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Socrates.
(470BC-399BC)
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Socrates.
Socrates(469-399 B.C.E.) was a classical Greek
Athenian

philosopher. Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, he is an enigmatic figure known chiefly through the accounts of later classical writers, especially the writings of his students Plato and Xenophon, and the plays of his contemporary Aristophanes. Many would claim that Plato's dialogues are the most comprehensive accounts of Socrates to survive from antiquity.

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LIFE OF SOCRATES
Childhood. Almost nothing is known of the

childhood of Socrates but it can be assumed from his later display of learning that he attended the schools of Athens until he entered military service at age eighteen. warfare with Sparta, participating in the battles of Petidaea, Delium, and Amphipolis. In the course of the battle of Petidaea he saved the life of Alcibiades, the popular Athenian general.

Military Hero.Socrates served Athens in the

Marriage. Socrates married Xanthippe. She is

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PHILOSOPHER AND TEACHER.

Socrates devoted most of his adult life to the

development of a philosophy and to teaching those followers who attached themselves to his dialogue discussion groups. Socrates was distinctive for: all later Greek philosophers.

a. Devotion to Ethics an attitude which influenced b. Development of the Inductive Method of

reasoning.

c. Linking Knowledge to Happiness. He believed

that knowledge, or insight, was the foundation of virtue and happiness.

d. Rationalism. Socrates believed that man was

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THE PHILOSOPHY OF SOCRATES.

Although Socrates wrote no books, his philosophy is

known through the writing of historians and of his students, and especially through the writings of Plato. Major ideas in the Socratic philosophy were:

1. THE PROPER STUDY OF PHILOSOPHY IS

MAN. Socrates was not concerned with metaphysical questions as such. He believed that philosophy should achieve practical results in the form of greater well-being for man the individual and for mankind as a society. Hence, the proper study of philosophy is man. In pursuit of this study, Socrates' interests were centered in ethics and politics.

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SOCRATIC METHOD
Athens became the classroom of Socrates. He went

about asking questions of authorities and of the man in the street in order to arrive at political and ethical truths. He questioned groups of his students as a means of instruction, to compel them to think a problem through to a logical conclusion. His dialectic method, or method of investigating problems through dialogue discussions, came to be known as the Socratic method. It involved: knew no answers. His assumed ignorance or willingness to learn from others was the background for adroit questioning to reveal the t truth or expose the error of the answers he received.

1. SOCRATIC IRONY. Socrates pretended that he

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Philosophy of education

As an academic field, philosophy of education is

"the philosophical study of education and its problems...its central subject matter is education, and its methods are those of philosophy .The philosophy of education may be either the philosophy of the process of education or the philosophy of the discipline of education. That is, it may be part of the discipline in the sense of being concerned with the aims, forms, methods, or results of the process of educating or being educated; or it may be met disciplinary in the sense of being concerned with the concepts, aims, and methods of the discipline. As such, it is both part of the field of education and a field of applied philosophy, drawing

THE EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS OF SOCRATIC THOUGHT of Socrates to education were: The contributions
1. TEACHING METHOD. The Socratic method

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offers the following advantages to teaching act: problem which must be analyzed, e.g. "What is your opinion about the nature of justice?"

a. Problem Centered. The dialectic begins with a

b. Based Upon Student Experience. The student

responds on the basis of his own knowledge and experience. for his statements. The teacher analyzes some of the possible consequences of the student's

c. Critical Thinking. The student is held responsible

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. PURPOSE OF EDUCATION DEFINED.

The aims of education as derived from Socratic

thought are:

a. Self-knowledge. The educated man is wise when

he knows himself.
b. Individual Moral Good. The acquisition of

knowledge is valuable for man because it makes him virtuous and happy. Socrates repudiated any ornamental theory of knowledge. In similar fashion Socrates would deplore the use of knowledge merely for material success in life. Knowledge is ethically and morally important for all men. in critically appraising propositions through the

c. Skill in Thinking. Each man must develop his skill

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Socratic Questions
Socrates was one of the greatest educators who

taught by asking questions and thus drawing out answers from his pupils ('ex duco', means to 'lead out', which is the root of 'education'). Sadly, he martyred himself by drinking hemlock rather than compromise his principles. asked his pupils. Probably often to their initial annoyance but more often to their ultimate delight. He was a man of remarkable integrity and his story makes for marvelous reading.

Here are the six types of questions that Socrates

The overall purpose of Socratic questioning, is to

challenge accuracy and completeness of thinking in

Conceptual clarification questions about what exactly they are Get them to think more
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asking or thinking about. Prove the concepts behind their argument. Use basic 'tell me more' questions that get them to go deeper.

Why are you saying that? What exactly does this mean? How does this relate to what we have been talking

about?

What is the nature of ...? What do we already know about this? Can you give me an example?

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Probing assumptions
Probing their assumptions makes them think about

the presuppositions and unquestioned beliefs on which they are founding their argument. This is shaking the bedrock and should get them really going!

What else could we assume? You seem to be assuming ... ? How did you choose those assumptions? Please explain why/how ... ? How can you verify or disprove that assumption? What would happen if ... ?

Probing rationale, reasons and When they give a rationale for their arguments, dig evidence than assuming it is a into that reasoning rather
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given. People often use un-thought-through or weakly-understood supports for their arguments.
Why is that happening? How do you know this? Show me ... ? Can you give me an example of that? What do you think causes ... ? What is the nature of this? Are these reasons good enough?

Questioning viewpoints and perspectives a particular Most arguments are given from
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position. So attack the position. Show that there are other, equally valid, viewpoints. reasonable?

Another way of looking at this is ..., does this seem What alternative ways of looking at this are there? Why it is ... necessary? Who benefits from this? What is the difference between... and...? Why is it better than ...? What are the strengths and weaknesses of...?

Probe implications and consequences

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The argument that they give may have logical

implications that can be forecast. Do these make sense? Are they desirable?

Then what would happen? What are the consequences of that assumption? How could ... be used to ... ? What are the implications of ... ? How does ... affect ... ? How does ... fit with what we learned before? Why is ... important?

Questions about the question

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And you can also get reflexive about the whole

thing, turning the question in on itself. Use their attack against themselves. Bounce the ball back into their court, etc.

What was the point of asking that question? Why do you think I asked this question? Am I making sense? Why not? What else might I ask? What does that mean?

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Conclusion.
Socrates was a great thinker, teacher, and

philosopher of his time. He invented a new way of thinking to sense the life in real way. Socrates develops the method of questioning to know the fact of the things.