SOCRATES (469 – 399 BCE)
"It is not living that matters, but living rightly."
Quality Over Quantity
Socrates's quote explains what it means to live your life. It says that living its self is not what matters, but how you live, and how you treat others in your life time. Socrates is stressing the importance of being a good person, and living in quality not quantity. This means that instead of focusing on how long you live, and what you posess, focusing on how you live, and respecting others. This was typical of Socrates, because he believed in teaching the youth and educating them, meaning that he would be helping others and live more pure in doing that. He used a method where he would give advice to people instead of asking questions. He also studied the idea of weakness of will, and if it ever truly existed. He decided that when people thought about a situation, the idea that the benefits could outweigh the troubles, mattered more to people than what they thought was the right thing to do. He said that decisions were made purely on measurements, not out of right or wrong (Which is known as the art of measurement). Little did Socrates know, according to society he was corrupting the youth with these teachings. He definitely viewed his philosophy, and ways of informing as good, and educational, but society didn't believe that, and in the end Socrates was sentenced to death, and was forced to drink hemlock (a poison).
Greek Culture and Society in Relation to Socrates Ideas?
In addition to Socrates giving his insightful knowledge and showing purity through his actions, he also introduced more gods to worship to new generations of people. The Greeks believed in many different gods in which they didn't all worship at once. Socrates introduced the youth to many new, and different ones, and was not liked for it. Because the Greeks based their everyday lives off of the gods, the culture was greatly impacted. The foundation of the a culture is generally its youth, and if the youths patterns of thinking are changed by Socrates and his ideas, then so will the future generations. Greek society did not like that, there for not liking Socrates.
Works Cited
"Good People".Google Images. 2007
History.com Staff. "Socrates." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 19 Sept. 2016. <http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/socrates>.
Kidder, Tracy. "You Do the Right Thing Even If It Makes You Feel Bad. The Purpose of Life Is Not to Be Happy but to Be Worthy of Happiness." N.d. N.p.
"Righteousness."Google Images.18 March 2013
"Socrates." Google Images. 22 December 2012
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"Socrates." Google Images. 4 January 2014