5 Great Life Lessons From Socrates

Socrates, who is considered the father of philosophy, was born in Athens in 469 BC. His father, Sofonisvo, was a stonecutter and his mother, Panarota, was a midwife. Despite his humble origins, he was a very important philosopher. Socrates’ life lessons are many that have survived to this day.

This great philosopher lived in principle like any other Athenian. He followed his father’s trade for some time and served as a soldier. He was a man known for being a hard worker. Socrates’ first life lessons relate to his patience and his ability to bear the burdens of his condition.

When he began to gain fame as a thinker and naturalist, his enemies grew in number. This was because he promoted an implacable ethic, in which there was no room for dishonesty, dishonor or double standards. That is why he was persecuted and ridiculed. Also sentenced to die / commit suicide. This last episode eventually became one of Socrates’ great life lessons.

Life Lessons of Socrates

Here are some of the most valuable teachings of this great philosopher and thinker.

1. Humility

Socrates was not physically handsome at all. His stature was too short and he had a rather prominent belly. His features were rough and among them stood out his large bulging eyes and his extremely upturned nose. His physical appearance was mocked  by other philosophers.

However, none of this affected him. On the contrary, he paid little or no attention to those comments. Rather, he always wore the same cloak and was totally austere in his way of life. He hardly ate or drank the essentials. Host said of him that no slave would want to be treated as he treated himself. Plato, for his part, washed his feet and put sandals on him.

2. Respect for the individuality of others

One of the most interesting aspects of this philosopher’s life is that he never wrote. Although everyone considered him a very superior mind and full of wisdom, all of Socrates’ teachings were oral. The reason he adopted this behavior is another of Socrates’ great life lessons.

He always said that everyone should develop their own ideas. If he wrote his own, he would condition the intellectual construction of others. His was something more genuine: talking ad nauseam with people, putting into play his irony and his extraordinary ability to see things from a different angle.

3. Listening to it, another of Socrates’ great life lessons

The method by which Socrates imparted his teachings was of such subtlety and intelligence that it is still applied today (that yes, less than desirable). Great pedagogues, such as Jean Piaget, were inspired by the Socratic method, which is known as “Mayneutics”.

The philosopher began a conversation by questioning his interlocutor. He posed questions that led him to discover himself whether what he was saying was consistent, or had little support. In this way, each one was coming to the truth on their own. Socrates listened and only questioned.

4. Total openness to the truth

Socrates is the author of the famous phrase ” I only know that I know nothing. ” In his case it was not a slogan or a way to promote himself. Actually this philosopher had a unique open-mindedness. Hence, he considered that his main resource to get to the true was to recognize that he did not know what was true, it was to ask questions before trying to find answers, it was to broaden the vision of the world before narrowing it down.

Socrates was also the author of the famous statement ” Know yourself. ” This phrase was inscribed on the pediment of the Temple of Delphi. He did not seek to describe himself to human beings, but rather invited all of us to explore within ourselves. An exciting journey, without a doubt.

5. The sense of humor

The most famous of the Athenian philosophers also had a great sense of humor. Much of it was reflected in his anecdotes with Xantipa, his wife. She was 30 years younger than him and famous because she had a demonic character .

That is why Socrates was once asked why he had married her and he indicated: “ What I like is to learn every day from a person with such a bad character (soon very strong, little patient). There is no better school than dealing with others ”.

Despite everything, when he was sentenced to death, his wife went to visit him and burst into tears. Socrates then told him: ” Don’t cry, we are all condemned to death by nature .” His wife replied: ” But you have been unjustly condemned .” Faced with this, Socrates replied: “ Would it seem less regrettable to you if they had justly condemned me? “

These are just some of the great life lessons of Socrates, one of the greatest philosophers in history. He even accepted his death sentence and carried it out with complete serenity. His greatest merit is that he lived as he preached.