Ep. 142: Socrates – Top 5 Quotes
Intro
Hello and Welcome to this episode of the podcast, "The Mnemonic Tree", where we add a single mnemonic leaf to our Tree of Knowledge.
I’m Jans your Mnemonic Man and today's episode will be on, probably one of the biggest names in philosophy, in history, Socrates.
Socrates was a Greek philosopher that was born in Athens in either the year 469 or 470 B.C.E.
Famous for his Socratic method which includes asking a series of questions to help stimulate and promote critical thinking, Socrates philosophising would thus lead to a deeper and richer understanding of a subject. The method is said to have influenced the development of both logic and the scientific method.
Along with this, he also extolled the importance of ethical living and self-knowledge, and believed a life is not worth living unless examined.
He was a principled man that was also courageous having fought with valour in several battles. Unfortunately, his commitment to his principles and outspoken nature led to Socrates being sentenced to death for corrupting the youth and impiety. But Socrates being Socrates accepted his fate even though he had every chance of fleeing his impending doom.
Today’s mnemonic will be on Socrates top five quotes.
So, with that being said, we will begin with a summary from Wikipedia.
Wikipedia Summary
Socrates (/ˈsɒkrətiːz/;[1] Greek: Σωκράτης; c. 470–399 BC) was a Greek philosopher from Athens who is credited as the founder of Western philosophy and among the first moral philosophers of the ethical tradition of thought. An enigmatic figure, Socrates authored no texts and is known mainly through the posthumous accounts of classical writers, particularly his students Plato and Xenophon. These accounts are written as dialogues, in which Socrates and his interlocutors examine a subject in the style of question and answer; they gave rise to the Socratic dialogue literary genre. Contradictory accounts of Socrates make a reconstruction of his philosophy nearly impossible, a situation known as the Socratic problem. Socrates was a polarizing figure in Athenian society. In 399 BC, he was accused of impiety and corrupting the youth. After a trial that lasted a day, he was sentenced to death. He spent his last day in prison, refusing offers to help him escape.
Plato's dialogues are among the most comprehensive accounts of Socrates to survive from antiquity. They demonstrate the Socratic approach to areas of philosophy including epistemology and ethics. The Platonic Socrates lends his name to the concept of the Socratic method, and also to Socratic irony. The Socratic method of questioning, or elenchus, takes shape in dialogue using short questions and answers, epitomized by those Platonic texts in which Socrates and his interlocutors examine various aspects of an issue or an abstract meaning, usually relating to one of the virtues, and find themselves at an impasse, completely unable to define what they thought they understood. Socrates is known for proclaiming his total ignorance; he used to say that the only thing he was aware of was his ignorance, seeking to imply that the realization of our ignorance is the first step in philosophizing.
Socrates exerted a strong influence on philosophers in later antiquity and has continued to do so in the modern era. He was studied by medieval and Islamic scholars and played an important role in the thought of the Italian Renaissance, particularly within the humanist movement. Interest in him continued unabated, as reflected in the works of Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche. Depictions of Socrates in art, literature, and popular culture have made him a widely known figure in the Western philosophical tradition.
Extracted from: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socrates]
Mnemonic
Socrates – Top 5 Quotes Mnemonic – BuTT HoW
(Picture Socrates with a group of his followers and him continually challenging them by asking “but how?”)
1. Beware the barrenness of a busy life
2. True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing
3. There is no learning without remembering
4. He is richest who is content with the least
5. Wisdom begins in wonder
Five Fun Facts
1. The amazing thing about Socrates is that he didn’t write down his thoughts and ideas, rather just spoke them to his followers. Luckily for his memory two of his students, Plato and Xenophon, wrote about Socrates in their works, along with Greek playwright Aristophanes in his plays.
2. Socrates followed in his father’s footsteps and worked as a stonemason. His mother was a midwife, and his family was not wealthy, thus it is likely he didn’t have much of a formal education.
3. Not only was Socrates a philosopher and teacher, he was also a brave soldier. He fought during the Peloponnesian War between the city-states of Athens and Sparta. He served as a foot soldier called a “hoplite” in many battles and was noted for his courage and valour.
4. Socrates is known for his now named Socratic Method. This method is a way of teaching and exploring subjects where many questions would be asked, along with many possible answers discussed, to delve a deeper understanding of the subject.
5. After the Spartan defeat of Athens in the Peloponnesian War a group rose to power called the Thirty Tyrants. Their reign was tyrannical killing 5% of the Athenian population but only lasted eight months before they were replaced with a democracy. Socrates spoke out against democracy saying he feared a democracy would elect demagogues who would lack wisdom and use their elected position for personal gain rather than the common good. As a result, he was branded a traitor, went on trial, and was convicted and sentenced to death by drinking poison.
Three Question Quiz
Q.1. What century was Socrates born?
Q.2. Plato was a student of Socrates. Who was the most famous student of Plato?
Q.3. Who was Socrates married to? Options are Xanthippe, Athena, or Helen
Bonus Q. What was the name of the poison that Socrates drank after he was convicted and sentenced to death by drinking poison?
Bonus Q. Why did the pencil become a philosopher?
Mnemonic Recap
Socrates – Top 5 Quotes Mnemonic – BuTT HoW
(Picture Socrates with a group of his followers and him continually challenging them by asking “but how?”)
1. Beware the barrenness of a busy life
2. True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing
3. There is no learning without remembering
4. He is richest who is content with the least
5. Wisdom begins in wonder
Three Question Quiz Answers
Q.1. What century was Socrates born?
A. 400’s BC or 5th Century. To be exact 469/470 BC in Athens, Greece
Q.2. Plato was a student of Socrates. Who was the most famous student of Plato?
A. Aristotle
Q.3. Who was Socrates married to? Options are Xanthippe, Athena, or Helen
A. Xanthippe who was supposedly around 40 years younger than Socrates, and they had three children
Bonus Q. What was the name of the poison that Socrates drank after he was convicted and sentenced to death by drinking poison?
A. Hemlock
Bonus Q. Why did the pencil become a philosopher?
A. Because it always had a point!
Word of the Week
salmagundi
[ sal-muh-guhn-dee ]
noun
any mixture or miscellany.
Example
Socrates would probe his students with a salmagundi of questions in order for everyone to learn and understand a subject more deeply.
Extracted from: [https://www.dictionary.com/]
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References
https://www.brainyquote.com/lists/authors/top-10-socrates-quotes
https://www.ducksters.com/history/ancient_greece/socrates.php
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thirty_Tyrants
https://www.funtrivia.com/trivia-quiz/People/Socrates--An-Examined-Life-358882.html
https://www.dictionary.com/e/word-of-the-day/salmagundi-2024-05-21/?nlsub&lctg=57708c0e11890d95148b4e8f&email=3f276a5f540b44c01982ed460d3a1eec&utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=wotdnl&utm_term=salmagundi
https://upjoke.com/philosopher-jokes