Socrates: the man who asked "why?"

Have you ever just felt like asking "why" something is the way it is? Well, you might just be continuing an ancient philosophical journey if you have.

Socrates Address by Belgian artist Louis Joseph Lebrun, 1867. Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Socrates lives in Athens, Greece about 2,400 years ago. He came from an ordinary family, his father was a stonemason and sculptor and his mother was a midwife. He served as a hoplite in the Athenian army during the Peloponnesian War, and initially followed in this father's footsteps as a stonemason before dedicating his life to philosophy.

Everyday, Socrates would go out to the agora, the busy marketplace at the heart of Athens. It was packed with traders, farmers, and citizens who would meet or shop there. Socrates wouldn't sell anything and apparently he was a bit scruffy, often barefoot and wearing a simple cloak. He would stop people to ask them questions instead. It is said that he would ask questions of anybody: craftspeople, politicians, soldiers, and poets.

He would ask them big questions, like:

• What is courage?

• What makes someone fair?

• What does it mean to be a good friend?

Everyone thought they had the answers, which seemed obvious at first. But when Socrates asked "Why?" and "How do you know?", they often found that they weren't so sure after all.

A friend of Socrates asked the famous Oracle of Delphi whether anyone in Greece was wiser than Socrates, and the Oracle said no! Socrates was puzzled, because he didn't feel wise at all. After thinking about it (and maybe asking some questions), he decided that he might be wise because he knew how much he didn't know, while others pretended that they knew everything.

Portrait of Socrates. Marble, Roman artwork (1st century), perhaps a copy of a lost bronze statue made by Lysippos. Image via Wikimedia Commons.

He thought that admitting when you're not sure about something wasn't a weakness, but an opportunity to learn. Is it hard for you to say "I don't know"? Why?

Socrates never wrote any of these conversations down. We really only know about him because of his student, Plato, who took notes of their conversations. This makes it a bit hard to really understand Socrates!

Socrates became so influential that we call this way of asking questions the Socratic Method! He wasn't telling people what to think but rather asking questions that helped them work it out for themselves. Teachers, scientists and lawyers still use this method today.

Aspasia conversing with famous men (Museum Pouchkkine). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

You can try it for yourself with a Socratic Circle!

1. Sit in a circle with a partner or small group.

2. Pick a big question, such as "Is it ever okay to break a promise?"

3. One person gives an answer. Everyone else asks one question about it, using starters like:

   1. What do you mean by...?

   2. Can you give an example?

   3. Why do you think that?

   4. What if someone disagreed?

4. The rule: no one is allowed to say "you're wrong." You can only ask questions.

5. At the end, share whether anyone's thinking has changed.

It's important to understand why we think or act like we do. Finding out can give us the power to change our habits, improve ourselves, and avoid quick fixes that might lead to bigger problems. Socrates thought that asking questions might be more powerful than giving answers - do you agree? What is one big question that you'd like to ask?

Until next time,

λεῖος πλόος!

Written by Eleanor-Scarlett Russell

Education and Programs Officer

Hellenic Museum

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