Socrates

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/socrates

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. When was Socrates born?Circa 470 BC
2. Where was Socrates born?Athens, Greece
3. What is Socrates known for?Founder of Western philosophy, the Socratic method (elenchus), ethical inquiry
4. What is the death?399 BC, sentenced to death by hemlock poisoning in Athens
5. What is the primary sources?Dialogues by Plato and writings by Xenophon
6. Who was Socrates?Socrates was a smart thinker from ancient Greece, born around 470 BC, who asked big questions and changed how people think.

Dialectic: A method of philosophical argument involving discussion and the exchange of opposing viewpoints to arrive at truth.
Epistemology: The branch of philosophy concerned with the theory of knowledge, especially its nature, scope, and justification.
Aporia: A state of puzzlement or uncertainty, often reached at the end of a Socratic dialogue when a concept cannot be clearly defined.
Socratic Problem: The difficulty in reconstructing Socrates' philosophical views due to the contradictory nature of the ancient sources.