Socrates

~470–399 BCE · Greek (Athenian) · Classical Athens

Known for: Father of Western philosophy who never wrote a word — he just asked annoying questions until Athens killed him for it

Socrates was an Athenian philosopher who revolutionized thought by shifting philosophy from cosmology to ethics and human behavior. He left no writings — everything we know comes from his students Plato and Xenophon. His method of relentless questioning (the Socratic method) exposed contradictions in people's beliefs, making him both beloved by students and hated by Athens's powerful.

In 399 BCE, Athens put him on trial for impiety and corrupting the youth. He was convicted by a slim majority and sentenced to death by hemlock. He refused friends' offers to help him escape, arguing that a philosopher must accept the laws of his city even when unjust. He drank the poison calmly, making his death one of history's most famous philosophical acts.

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