Western Moral Thinkers:

Socrates:
First systematic moral thinker in western philosophical tradition.
Lived in 5 th century BC (469-399).
He belonged to Athenian republic in ancient Greece.
He led an exemplary life spending most of his in philosophical discussion.
Socrates was somewhat critical of democracy that was prevalent in Athens at that time
this was a contributory factor in his trail.
He was accused of corrupting youth and of impiety towards gods. At the end of the trail,
Socrates was condemned to death.
Political activists like Henry David Thoreau, Gandhi and Martin Luther King were inspired by
him.
His pupil Plato, a great philosopher, outlines many Socratic ideas in the famous dialogues
Apology, Republic, Phaedo, Protagoras, Meno, and Gorgias.
The philosophical interests of Socrates, unlike those of his predecessors, were ethical rather
than scientific. He did not speculate the origin and nature of the universe.
According to Socrates, the only worthwhile pursuit for men is virtue the noble and the
praiseworthy.
Unjust acts signify improper behaviour towards others.
Socrates holds that no one knowingly does what is bad. This is the view known as moral
intellectualism.
But this runs counter to the fact that men often err knowingly and are unable to resist
temptations.
Socrates advocates mild ascetism.
Socrates was a reflective moralist who analysed the moral categories then emerging into
contemporary discourse. Platonic dialogues are discussions of definition of ethical terms-
i.e., temperance or moderation, friendship, courage.
Socrates says, the unexamined life is not worth living.
Socrates has given a new direction to the prevalent moral values. He shifted attention from
heroic virtues. His conception of citizenship emphasizes the individuals own powers of
independent reason, argument and judgement.

Many people believe that Socrates most important contribution to modern thinking was his
method of questioning or inquiry which became known as Socratic Method of method of
elenchus.

Socratic Method or Method of Elenchus:
Socratic method (also known as method of elenchus or Socratic debate), named after
the classical Greek philosopher Socrates, is a form of inquiry and discussion between
individuals, based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and
to illuminate ideas.
The Socratic Method is a negative method of hypothesis elimination, in that better
hypotheses are found by steadily identifying and eliminating those that lead to
contradictions. It was designed to force one to examine ones one beliefs and validity of
such beliefs.
It is a dialectical method, often involving a discussion in which the defence of one point
of view is questioned; one participant may lead another to contradict himself in some
way, thus strengthening the inquirer's own point.
The extent, to which this method is employed to bring out definitions implicit in the
interlocutors' beliefs, or to help them further their understanding, is called the method
of maieutics.
Socratic Ignorance:
It is important to note that Socrates himself did not claim to know better than others. Socrates
started from a position of ignorance and sought the truth. At the end he has no dogma program for
us to follow just a method for seeking the truth for ourselves, without any guarantee that we will
find it.
Philosophy practiced by Socrates is an open system.
His phrase "I know that I know nothing" or "I know one thing: that I know nothing" sometimes called
the Socratic paradox, is a well-known saying that is derived from Plato's account of the Greek
philosopher Socrates.














Plato: