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Socrates (c.469–399 BC)
Greek philosopher and mentor of Plato. Socrates wrote nothing, but much of his life and thought is vividly recorded in the Dialogues of Plato. The exact extent of Plato's indebtedness to Socrates is uncertain – for example, it is still disputed whether the doctrine of the Forms (see realism and universals) is Socratic or Platonic; but Socrates made at least two fundamental contributions to Western philosophy: by shifting the focus of Greek philosophy from cosmology to ethics; and by developing the "Socratic method" of enquiry. He argued that the good life is the life illuminated by reason and strove to clarify the ideas of his interlocutors by leading them to detect the inconsistencies of their beliefs. His passion for self-consistency was evident even in his death: ultimately condemned for "impiety," he decided to accept the lawful sentence – and so remain true to his principles – rather than make good an easy escape.
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• PHILOSOPHY
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