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twenty-seven-year time span the Athenian leaders were keen to preserve a democratic system of government in which to control the citizens themselves. After the calamitous temporary overhaul of democracy in 411 BC, the city endured a short, but disastrous, stretch of political disruption which Socrates was allegedly associated with. Socrates’s actions would not be classed as treacherous within our own society, as the crimes that he supposedly committed were more to do with challenging the established opinions and beliefs of others, than detectable crimes against the city. The ultimate defeat of Athens came in 405 BC, and the city was forced to accept a new government under the ‘Thirty Tyrants’ as a condition of the Spartan peace treaty. Socrates made his philosophical opinions available to anyone who would listen with an open mind and consequently began teaching young men such as Critias and Alcibiades, who both had strong ties with the newly formed tyrannical regime. As a result of his affiliations, the philosopher’s own political and religious views were brought into question and he was summoned by the Athenian court to be tried in 399 BC.

    HIS TEACHINGS

    Socrates has established himself firmly as one of the world’s most powerful and memorable philosphers, not just in the ancient world but also acting as a starting point for many of our current Western ideas. Socrates had many different areas of philosophical interest but because the great thinker never put pen to paper himself, we are forced to rely upon the accounts of others in order to determine an idea of who he was and the ideas that he stood for. One of Socrates’s most renowned students was Plato, who became an unofficial observer and documenter on the life and teachings of Socrates. As with much of the literature that covers Socrates’s teachings, Plato describes him in a highly respected manner and portrays him, not solely as one of the greatest thinkers of our time, but more importantly as a flawed human being who was constantly striving to better himself and encourage others to do the same.
    From the beginning of his life Socrates set an intellectual and theoretical standard which has been hard to match even thousands of years after his initial messages were put forward. Born in 470 BC, he stood out from the crowd from his youth by virtue of his approachable manner and easy ability to speak to all ages and audiences. He fitted naturally into his role of teacher and educator by making his message accessible to everyone, and could often be found talking to large groups of people, whether in the bustling Athenian streets, the business districts or even in the gymnasium!
    The main ideas and messages that Socrates stood for can be seen throughout many of Plato’s works, especially the Republic, Symposium and The Last Days of Socrates . A common theme preoccupies these accounts, and Plato seems convinced that Socrates was focused on the idea of the most perfect life that a person could aspire to could be fulfilled solely through fine tuning goodness and virtue in their perfect balance. One of Socrates’s most contentious musings, which was met with a great measure of hostility, was his apparent denunciation of any democratic form of government. Socrates would have been viewed by many as a traitor to the city, as his controversial opinions posed a direct challenge to the successful democracy which had led to the now fading Golden Age of Athens. It may be slightly unjustified to speak of Socrates as a plotter or traitor within our modern sense of the word, but his radical views against democracy and influence over his youngest students would certainly have posed a threat to those seeking to regain democracy around this time.
    The opposition to Socrates arose not just from fears about his messages, but more importantly from a wide and somewhat unfounded belief that he was imposing controversial and damaging beliefs upon his largest and most impressionable