Socrates
469–399 BC — Greece
Era: Ancient
Brilliance: 10/10 | Stewardship: 8/10 | Composite Index: 80
He knew that he knew nothing. They killed him for it.
"The unexamined life is not worth living."
Biography
The father of Western philosophy who revolutionized thinking by questioning everything and everyone, including himself. His relentless pursuit of wisdom through dialogue and his famous admission of ignorance laid the foundation for rational inquiry that still shapes intellectual discourse today.
Key Facts
- Never wrote anything down - all we know comes from his students like Plato
- Developed the Socratic Method of teaching through questions rather than answers
- Was sentenced to death for 'corrupting youth' and 'impiety' against Athenian gods
- Chose to drink hemlock rather than flee Athens, staying true to his principles
- Served as a soldier in the Peloponnesian War before becoming a philosopher
Asked too many questions. Athens gave him poison.
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