C. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / j. Ethics by convention
5070 Socrates conservatively assumed that Athenian conventions were natural and true [Taylor,R]
23. Ethics / B. Contract Ethics / 8. Contract Strategies
2 We should not even harm someone who harms us
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 1. Virtue Theory / a. Nature of virtue
1663 By 'areté' Socrates means just what we mean by moral virtue [Vlastos]
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 2. Elements of Virtue Theory / c. Motivation for virtue
345 A good man cannot be harmed, either in life or in death
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 2. Elements of Virtue Theory / d. Teaching virtue
4323 Socrates is torn between intellectual virtue, which is united and teachable, and natural virtue, which isn't [PG]
8003 Socrates agrees that virtue is teachable, but then denies that there are teachers [MacIntyre]
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 2. Elements of Virtue Theory / e. Character
126 We should ask what sort of people we want to be
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 2. Elements of Virtue Theory / j. Unity of virtue
4111 Socrates believed that basically there is only one virtue, the power of right judgement [Williams,B]
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 3. Virtues / a. Virtues
7808 Socrates made the civic values of justice and friendship paramount [Grayling]
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 3. Virtues / c. Justice
346 One ought not to return a wrong or injury to any person, whatever the provocation
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 4. External Goods / c. Wealth
341 Wealth is good if it is accompanied by virtue
23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 1. Existentialism
7585 Socrates emphasises that the knower is an existing individual, with existence his main task [Kierkegaard]
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 7. Communitarianism / a. Communitarianism
5841 Obedience to the law gives the best life, and success in war [Xenophon]
25. Social Practice / D. Justice / 2. The Law / a. Legal system
347 Will I stand up against the law, simply because I have been unjustly judged?
25. Social Practice / D. Justice / 3. Punishment / b. Retribution for crime
1661 Socrates was the first to grasp that a cruelty is not justified by another cruelty [Vlastos]
25. Social Practice / F. Life Issues / 5. Sexual Morality
5846 A lover using force is a villain, but a seducer is much worse, because he corrupts character [Xenophon]
28. God / A. Divine Nature / 6. Divine Morality / b. Euthyphro question
1657 Socrates holds that right reason entails virtue, and this must also apply to the gods [Vlastos]
28. God / A. Divine Nature / 6. Divine Morality / c. God is the good
1662 A new concept of God as unswerving goodness emerges from Socrates' commitment to virtue [Vlastos]
28. God / C. Attitudes to God / 5. Atheism
338 Socrates is accused of denying the gods, saying sun is stone and moon is earth [Plato]