Back to Famous People
🏺
🧠 Philosophy
Socrates
Socratic method; foundation of Western ethics
Born c. 470 BC 🇬🇷 Greece 400 BC
🧠 Known For
1
Socratic method — questioning assumptions to reach truth
2
"Know thyself" and "The unexamined life is not worth living"
3
Executed by drinking hemlock (399 BC) — chose death over exile or silence
"Know thyself"; executed for "corrupting the youth"
Quick Facts
Category
🧠 Philosophy
Country
🇬🇷 Greece
Born
c. 470 BC
Key Year
400 BC
Achievement
Socratic method; foundation of Western ethics