Socrates was born in Athens, Greece around 470 B.C. His father was a stonemason. Socrates first worked as a sculptor and stonemason. He was apprenticed to his father, and he also took part in the Peloponnesian War. In 406 B.C., he had membership in the Council of 500. Then he became interested in philosophy. He developed the Socratic Method, a method of teaching. Some liked Socrates’ ideas, but others thought he was corrupting the minds of the people. Some people thought that he was corrupting the minds of the people because they thought he was trying to ruin good ideas about things like religion and morality without putting anything else in their place. He was brought to trial and put to death in 399 B.C. Socrates was accused of introducing new gods to the city of Athens and also corrupting the minds of young men. He was forced to drink a cup of Hemlock.

Socrates was remembered most for being a Greek philosopher and teacher who developed the Socratic Method. He gave no lectures, had no classes, and didn’t write any books. He did not teach the “normal” way. To teach his students, he simply asked questions. He would answer questions with other questions in order to make his students think and learn. Some people admired this, but others thought that he was trying to destroy tradition. He asked questions like “What is courage?” and much more.

What would this person’s “Senior Quote” be in their high school yearbook?
        Socrates’ “Senior Quote” would be something like “What does life hold for you now?” because of his beliefs and the Socratic Method. He would want his fellow students to think about their future. He would want them to learn from what they had already done. Socrates opened up the search for definitions. He also changed the way that philosophy once was. It went from being a study of the way things are, to being a consideration of moral excellence and the health of the human soul.

What “Senior Superlative” would this person be voted?
        His “Senior Superlative” would be “Most likely to question tradition” . This is because he eventually gets put to death because of questioning tradition. The people of Athens believed that he was trying to ruin good ideas about morality and religion without putting anything else in their place. Some young men that Socrates knew well turned into traitors to their country and eventually led a revolution that overthrew the democratic government.

Bibliography:

Highet, Gilbert. "Socrates." The New Book of Knowledge®. 2009. Grolier Online. 5 Mar. 2009 <http://nbk.grolier.com/cgi-bin/article?assetid=a2027450-h>.
http://bigcatgroup.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/bust20of20socrates.jpg (photo)

http://www.churchesforall.org.uk/pics/questionmark-symbol.gif (symbol)

http://www.state.gov/cms_images/greece_map_2007-worldfactbook.jpg (map)

Woodruff, Paul B. "Socrates." Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. 2009. Grolier Online. 6 Mar. 2009 <http://gme.grolier.com/cgi-bin/article?assetid=0270610-0>.

Kelsey A.