Plato IntelligenceEssays on Plato

Socrates

Socrates

The teacher, the trial, and the problem of telling the two of them apart.

Socrates wrote nothing. Nearly everything we know of him arrives through Plato, which creates the hardest source problem in ancient philosophy: where does the historical teacher end and the student's invention begin? Socrates' influence on Plato is total — and so is Plato's influence on the Socrates we have.

These essays cover the man, the method, the trial and the hemlock, and the long problem of telling the two philosophers apart.

29 essays, listed alphabetically.

Did Socrates Write Anything? Why He Left No Books539 w
Exploring Plato’s Early Life and Influences822 w
How did Socrates influence Plato's philosophy?2,098 w
How did Socrates mentor Plato?1,988 w
How to Understand Plato’s Early Education938 w
Plato's Apology: Summary of Socrates' Defense Speech2,120 w
Socrates Facts: 22 Things We Actually Know, With Their Sources2,161 w
Socrates Quotes: The Real Ones, Where They Come From, and the Fakes2,828 w
The Clouds by Aristophanes: The Comedy That Put Socrates on Stage1,819 w
The Death of Socrates: Hemlock, His Last Words and the Phaedo972 w
Top 10 Influential Figures in Plato’s Education968 w
Was Socrates a Real Person? The Socratic Problem Explained664 w
What Did Socrates Mean by “I Know That I Know Nothing”?634 w
What Is a Socratic Seminar? Definition, Format and How to Run One2,101 w
What Is Socratic Irony? Meaning, Examples and Why Socrates Used It1,104 w
What Is Socratic Questioning? Definition, Types and Examples1,756 w
What Is the Socratic Paradox? Meaning and Examples in Plato1,723 w
What Military Service Taught Plato946 w
What Plato’s Family and Upbringing Reveals880 w
What Were the Key Influences on Plato’s Education889 w
Who Taught Socrates? The Teachers Behind the Philosopher779 w
Who Was Alcibiades? The Brilliant, Reckless Student Socrates Couldn't Save2,029 w
Who Was Diotima? The Woman Who Taught Socrates About Love1,056 w
Who Was Protagoras? The First Sophist and Plato's Great Rival1,679 w
Who Was Xanthippe? Socrates’ Wife Beyond the Myth624 w
Who Was Xenophon? Soldier, Historian, and Fellow Student of Socrates2,034 w
Who Were the Sophists? Ancient Greece's First Paid Teachers2,059 w
Why Travel and Exposure Shaped Plato’s Philosophical Views962 w
Why Was Socrates Executed? The Charges, the Trial and the Verdict1,066 w