FC: Finding Truth
1: Socrates fought in the Persian war. It is said that when faced with the enemy Socrates was so intimidating, that when the enemy attacked he was left unharmed while hundreds of his fellow soldiers were killed. We do not know whether this is 100% true or not, since Plato was the one to write this. But, it says undeniable things about Socrates character and how others thought of him. He never wanted to talk about war, but would rather talk with his friends about how the pursuit of truth was going for them. Showing that Socrates found truth by seeing how other people found | truth, and searching for it withing himself. He let nothing fear him, because if nothing feared him, nothing could harm him. He found truth in fear itself.
2: The standard of beauty has alway been a source of truth, always been the first way you are defines in peoples eyes, and Socrates never met this perfection. Some even say that he was more Satyr than man. | To find his truth in this, the truth that defines his, though minimally, was his ugliness. He hardly ever bathed, wore the same clothes day and night, and seemingly stopped caring. But, you must see through this, he found truth within himself, by showing that he did not care, that their standards were not his standards, and he was fine with that.
3: Socrates never wanted to be known as a teacher, even though he taught many more than they could hope for. He never wanted money, never took it when offered. In Athens, like every social structure, the wealthy were on top. Socrates never wanted that top position, always | preferring to live in poverty. He embraced poverty, and walked the streets, while the youth followed and imitated him. He was did not transfer information, rather showed people what is good and true in the world. He found what he thought was true, by being true to himself. He did not allow the social structure to effect the way he acted and the way that he treated others. Something that was not normal and that some took offense to for that reason. Socrates never took money because he did not want to be held responsible for the children, everything he "taught" was from observation.
4: Socrates was one of the first to imply that women and men ARE EQUALS. He even stated that foreign women were his teachers. This undeniable truth has been something that people can, and will not accept for a very long time. While he | was alive this notion was unbelievable and false. But, now we know that it is true. Socrates found truth in this because he found what he thought was true and stayed with that, not allowing others opinions to sway him. Though, more and more people began to dislike him, and his "teachings" were more disliked by those not taught by him. Socrates really never thought that anything he thought was false, and this says undeniable this about him as a person.
5: Socrates believed that individual conscience was above the law, a very bold comment to make in Athens at the time. And, your conscience is nothing more that your truth, facts of yourself. Socrates was the first to suggest that you should listen to these small | feelings, that you know what is wrong and right and that you should act upon that. Truth means that too, it is not only facts of yourself, but knowing what truly is right and wrong is very hard, because even though the government gives you a list of right and wrong, the list is not always true. Socrates said that knowing what is right and wrong is being true to yourself, and not allowing your conscience to be influenced. This include government laws, because if you know what is truly right and wrong, then you can never regret.
6: Socrates is most known for his strange way of questioning everything, never truly accepting answers. He found truth by never accepting any truth but his own. Until he felt that it was truthful in his eyes. Questions are always asked to discover truth, but how can we know what is true when we are not asking the questions? This is something Socrates knew fully.
7: Socrates has never written anything and we have been forced to rely on others for our knowledge of him, and how he pursued truth. This can also help us see how he pursued it though. Because he did not write anything we can infer that he did not want his words to | become distorted,he wanted to make sure that he would be fully aware of everything that he taught, or did not teach people. Socrates was never agreed with, but never fought against other, except in the Persian Wars. By not writing anything Socrates shows us that he felt speech was a powerful tool, and his strongest tool. This can also show that he did not care whether he left a legacy, that whatever he did, he did, and what it affected was not his problem.
8: Socrates did not believe that a democracy was a good way to run your government. He objected the way that the Athenian government was run in his adult years. He did not think highly of any government that was not run by philosophers. This says a lot about Socrates and his look on truth. This shows that Socrates on thought that those who reflected him, had the strength to rule. That he was true in every way. How he did not want to teach, but he did want people to be like him. He felt that he was true, and you must think about every thought before it is put into action for it to be true.
9: We have no much written on Socrates, but we do not know whether it is fact or fiction. We know that he is real, because so many people have written of him, but we do not know what is real of him. We only know of his character, and what others thought of him. Most every person who has written of Socrates like him and feels that he has contributed many things to the world. Truth, and how he searched for it. His questions and how he never accepted the truth, but always found it. The way we have to determine fact or fiction is yet another way for Socrates to find truth. | We can infer that Socrates never knew what was fact or fiction in his life, because he was always asking questions. So, he was truthful in showing that to others by not allowing them to know, fact or fiction.
10: Socrates truly was a hero of philosophy. He spoke when no one else dared to, and never allowed others opinions to sway him. Even more than philosophy he was a hero of truth, pursuing it more then anyone ever had and most likely ever will. Looking for truth where others dare not look for anything. Socrates showed the world what truth means. He showed us that no two persons truths are the same, and we have to look everywhere | up, down, left, and right. He pursued it his own way, by living the life he chose to live, for good or for bad, and | mouth shut. He was happy with himself, and that is how he ultimately found truth. By doing what he found to be right, and not listening to anyone but himself. | learning form what mistakes he made. He did not regret on his deathbed, did not wish that he had kept his
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